Why Use Art for Self-Reflection?

Welcome to our first blog post! As mentioned on our “about” page, this blog is about using art for self-reflection, emotional expression, and mindfulness. I figure that the best starting point is to explain why this topic is important in the first place.

I guess I will share a little bit about myself and why this topic is important to me. I am 25 years old and live in a small town in Ontario, Canada. My main interests focus on education, art, and personal development. I have always had a love for the arts since I was very young, exploring many different domains of art-making throughout my life, including drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. As I went through the ups and downs of life’s experiences, I have found that art is something that has allowed me to reflect on both positive and negative experiences and discover things about myself in various ways. Art has provided an outlet for expressing my emotions in a healthy way, digging deeper into my thoughts, and growing from my experiences. I would like to use this blog to share ways that you can also use art in similar ways and discover how helpful it can be as a tool for self-discovery.

So, what is the point of using art for self-reflection, and why should you even consider using it as a tool? As humans, it is important for us to reflect on our experiences as we navigate life. Whether it be something we do consciously or subconsciously, we all use different ways to reflect and learn from our experiences. Art provides an opportunity to consciously reflect on our emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a conscious and, sometimes, more clear way than we can express otherwise. A lot of people shy away from art, especially visual art, saying things like, “I am not an artist; I can’t even draw a stick figure.” If this is something that resonates with you, I encourage you to put aside these thoughts. The activities and techniques that will be shared here are not meant to be used only by those who classify themselves as being “good at art”. These activities or ideas are meant to make you discover, express, feel, reflect, and grow.

The first activity I would like to share can be completed using any medium of your choice, whether it be pencil, paint, markers, pastels, etc. Choose more than one if you wish. With this activity, it is important to not limit yourself to staying with one way of mark-making. Choose any sized page or surface you would like to use for this activity. You can even use multiple pages if you feel like having more space to work with. The whole point of this activity is to do whatever feels right to you. Whether you are happy, sad, frustrated, or infuriated, let your emotions out using the medium(s) you have chosen. Make bug marks that stretch across a whole page or multiple pages, make tiny marks, press lightly on the page or surface, and press really hard. Do anything that feels right in the moment. You can make abstract, nondistinct shapes and lines, or feel free to mark down words, shapes, or things that come to mind during this moment. You can even pick one colour to use or choose multiple to show different emotions you may have. Again, this activity is all about doing what feels right for you as a way to thoroughly express the emotions you are feeling at a given moment.

When you have finished mark-making and added all of the colours, shapes, words, and lines you feel like adding, take a step back from your creation. You can leave it as is, or if you feel like you still have more to express, try ripping, poking holes, taking pieces from one part of your work, and adding it to another part. Again, do anything that feels right to you. Once you feel like you have released all of the emotions you needed to and you feel like your work is finished, take another step back and reflect on what your work is showing right now. How did you feel before creating this work? How did you feel while creating it? How do you feel after? Hopefully, you feel a little bit lighter after expressing your emotions, especially if they were more “negative” emotions like anger. If you were to step outside of yourself and think as though you were someone else looking at this work, what would you think it reflects? How would it make you feel? Feel free to simply ponder these questions in your mind or write down your thoughts in a notebook.

After completing this work, it is important to reflect on the fact that this activity portrays the emotions you feel. The work you have done by completing this activity will never be replicated in another moment. What felt right to you in this moment may not feel the same in the next since your emotions, thoughts, and ideas are always changing. You are constantly going through different experiences and learning new things. With this activity, reflect on the emotion you focused on most. Was there a specific situation that caused you to feel this emotion? Repeat this activity whenever you are feeling an emotion that you would like to reflect on and express more thoroughly. It is a great way to work through various emotions and experiences to clear your mind and process your experiences.

The final step to this activity is to discard your work as you see fit. You can simply place it in a place to return to at a later time, or you can rip it into pieces and discard it in the trash. Another option is to burn it; however, if you choose this option, please do so safely. This step is meant to act as a closure from the emotion you were focusing on to create your work. As you discard this work, let your mind release the emotion from your mind and space.