How to connect to yourself / Art Therapy Practice

Описание: For this week's Art Therapy session, we’re going to explore the different parts of our lives and emotional states, and how they interact (or don’t) with each other. By focusing on the four corners of the page, we will divide our emotions and experiences into separate parts and observe how they connect or remain distant.

This is an opportunity to visually express the varied aspects of yourself—whether it's different areas of life, like work, relationships, personal care, and health, or emotional states, such as joy, frustration, love, and calm. Through drawing, we’ll see how these parts of you meet on the page.

Materials:
Paper or sketchbook (A4 or larger)
Art materials of your choice (colored pencils, watercolors, pastels, markers, etc.)

Before starting, take a few deep breaths to ground yourself and connect with your inner emotions. Let yourself relax. You may even want to close your eyes for a moment to reflect on the different areas of your life. Consider parts like work, relationships, personal health, or creative expression. Think of your subpersonalities too—those different voices within you that handle each of these aspects.

Choose one of the four corners of your paper. In this corner, start expressing one part of your life or emotional state. Maybe this corner is dedicated to work and how it feels lately, or perhaps it's a part of you that represents self-care. You might use different shapes, colors, or even abstract lines to express the complexity of this area. Let it flow, but keep your focus on this one area for now.

Now, take a breath and think of another part of your life or emotional state that feels distinct from the first. Move to a different corner of the page and express this new part. Maybe it’s family life, a friendship, or a sense of balance you’re seeking. Let your colors and strokes reflect how this part of your life feels.

Continue this process with the two remaining corners, each representing a different emotional area or part of your life. Try to use different materials or colors to express the unique energy of each section. For example, the corner representing stress might be filled with bold, jagged lines, while a corner representing relaxation might use soft, flowing lines.

Once you’ve filled all four corners, step back and look at the whole piece. How do these parts of your life interact? Do they meet in the center of the page? Do some corners overlap while others remain distant? You may even see connections between emotions or areas of life that you didn’t expect.

Take a moment to sit with your artwork and reflect. How did it feel to express each corner? Did any part of your emotional state surprise you? How do these different aspects of your life interact or stay separate from each other?

This exercise helps us to compartmentalize our emotional states and different aspects of our lives, while also seeing them within one unified space. It offers a bird’s-eye view of how you’re feeling and how those feelings interact.

By breaking down your emotions into separate corners and observing their relationships, you may uncover patterns or areas that need more attention. For example, if one corner feels disconnected from the others, it may represent a part of your life that you’re avoiding, or that needs more integration.

This practice encourages mindfulness and gives you a deeper understanding of your inner world. Plus, it allows you to see the complexity of your emotions laid out in a way that may offer new perspectives.

How do you feel now, after drawing these corners of your life? Has anything shifted for you? Take a deep breath and notice if any new thoughts or feelings have emerged.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this—just trust your creative flow and let the process guide you.

Feel free to share your reflections and art in our chat!