It’s been nearly a full month since my last month, due in part to essay deadlines and being in the throws of writing my clinical placement report. Nonetheless the blog has never been far from my mind.
Retrospectively it’s been a great vehicle for interacting with other practicing artists and those working within the field of art psychotherapy. It’s been particularly useful in terms of fleshing out my understanding of what art psychotherapy is. Adversely in working with adults with learning disabilities, Mair Rees suggests that in spite of training and education initiatives there is still this misconception that art therapy is for relaxation, for amusement or for people who are good at drawing (2004:16). Furthermore how can its affects be proven or evidenced?
Subsequently in reading around these issues I’ve picked up a really interesting book called Materials & Media in Art Therapy: Critical Understanding of Diverse Artistic Vocabularies. Although I haven’t read the book in its entirety, the little I have read has been massively encouraging to me as a trainee. I’m particularly interested in one of the chapters concerning the use of Art Therapy media in the digital age.
As a disclaimer of things to come there have also been major developments in terms of my studio space (though not the good kind). In June next month I will be looking to move out of my studio at Gallery@49 as the buildings being knocked down as part of massive redevelopment plan in Bracknell Town Centre. As previously mentioned the studio became a bit of necessity given the cramped working conditions at home. It was also hoped that this space would assume the function of a ‘container’ for all of my thoughts and ideas related to art making related to being an artist and a having a creative practice divorced from other facets of my day-to-day life.
Evidently the thought of moving all of this ‘stuff’ back into my bedroom doesn’t inspire although maybe it will provide me with the impetus to find another studio space elsewhere.
References
Rees, M., (1998), Drawing on Difference: Art Therapy with People who have Learning Difficulties, Sussex: Routledge
Useful Links
Hyland Moon, C., (2010), Materials & Media in Art Therapy: Critical Understanding of Diverse Artistic Vocabularies, Sussex: Routledge
