How to get Started with Therapeutic Arts

How to get started using therapeutic arts! One of the most common things I hear people say when I’m working with them is that they don’t know how to get started. Using the arts as a therapeutic tool doesn’t have to be complicated and you can use whatever materials you have on hand.

With this process I used drawing as the visual arts piece.

With therapeutic arts you can use really any kind of art supplies, but today I was feeling markers & paper.

When you’re getting started, I really want to emphasize that you can use ANY drawing materials you have on hand. They don’t have to be fancy. These markers were gifted to me from a friend.

Start by making a few dots on the paper. 🔵

The dots provide a way to move past not knowing how to start.

Staring at a blank paper can seem daunting!! But having an easy entry point can be a good way to move past that feeling of not knowing what to do.

They can be anywhere and you can do as many or as few as you want! When making therapeutic art, go with what feels good. If you want to do 5 dots great. 30 dots, wonderful. Whatever feels best to you.

After creating your dots, use either the same color or a different color & connect the dots.

Once you finish connecting the dots, you’ll have an image on your paper. Then you can do whatever you want to do. You can fill in the shapes, you can trace around them, you can make more dots etc. It’s really up to you and how you’re feeling in the moment.

With this piece, I decided to trace around the dots, add some more dots & fill in some areas.

I kept going until my image felt complete.

When I finished this piece it made me think of the painting “Icarus” by Henri Matisse. I used to have it hanging up in my house.

You can learn about the Matisse painting at this link from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

After drawing I did some writing about breaking out of the mold society tries to put us in.

I always recommend writing along with your art piece to further the process. 📝

If you want to see a video about this process, check out the link from my Instagram below!

How to get Started with Therapeutic Arts - Drawing with Cat Thomas of Your Creative Healing