Does anyone use art as part of their recovery

[purplelight]

During a session with my T today we were talking about a new skill and I said "I guess it is time to bring out the crayons" We applied that to the skill I am learning and it is helping it to sink in plus it sort of fun since I tend to be creative.

Does anyone else use art to deal with recovery? I would love to hear! :happy

[Mully]

I have been using art a ton in my recovery, which is a bit strange because I never considered myself that creative or artistic- I was too much of a perfectionist, so I was too critical and couldn't let go. My big first art project was to make a recovery scrapbook (I chose to do it all on my own!) and I just put all kinds of inspiring things in there- song lyrics, cards, quotes, important info for me, pictures, etc. and then decorated it with papers and stickers. I've had a blast and it's been so fun! I've now stretched out to making cards and painting and whatever makes me happy. I think art is a great way to express yourself. For me it's been helpful to realize that I don't have an audience- the art is all for me, as well as to fight perfection by making it imperfect, not always measuring the lines so it's perfect, for example. I've learned and grown a lot!

[kauaisweetheart]

I have a Disney coloring book that I color in to distract me at times. I love it a lot.

I also started knitting and began a quote/positive scrapbook or collection type thing too!

[midnightdreary]

YES. Art is amazing. I have a coloring book, as was mentioned, plus I love to scrapbook so I have a "recovery" scrapbook. Also, I write a lot, in that sense of art. Some of my writing I do is about my ED and other struggles but usually I don't write about that-- I am getting published soon in the fall semester literary magazine at my U.

Art is great... and for me, a perfectionist and very self-conscious when it comes to art (art therapy always always caused a ridiculous amount of anxiety).... I think I've come a long way-- my last round of IOP which included art therapy didn't have nearly the amount of anxiety that my first sessions did and it's actually fun!! We played with Play-Do one day and that was awesome- definitely stock up on some if you buy any art supplies! :winky

Let us know how your art helps you!

[purplelight]

Gosh! So many good ideas!!!

:hugon Mully :hugoff I really like the idea of the recovery scrapbook. I already have some ideas about that which I could use.

I used my "coloring skills" today and I think another thing I like about it is how I get into myself in a nonjudgemental way and then go thru the emotion and out of it.

I would love to hear more ideas

[sea.tangle]

Yes!

I have always made art, but as the ED took over i did it less and less. I was unmotivated and doubted my ability to create something worth looking at. That's why it's healthy for me to engage in it again.

But now, when I am using it as a coping tool, I don't focus on being neat or graceful. I have a journal that i fill with collages based on my feelings. Other art I do is for school or for my portfolio; but this book i keep separate as a way to express myself without having to be "artsy".

[bounty]

I have been in Art therapy for just over a year due to PND and I am starting to use it in my recovery from ED but its harder than I thought, I am no good at drawing.

Like those above I have used colouring as a distraction, I find Doodle pattens work best for me.

[Medstudent]

I was a "real" violinist back in the day and the hardest orchestral pieces left me completely spent...and I would feel amazing afterwards. That was my art, my expression, my release. Now that I'm in med school I have no such outlet musically (playing by oneself can be very soothing but nowhere near the intensity of hammering out a Shostakovich piece with an orchestra), but I have been doing quite a bit of acrylic and oil painting, another standby from the past...in fact, today, after my last final exam of the quarter (!!!) I'm going to take the rest of the day to relax, turn on the tunes, and PAINT!

[dissonantdanyell]

art is really important i think. it's fun and relaxing and you can do whatever you want. i made a recovery scrapbook too, and painted pictures then wrote my favorite quotes on some of the pictures with sharpie. there's a quote i love from a song and i painted a flower and the sun and this nice landscape behind it then wrote the quote:

"into a person you have grown,
from a seed somebody else has thrown.
go ahead and throw some seeds of your own,
and somewhere between the time you arrive and the time you go,
may lie the reason you were alive
that you'll never know."
-jackson browne

i also have some buddha quotes and quotes from the bible.
that's fun if you're into that.

[sydonie]

yes yes yes!!!! i love art. i try to keep as many different media around as might suit my fancy at a particular time. mostly paints, markers, construction paper, glue, glitter, collage materials...i have a recovery scrapbook as well. :love

[Alethea]

I have done some painting as part of my recovery, just abstract art. I am so perfectionist it was really hard at first (cos of course it wasn't perfect!) but it's sort of nice to just do something like that for me.

I find art incredibly therapeutic and relaxing now. But I always feel guilty like I'm wasting time...it is a great way to learn how to just 'be' I think.

[SleepToDreamFA]

I think art can be really therapeutic! I loved coloring at resi - really helped me deal with my anxiety. When I'm home I like to sketch sometimes - and I went through a period of time where I tried to incorporate the ED Ribbon in my sketches so I would be reminded of recovery in the process. It was actually a lot of fun and I would love to go back and add to those sketches.

Ive also used sketching as an outlet for some darker emotions or experiences and I usually put on my favorite Fiona Apple songs because I can relate to every single one of them and just sketch something that goes with a lyric.

[purplelight]

Gosh :fishys there are so many great ideas. My new art soon will be decorating my new place, as sparce as it might be. I would love to find some old furniture and redo it. I've done some before and you get so into it you forget about the rest of the world and it is fun to think about what you want to do with it. :happy

[Rayneonthemoon]

Oh yes, I use a lot of creative/expressive type things - I used them in my recovery from ED, and now they are an integral part of my life :yay

Sometimes what the voice cannot say, expressive type stuff says loud and clear; it allows for experience and healing and the ability to just *be*

I have started doing a lot of movement type work (authentic movement, NIA, etc.)

I too am a very creative person, and while art/drawing is not my thing, I love doing collages, photography, and writing.

At therapy, we do sandtray, and that's always a truly creative and expressive experience.

We are going to start doing yoga therapy soon too.

Take care of you, and get down with your creative artistic self :muhaha

[chasinghope]

When I was anorexic the first time I saw a new T she asked me to draw a picture of me. I drew a very skinny running girl. And she had me do a picture of my family.

Later, as a xmas present for my run coach, I drew a picture of her running. It was beautiful. It made me realize the difference between healthy athlete and anorexic one, the difference in the pictures.

Inadvertent therapy :-)

Art is an anti anxiety skill for me some days.

[purplelight]

I :lubdub hearing about these ideas!

:hugon Rayneonthemoon:hugoff I would like to hear more about authentic movement, NIA. What is that and how does that help you. I am also interested in the sandtray. Can you share?

Right now i am doin a therapy called ACT. you start when you feel an emotion and then you tell yourself that you are thinking about the emotion and then let it go and go on mindfully to the next thought as they pass by. i started drawing my emotions or situations dating and timing them and continue to draw (color) as the emotions change. I must still have a lot of child in me b/c I love doing it and it really helps. I even carry a small notebook and colored pencils in my purse so I can do it anywhere. I am not good at drawing, but it is something about doing this that really helps me. I stay in my head a lot and coloring and drawing brings "ME" out. :happy

[Rayneonthemoon]

Oh wow, it's all so.. complicated to describe fully :muhaha

Here are some links for you :yay

http://www.sandtray.org/
http://www.nia-joyinmotion.com/whatisnia.htm

[purplelight]

:hugon Rayneonthemoon :hugoff

Thanks for the links. I will surly check them out!

I used a new trick with my new skill. I colored in my head. I had some really strong emotions and did not have my tools so I stopped what I was doing and imaged what I would draw and color. I liked it b/c if I did not like my piciture it was easy to erase?

[Rayneonthemoon]

That's pretty cool, very mindful! I may use that idea :yay