I painted the above two images as part of my own healing work. The practice and process of making art is central to its healing potential.

Writing your story using symbolism and archetype can be extremely powerful and healing. I wrote this journal entry and these notes and then created a fairy tale about my past that I then read to the class, Clarissa Pinkola Estes style, although I could never match her oratory brilliance.

I created a healing approach based on Soul Collage (which I’m trained to facilitate), color and ritual and the power of the four directions and elements. Each person who participates would experience her own personal story based on the elements of healing.

This image and the following show a variety of drawing, writing, chosen objects, college and art therapy as powerful tools for healing.

I have a certification in trauma healing as a therapist and this course was on healing trauma. Much of this work is somatic, such as creating a mandala in nature, imagining and drawing a safe space, drawing with eyes closed and doing art mindfully.

I wanted to include some of my journal pages to honor my transition back to art. I started drawing shapes on my journal pages over my writing and then adding more and more color, and expanding it, until I found art journaling. I had completely lost art in my life and I’m so glad I found it again!

I had to include this, almost as a tribute to a whole other chapter that came before this one, where I lived in Japan for almost five years, started doing pottery (these are my very first pieces!) I learned how to make these without understanding a word). The concept of Kintsugi has come up so many times in the recent past- that of filling in a seeming flaw with gold, to honor and celebrate imperfection as something beautiful, and as part of life.