Art, It Does a Mind Good

As I've been pondering what it is that I'm going to my undergraduate studies in, what I'm going to major in and what it is that I'm going to do for a career, I've considered many options. First, I thought I was going to be an Art Historian. But, living in the area I do (even the surrounding area) options for employment are severely limited. I've always known that I wanted to do something in the artistic field, but I've always been unsure of what I could do that I would not only enjoy, but manage to sustain a living at as well. To add to that confusion is the overwhelming urge to help people. Friends and acquaintances usually come to me when they have problems and need someone else's input - I'm a really good listener and always try to help the best I can with the advice I give. Perhaps, I thought, I could hone these skills in becoming a psychotherapist. Yeah, surely that's better than being a "starving artist" the rest of my days. But then I got to thinking and digging some more, and I think I've found my solution...

Art therapy! Yes, you heard right - art therapy. It's the notion that you can help people of all ages work through their underlying issues through creative self-expression. It is a combination of pschoanalytical techniques through art. There are many people out there are either unwilling or incapable of telling a person what's really going on with them. So, painting, drawing, sculpting, or a host of other mediums can help therapists see not only what is going on with the individual but also by using art as opposed to talk therapy, gives people another way to work through their problems.

I just read an article about art therapists being used by FEMA to help kids in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2007. They asked the kids to draw houses, but the kids did not draw traditional houses - they just drew triangles. This created the realization that what the kids perceived as a house, as home, had been damaged due to their trauma; home had become only the roof and no longer represented safety to them. After numerous session, the kids started to draw normal looking houses again and started to recover internally. Art therapy really helped these kids through a rough time in their lives.

So, I think that pursuing a career goal in art therapy would be a worthy endeavor. I would not only get to help others, but also enjoy being a part of something that was still artistically creative.

Any thoughts on this matter? What are your opinions on the idea of art therapy? Comments and suggestions are all welcome :)... Ratings too ;).

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