How art and creativity uncover hidden insights that bring you peace
Published 3 months ago • 5 min read
Your brain is a powerhouse problem-solver if you allow it to work in diverse and holistic ways.
There's never been more information, access to advice, and resources available to us, and yet health conditions, such as anxiety, burnout, and depression have increased over the past few decades globally.
So what is missing, Reader? From my personal experience and working with business owners, the biggest gap is taking persistent action to do what we know works or will improve a situation.
Photo by Kid Capture on Unsplash
When we consume self-improvement information, we visualise how we'll apply that to improve our lives. But that partially tricks the brain into thinking we've already done the work or made the change.
This is the power of visualisation - elite athletes use visualisation techniques to run through race or match scenarios that they can automatically use when in that situation.
What they also do though is train, develop their minds and bodies, and connect that visual image to their physical and mindset development. They take action, do the hard stuff, and do it on repeat.
As an exhausted business owner, in burnout or burnout recovery, this might be a difficult message to hear Reader - things are hard enough.
There will always be discomfort though, and how we respond to it, even in our toughest moments, will lead to better results and change.
Integrating what we know at a deeper level
So, if knowing what we need to do to improve our lives isn't enough, how can we bridge the gap from knowing to doing?
We need to embody the changes and understanding at a deeper level so it becomes part of who we are (physically and in our mindset), making it easier to take the actions that will help.
When we explore and understand ourselves at a deeper level - our fears, hopes, blockers and costs of doing nothing - we have no choice but to act.
It becomes an urgent need. It makes sense.
We become connected across all aspects of life, and able to break those unhelpful thinking loops, habits and difficult feelings that keep us stuck.
This is one reason I chose to study my Diploma in Art-Based Coaching in May 2023. I found an approach that integrated different parts of my personality, my interests, and often went deeper than traditional coaching.
We already use creative expression across different parts of life, whether it's art, play, hobbies, crafts, or social activities.
It therefore made perfect sense to me to integrate these aspects into the coaching conversation, and adapt what had been developed in the art therapy space.
Expressing what you can't find the words for
How many times have you sat in your chair or on your sofa and just felt off? You can't quite explain what's going on or why, but you feel it in your body and mood.
The words are hard to find.
But, if I gave you a pen and piece of paper, and asked you to express how you're feeling visually, more often than not, you would create your unique image of it.
It might be detailed or sparse. But it would be yours.
By doing this, you have integrated different parts of your brain and used your personal visual language to express a fuzzy, abstract concept in a way that you'll be able to explore in new ways - either by yourself or with someone else.
This is the power of creative expression. It gives you a way to create something tangible from something that doesn't yet make sense but should be explored.
The satisfying thing about creative expression and art-based coaching is that is isn't about creating a work of art.
It's about developing your visual language and discover your own interpretation and meaning about yourself, others or the world.
In a traditional coaching session, you don't question the quality of your spoken language, and it's the same with visual language expression.
It is important and personal to you - my role as coach and guide is to help you find meaning from it so you achieve your goals and outcomes.
Finding a way to dive deeper, and understand a complex situation and next steps helps you find peace. That nagging internal question becomes clearer and you can make an informed decision.
Examples and approaches used
During my art-based coaching sessions, I've learnt as much from my clients about the process and how varied our visual language is.
Here are examples of materials and approaches they've used:
Drawing pencil and paper
Felt-tips on cardboard mask
Charcoal on sugar paper
Digital image creation in Canva
Paint on paper
Collage of paint, magazine cut-outs and pastel
Watercolour and pencil in sketchbook
and so on....
The combinations are infinite when you combine the materials or tools to create your unique visual language.
Some images are literal, and others are abstract. The same person can create similar or wildly different images depending on the needs in the moment.
It's not just about what is created, but also the physical energy and decision-making that forms part of the creation process.
Every choice or hesitation provides insight and clarity.
An exercise to start you on your creative expression journey
If you're intimidated or unsure about where to start, this exercise is a nice one to get you started - drawing the image of a tree.
During my course, it was one of the first and last ones we completed.
This gave us a tangible before and after comparison about our art-based coaching confidence at the start of the course (limited!) and how we felt at the end of the taught modules (much better and more positive!).
The image below shows the difference in the image of the same concept from May 2023 to December 2023:
Photos by Sabrina Ahmed, May 2023 (left) and December 2023 (right)
Follow these steps to start the creative expression process:
Find some mark-making materials - try not to overthink this, but pens, pencils, paper, magazines are useful physical items. You can also search for digital images online.
Set aside 15-20m in a quiet space - turn off all distractions and close the door so you aren't interrupted.
Consider the topic or outcome you want to explore - it might be a question, feeling, issue, challenge, blocker or something else you are curious about. Write it down.
Sit quietly for 5 minutes, focusing on your breath and body, and allow an image of a tree to appear - reflecting on the topic or outcome from 3 above. Don't self-censor or judge what appears. It might be instant or be changeable - allow it to settle.
Come out of the imaging state and create or find your image for 5-10m - consider the leaves or branches if they are there, the size of the other parts, the roots, the background, the canopy, the colours and textures etc. Immerse yourself in the process.
Step back and reflect on the image created or found - Notice the size of the paper, marks made - thin or thick, straight or rough, colours used, relative sizes of the elements to each other and within the page etc. Notice how you feel reviewing and reflecting on it.
Write down meanings and interpretations based on your topic or outcome - be open and honest with what appears. Consider what might be missing and how you might describe your tree to someone else.
Summarise your next steps - decide if you need more time to reflect or if you have identified tangible actions to take forward. Decide when and how you will do these. Notice how you feel now.
This process might feel unusual or uncomfortable. Or you might enjoy it. All experiences are valid.
If there is resistance to what appears, get curious about what might cause it, and any action you need to take.
Remember that creating your personal visual language and understanding what must be expressed from a deeper level helps you find solutions you might not have considered.
Do the steps above and let me know how it goes Reader - I'd love to see the trees created and insights you discover.
Burnout Coach, Neuroscientist and Art-based Practitioner, helping business owners and leaders overcome burnout, improve focus and reduce overwhelm to manage a fab business and life they love. I write about personal growth, lifestyle, relationships and work.