By Lisa M. Lounsbury, MA, LMFT, ATR-BC
City of Bloomington Youth Art Project – Art Lab Rx Perspective
Art making provides us with an opportunity for creative self-expression that transcends the boundaries of time, culture, religion, economic status, and more.
During the process of creating, the front of a person’s brain goes quiet and the mid-brain section lights up. The subconscious is activated and what needs to be addressed comes out in the art. It’s the physiological phenomenon of FLOW and the person can forget about time and space, literally forgetting where they are, while they’re still making art. People often call it being in-the-zone. Several of the participants at the Bloomington Youth Art Expression Initiative talked about letting go of the outside world and focusing on where their hands were…creating.
At the onset of the project, several youth arrived. Staff from the City of Bloomington, and I made introductions and shared the mission and vision of the day.
I gave a short psychoeducational talk about what art therapy is and what it isn’t then described the goal for them to creatively express themselves with the masks regarding their sense of safety, belonging, and overall wellbeing while living in the city of Bloomington.
A visual tour was given which showed the types of materials available, including colorful fabrics, pipe cleaners, beads, bling, silk flowers, silk leaves, feathers, puff balls, yarn, raffia, sticks, screws, stones, shells, googly eyes, and more. In the center of a large table were paint sticks, markers, white glue and glitter glue for all to use. There was a hot glue station and at each setting was a tray that had a spoon, a small dish for elements, a pen, a pencil, and their mask. There was a station for everything and everything was accessible.
I encouraged participants to create on the inside of the mask to express how they feel internally, as well as the outside to express how they present themselves externally; all relevant to their experience in the community with regarding their safety, belonging, and overall wellbeing. I also reminded them that this is about creativity, not about perfection, and that exploration is often messy and to give themselves the courage to be imperfect.
Individuals were slow to start, but as soon as the first person laughed about a combination of materials, they opened up and the chatter increased.
Soon they were fully engaged in the project and ideas were forming. Participants worked independently. Often there were moments of silence as all of them were completely focused on their art making. FLOW was happening!
Some of the participants had questions about how to use the materials, some wanted advice about how to demonstrate a thought into an art form, and others were content to explore quietly and create on their own.
At a mid-point in the day, we had a break for lunch, which was the perfect time to step away from art making and to return refreshed. We all stepped right back into studio mode and resumed creating to complete the projects. At that point, some of the participants were being interviewed and the photographer was capturing images.
“Participants laughed, talked, and encouraged one another while respecting each other’s individual creative process,” said the note-taker.
One participant wrote in their artist statement, “Be yourself, who cares what anyone has to say!”
There were enough masks for staff to make art alongside the participants. This created a type of belonging and connection without the hierarchy that often is evident in a group setting.
One participant wrote in their artist statement, “I hope you feel a sense of calm and resilience. Remember that wellbeing comes from a sense of belonging. You belong!”
The participants and staff were laughing and enjoying the creative process at the same time, creating the unity and cohesion of a shared experience. This experience reminded me of a comment from a client after a different group, “We came in as strangers and left as friends.”
Hearing the participants describe their experiences to the videographer felt like hearing our dream outcomes spoken aloud. One participant talked about how great it was to do something that wasn’t geared towards drinking, sex, or phones. AND, that she thought there should be more of this kind of opportunity for young people.
Another person said that he “needed all the help he could get,” and that this was a way for him to “get it out.”
Another person said that she almost forgot where she was.
Attending were participants from the community, staff from Bloomington, staff from Oasis for Youth, a videographer, and a photographer. All masks were made into art creations and each one was completely original and relevant to the participants’ life experience, telling a unique story.
Creative self expression is often a release, a relief, and usually a reveal. One participant wrote, “You don’t always see what someone is going through or what they’ve been through.”
Another person said, “I think I was going for a warm feeling visually. I wanted the mask not to have a mouth, I feel like sometimes my voice isn’t heard through my mouth but my art and the things I create.”
“The atmosphere was positive, engaging, welcoming, and creative. Participants appeared comfortable expressing themselves and enjoyed interacting with one another.”
Participants freely created based on their opinion of mental wellbeing, safety, and belonging in the City of Bloomington. They engaged in conversation about identity, friends, belonging, personal growth, hope and resilience. The participants shared materials and worked together patiently. They also shared opinions about how an ongoing program like this would be productive and helpful for young people to have as an alternative to activities that could perhaps produce destructive results.
