Self-kindness is about showing understanding toward ourselves when we are hurt or fall short of our expectations. Rather than being critical when we already feel pain, we can treat ourselves with warmth and patience instead.
 
Often we are quick to treat others with kindness when they are in pain. We validate their feelings and provide support for them to get through it with caring and understanding. When we do this for ourselves, by acknowledging our own pain and caring for ourselves, we are exercising kindness.
 
We can treat ourselves with kindness by reminding ourselves that no one is perfect, that we are enough just as we are, and we can use self-care activities and spend time with people who treat us well. We can find rituals that we find soothing, such as a warm cup of tea or a walk in nature. And we can take time to make art that honours and strengthens the value of kindness.
 
Our worth is unconditional.
 
For anyone who’d like to explore self-kindness with art making, I’ve created a 7-day challenge where we will use affirmations and art journaling.
 

7-Day Self-Kindness Art Journal Challenge
 
Art Journalling focuses on the process of making a page using art processes, rather than the end result. It's meant to be spontaneous and enjoyable, and can be a great way to find a state of creative flow.

You can start this Art Journal Challenge at any time, and you can choose any seven days, they don’t need to be across one week. Remember this is about self-kindness – and this extends to being kind to things you make, try to leave aside any judgment and focus on enjoying the process of making art in all its beautiful imperfection.
 
What you will need:

• 7 sheets of paper – this can be art paper, copy paper, a visual art diary or any sort of recycled paper or card
• Your choice of art materials – these can be any type of pens, pencils, paint, ink, collage, etc.

 
Guide:
Each day, use the affirmation prompt provided below.
Take some time to consider what this means to you, and any imagery or colours that may come to mind.
Using your art materials, create a page including the affirmation and your creative interpretation. Think kind words, kind colours, kind shapes, kind images.
There is no right or wrong, be spontaneous and let the ideas flow onto the page with freedom.
 
Sharing:
If you choose, you can share your art journal page on Instagram using the hashtag #IVATselfkindness and tagging me with @innerviewarttherapy. Follow the hashtag and share the self-kindness support.
You are invited to share this page and invite others to participate.
 
Daily affirmation prompts:
 
Day 1 – Today is the beginning of whatever I want.
 
Day 2 – I am capable of doing hard things.
 
Day 3 – I am happy and radiant.
 
Day 4 – I will honour my need to rest and recharge.

Day 5 – My happiness is reflected back to me.

Day 6 – I am proud of myself.
 
Day 7 – I am enough just as I am.


If you'd like to explore how art therapy can help you, please contact me or make an appointment.

Need help getting started with Therapeutic Art Journalling?

I now offer 1:1 mini sessions online to help you get started and build confidence with therapeutic art journalling, sessions are 30 minutes and the fee is only $65. You can book here:

One of the most useful skills in developing our mental wellbeing is mindfulness. A practice of mindfulness has been shown to help with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, heart health and chronic pain.
 
“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally” - Jon Kabat-Zinn.
 
Mindfulness is a non-judgmental, receptive mind state in which we observe thoughts and feelings as they are, without trying to suppress or deny them. We can be in contact with the present moment –noticing, with openness and curiosity, what is present, right here right now. We can give ourselves space to be, and not overly concerned with the past or future. Meditation is a wonderful way to practice mindfulness, however meditative activities can be found in our everyday lives.
 
Art making is an activity that helps develop mindfulness. It allows your mind to become focused and less distracted. Engaging in art therapy with a mindful approach can help you be centred, stay present in the moment and connect with your inner self.
 
Here’s a simple way to start using art making as mindfulness practice. Start by sitting at a table, taking a few calming breaths and set an intention to focus on the here and now. Using a pencil or marker on a piece of paper, slowly breathe in and then draw a line as you breathe out. Repeat alongside this line, drawing a new line for each out-breath. Allow any thoughts or judgments to come and go. Notice how the breath feels, the sensation of drawing, the quality of the lines, the texture of the paper, sounds around you. Continue until the paper is full.

What are some other ways you can practice mindfulness in your everyday life? Let me know in the comments.

If you'd like to explore how art therapy can help you, please contact me or make an appointment.

Why is art therapy beneficial, and how does it work? In art therapy we use art materials to bring change and growth as a person’s issues are worked through. The aim of art therapy is psychological or emotional healing; a return to good health, wellbeing and vitality in a person’s life. ​

A brief history of Art Therapy
When did art therapy begin? Art therapy is an established field in mental health:

• Freud established the importance of the unconscious and dreams;
• Jung encouraged visual expression of inner experiences (‘active imagination’);
• Klein moved the focus of psychoanalysis to relationships;
• Winnicott identified the child’s recognition of symbol, potential space, transitional objects, and the use of play and creativity in development;
• Naumburg established art therapy as a distinct field and referred to art images as ‘symbolic speech’;
• Kramer used art making to relieve trauma based on Freud’s concept of sublimation, where energy is diverted away from unwanted impulses and towards positive experience;
• Adamson, working in a psychiatric hospital art studio, believed that art processes were intrinsically healing;
• McNiff argues that art making activates creative energy, which is life-affirming and revitalizing; ‘both art and healing … continuously convert one thing into something else’;
• Hyland-Moon describes a collaborative open studio approach in which the art therapist approaches the process as an artist and storyteller, providing a studio environment for the person to freely experience the space and materials;
• Allen explains ‘the images that spontaneously emerge in engaged art making form a bridge between inner and outer, between conscious and unconscious, and between self, others, and the world’.

 
The creative process
Art making is connected to the intrinsic human need to play. Our ‘humanness’ has been the subject matter and reason for the arts throughout history. The process of art making, or ‘making special’ involves deep and strong emotions and appeals to our thoughts and senses. Art transcends cultural boundaries and is a natural part of being human.
 
In art therapy there is often the sense of being immersed in the art process, a feeling of creative flow; there is likely to be spontaneity, imperfection and acceptance. The art therapist may be witness, facilitator, counsellor and guide.
 
The talking process
In therapy, the person is invited to talk about the artwork so they can uncover what it means to them and gain insight. Talking alone may be inadequate to explain the richness of imagery and imagination, so to gain the most benefit from the person’s art making the art therapist brings curiosity about all the elements of materials, perception, place, body and the art process. Talking about the artwork allows clarity and avoids assumptions and interpretations being made.
 
The experience of becoming
In philosophy, the idea of ‘becoming’, the ‘passage between points’, elevates the experience of becoming above the potential of the start and end points. To use a well-worn phrase, it's about the 'journey'. 'Becoming’ is central to a holistic approach in art therapy. Art therapists are sensitive to the person’s needs, embracing the value of the process and the relationship between therapist, the person and their artwork, supporting and participating in their growth. The focus is on belonging and connection between people. 
 
How do we use art therapy to heal?
Healing occurs through the relationship between the person and their environment. In art therapy, the experience of being in the space, sensing, perceiving, physically handling art materials and interacting with others are essential elements of the healing process. Healing is in the entire experience of art making and in the space between our self and the world.

Experience art therapy for yourself
​You can make an appointment here and I look forward to supporting your healing journey.