A.R.T T.H.E.R.A.P.Y

Journal reflection: Exploring the role of Neurographic Art in mental health  #KitaArtBersama I came across neurographic art a few years back and have been wanting to include it in my art practice. Recently, I was experiencing some internal conflicts, and there was a voice inside me calling for artistic expression. Last month, I dedicated myself to creating three neurographic artworks each week in June (Figure 1 - 3). I found the process to be meditative, therapeutic, and calming. The visual symbols in these series of artworks narrated a journey of internal healing for me. What is neurographic art ? Originating from the mind of Russian psychologist Pavel Piskarev in 2014, neurographic art invites participants to express their subconscious through abstract drawing. This process is not only therapeutic but also profoundly meditative, allowing one to explore the depths of their psyche through lines and shapes. The initial stage of creating spontaneous lines felt liberating ...

Journey , 2022, mixed media on a canvas    I truly enjoyed the process of creating at the moment and slowly witnessing the emergence of symbols with significant meanings.      I created Journey from the mid of August to early September 2022 as a part of my self-care and a reflective piece towards my clinical practice. During this time, I was on the verge of burning out, hence needed to get away from work temporarily. At the corner of my cabinet, I noticed the long-forgotten canvas and I thought to myself "How about painting on it?".       I started by simply selecting the colours that best represented my moods at that time and exploring the wet-on-wet technique on the canvas. Looking at how the paint flowed and merged with other colours provided me with an outlet to express spontaneously which regulated my feelings and calmed my thoughts. I repeated this process until I felt it was good enough for me - that my feelings and thought...

Breaking expectations , 2021, acrylic paints and collages on an A5 paper      I was feeling slightly frustrated and angry after my session. However, I was unsure of why I was feeling so. I created " breaking expectations" to explore my emotions. I cut the artwork I created during the session into smaller pieces and remake it into a collage. Both these processes of cutting and pasting somehow created a sense of repetitiveness and henceforth brought me into a state of calmness and a here-and-now moment. Looking at the artwork, I felt stuffy as if I was shut inside those tiny pieces and was unable to escape. I included the collage phrase "break expectations just for a moment" because it really resonated with my emotions. After careful introspection and reflection, I learnt that the feelings I felt were due to the expectations I had for the session. The process of making this piece provides a deeper insight. Through the creative process, it offers a way to v...

     The art itself is powerful and carries many therapeutic potentials, as the saying goes "Pictures speak a thousand words". Art can act as a container for personal emotions, memories, and experiences, and it serves as a tangible form to capture the moments of our conscious and unconscious. Art itself contains personal metaphors and symbols, and which through reflection and introspection allow an in-depth understanding of our inner and outer world. The process of creating art involves the holistic process from body, mind, and soul, which through exploration and experimenting of art materials provides a channel to release and process excess tension, stress, and lethargy. There are more advantages I could go on with the listing, but simply put, above all, engaging in one's own art-making, and when practicing regularly is beneficial and therapeutic. I personally found that my art allows me to be aware and compassionate towards my emotions, serve as a channel to express mys...