Week note #2 Art Therapy

 While humans have been communicating via art since the first cave paintings, for the 20th century, (life-span 1890 to 1983) the American Margaret Naumburg, could very possibly be the mother of art therapy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Naumburg Quote from Wikipedia.

Margaret Naumburg's dynamically oriented art therapy, approach promotes " the release of spontaneous imagery" from the client through the symbols drawn and free association of the artworks, sometimes with eye closed drawing on a large sheet of paper. The patient to move their chosen material, paint or chalk pastel, around the page until satisfied but asked that the material not be lifted from the page from start to finish. After the drawing is created the drawer is then allowed to look at the artwork and try to create another form from the scribble. The client is encouraged to move the page around until an image is found. Once an image is seen in the scribble drawing, or painting, they are asked to color it in. At this point if the client wants to talk about the artwork while creating, they are encouraged to do so.

The therapist withholds interpretation encouraging clients to discover what their picture means to them. It was important to Naumburg to avoid interpreting or commenting on the client's artwork so the client would not change their mind about what was created and to avoid being wrong. Naumburg used art as the means for clients to visually project their conflicts, and when it was too difficult for the client to relax, she would provide them with art lessons or specific directive projects instead. 

Other than think about art therapy instead of doing art, I've been researching and reading quite a bit, as learning-stuff definitely is a happy-place for me. 

Speaking of reading, I've often talked with artist friends about our personal mark and form language and I'm reading this. Early Rock Art of the American West by Ekkehart Malotiki and Ellen Dissanayake

https://books.google.com/books/about/Early_Rock_Art_of_the_American_West.html?id=Ui5fDwAAQBAJ

A quote from page 8, (yes I'm also reading the introduction pages).

World-wide, abstract-geometric marks are remarkable for being persistent (enduring in time and recurring over time and space), consistent (having similar style and content wherever on Earth they are found), and resistant (to change over time and to change in the individuals or culture that created them). 

But, I'm not feeling like sharing much else from last week, but 😌.... I did make this graphic. It was in response to another graphic I didn't like. I was like, I don't like that graphic, so make one that I do agree with/like and here is it.