Art therapy activities

Relaxation

Art therapy can be a great way to relax. Consider these exercises if you're looking to feel a little more laid back.

1. Paint to music. Letting your creativity flow in response to music is a great way to let out feelings and just relax.

2. Make a scribble drawing. With this activity, you'll turn a simple scribble into something beautiful, using line, color and your creativity.

3. Finger paint. Finger painting isn't just fun for kids– adults can enjoy it as well. Get your hands messy and really have fun spreading the paint around.

4. Make a mandala. Whether you use the traditional sand or draw one on your own, this meditative symbol can easily help you to loosen up.

5. Draw with your eyes closed. Not being able to see what you are drawing intensifies fluidity, intuition, touch and sensitivity.

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Happiness

Art can not only help you deal with the bad stuff, but also help you appreciate and focus on the good. Check out these activities all about reflecting on your personal happiness.

1. Collage your vision of a perfect day.Think about what constitutes a perfect day to you and collage it. What about this collage can you make happen today?

2. Take photographs of things you think are beautiful. No one else has to like them but you. Print and frame them to have constant reminders of the beautiful things in life.

3. Make a collage related to a quote you like. Take the words of wisdom from someone else and turn them into something visually inspiring.

4. Create a drawing that represents freedom. The Surrealists embraced automatic drawing as way to incorporate randomness and the subconscious into their drawings, and to free themselves from artistic conventions and everyday thinking.

5. Document a spiritual experience. Have you ever had a spiritual experience in your life? Paint what it felt like intuitively.

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Portraits

Often, a great way to get to know yourself and your relationships with others is through portraits.

1. Create a past, present and future self-portrait. This drawing or painting should reflect where you have been, who you are today, and how see yourself in the future.

2. Draw a bag self-portrait. On the outside of a paper bag, you'll create a self-portrait. On the inside, you'll fill it with things that represent who you are.

3. Choose the people who matter most to you in life and create unique art for each. This is a great way to acknowledge what really matters to you and express your gratitude.

4.  "I am" Collage. Create an intuitive collage and discover more about yourself.

5. Create an expressive self-portrait. Paint in expressive colors. Select colors for emotional impact.

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Trauma and Loss

These activities will ask you to face some unpleasant aspects of life, but with the goal of overcoming them.

1. Draw a place where you feel safe. An art therapy directive for finding your safe place.

2. Create a mini-diorama. A diorama can showcase an important moment in your life or something from your imagination.

3. Collage Your Worries Away. Toss your worries away and begin tearing, cutting, shredding and  layering,

4. Draw something that scares you. Everyone is frightened of something and in this project you'll get a chance to bring that fear to light and hopefully work towards facing it.

5. Turn your illness into art. Struggling with a potentially terminal illness? Process your feelings about your illness.

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Collaging

If you prefer to cut and paste rather than draw or paint, these projects are for you.

1. Create a motivational collage. Collage a vision board. Fill it with images you find motivating.

2. Create a face collage on a mask. We all wear masks of some sort. This project lets you showcase what's in your mask and the face you put on for the world.

3. Create a clutter collage. Are there things cluttering up your life? In this project, use words and pictures to show the clutter in your way.

4. Create a calming collage. Choose images that you find soothing, calming or even meditative and combine them to create a collage to help you to relax.

5. Collage a painting. Incorporate collage symbolism in a painting.

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Self

Examine aspects if who you are and how you see the world through these art projects.

1. Draw images of your good traits. Creating drawings of your good traits will help you to become more positive and build a better self-image.

2. Draw yourself as an animal. Is there an animal that you have a special interest in or feel like is a kindred spirit? Draw yourself as that animal.

3. Create a timeline journal. Timeline the most important moments of your life through this writing therapy exercise.

4. Put together a jungle animal collage. Choose jungle animals that you find the most interesting, draw them, and then reflect on why you've chosen these specific animals.

5. Sculpt your ideal self. If you could make yourself into the perfect person, what would you look like?