I thought I would post this here to help explain a little about what meditative art is and how it helps for those that are new to this idea!
AN ACTIVE FORM OF MEDITATION
As you may know, meditation involves awareness and being present and allowing ourselves to be open to connect with things that are greater than our ego self and our left brain that runs most of our days. It helps us be able to disconnect from unwanted thoughts and emotions or nonstop ruminating and monkey mind madness. There are many forms of meditation and ways to tap into this state of mind and strengthen it.
Creating art is an ACTIVE form of meditation that trains the mind to increase awareness, connection to the PRESENT, as well as our thoughts, feelings and needs without judgement.
There are also exercises that work on retraining the brain for specific struggles, limitations, or thought processes one might want to change for the better.
THE WAY WE DO ANYTHING, IS THE WAY WE DO EVERYTHING
When you think about your personality, your tendencies, patterns and behaviors... do you notice that you are overall a detail oriented? Or are you more interested in the bigger picture? Do you calculate the outcome of everything beforehand or are you more inclined to go with the flow? Are you a risk taker? Or do you play it safe most of the time?
I don't want you to start judging yourself but what we are looking for is if you notice a consistency. If you are detail oriented in one part of your life, you are likely detail oriented in most parts of your life, yes?
What we are striving for, what nature is always trying to get back to, is balance.
Art can help us do this.
For instance if you have trouble sitting still and focusing, you could work on drawing a mandala, doing detailed work that keeps you focused. You would work over time to increase how long you are able to do it for, and do it often to retrain your brain.
TIP: At first, quick and often is better than trying to force yourself for longer then getting frustrated and not coming back to it. Repetition is key!
We are also opening up to, and connecting to something greater than ourselves that can lead us in the direction we need to go, calm us, and help us feel stronger.
For a believer this can be God or the Divine. For a Naturalist it can be nature and Mother Earth, or the elements of life. It can be the planets and the power of the solar system. It can be our collective unconscious as a species (Carl Jung), or the energy of ecosystem in which we live.
The Evidence
Elements of these concepts are present in all native cultures around the world for as long as we have knowledge of history. Anything that has been consistent across continents when people could not communicate I feel is something worth giving our respect to.
In the modern world there have also been many studies in neuroscience on meditation and the benefits of it so now we have evidence of the power of meditation from thousands of years of history as well as the science of today. Amazing!!
Even though many of us know the power of meditation, it can be difficult at times to calm the monkey mind by simply sitting still.
Using art allows you to enter this state, strengthen the intuitive part of your mind, the neuropathways in the right hemisphere of your brain to be exact - with an active approach.
We Are All Natural Creators
We are all natural creators. Our modern society looks at art in more of a product form, looking at the RESULT. Art should really be about the PROCESS. Having been in commercial art the past 20 years I know this better than anyone.
We may have been told at an early age that we are "not good at drawing" and it stopped us from continuing to put value on simply creating. Letting go of old expectations and programming around art is key to being able to enter a meditative art state. Don't worry I have exercises to help you with that!!
Art Therapy vs Meditative Art
Art Therapy is defined as "a form of a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication”. As all therapies, art therapy aspires to help. The patients express themselves with the use of different forms of arts to release and resolve emotional difficulties and heal old wounds.
It is guided by a trained professional who is using psychotherapy to work a patient through their wounds, and art is the tool to access those feelings and express them. This is especially useful in situations where the patient can not express themselves well with words such as with children, severe trauma, and cognitive disfunction.
Meditative Art, while it can have therapeutic benefits, is not considered "therapy". It's goal is to create a present state of mind, feelings of calm, and connection on a spiritual level to one's higher self and the world around you. While some of the techniques can be the same, and you will be retraining your brain when doing the meditative art exercises -- the difference is having it guided by a trained psychotherapist that can lead you through difficult patterns of thought and behaviors over time that you might not be able to access on your own.
I believe both can bring healing in different ways.
I do have a 4 year degree in Art Therapy. I am not a licensed practitioner, and don't desire to become one at this time. I feel my gifts are better utilized to serve others in a different way. But if you find that this meditative art brings up a lot for you, and you want to take it deeper and incorporate it with psychotherapy with a licensed Art Therapist, I highly encourage you to do so.
Courses to Learn More
I have a couple of options for you if you want to learn more...
FREE INTRO TO MEDITATIVE ART WORKSHOP
This free course gives you an introduction to what Meditative Art is and how it works on our brains using quick and easy 10 minute videos to help you develop a regular practice with a busy life.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE FREE COURSE
ART & SOUL WORKSHOP
This course digs deeper. We uncover your most limiting beliefs and help you overcome them by using more in depth Meditative Art exercises. If you are ready to really look inside and make some incredible transformations using the power of art and symbolism, than this course is for you.
We learn how using art and symbolism can help you communicate with your subconscious mind and get clarity about the things you worry about the most.
Meditative Art Coaching
What I am available for is MEDITATIVE ART COACHING. This is a one-on-one session with me (all currently on Zoom), where we discover what is holding you back the most and develop a custom meditative art practice for your specific struggles.
CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME ABOUT COACHING