Art as a Healing Tool

I find that some life experiences can be so difficult to process, let alone express in words, and accept. For example, I experienced the untimely death of my father in 2017. Facing and processing the profound loss was too overwhelming. I felt that if I let myself grieve, I would end up in an abyss impossible to escape.

When I started the piece 'Death: For Whom it May Concern', I had no idea what it was going to be about. I thought it was going to be a fun, edgy collection of my favourite images. It ended up being a way to connect with my father in a way that felt grounded, solid and tangible, since he no longer was. I was inspired to add a real obsidian stone to the artwork, only later to learn that obsidian represents grounding, protection and connecting the physical with the spiritual! I continue to be amazed by the intelligence of intuition.

Expressing through art or writing can bring up the deepest pain, sometimes that we don't even realize is there. It has a unique way of providing a mirror to our emotions and our innermost selves. It then offers understanding and the opportunity to let go, while keeping any beauty and wisdom of the experience.

It feels almost magical how not only creating art, but also being exposed to the art or writing of another person, even a person who we have never met, has the power to heal.