Jasmine Bunn Inquiry Essay June 16, 2013 Art Therapy Ever felt like you just needed

a get away but you cant quite get away? I know I have, but I have the perfect way to get away. It doesnt always have to be a physical idea, I get away in a mental aspect and any one else going through something can too. It is a fairly new way of dealing with problems but it is pretty affective. Art therapy is where I am getting at and it can be used for so many things and so many different people. It can even be used for animals but no one ever really thinks of them as being able to understand. Art therapy is basically expressing your feelings through a canvas. You can think of it like how dancers or musicians use their talents to tell stories that may be dear to them. I am referring to drawing and painting being used in that same manner. I personally draw and I know what it is like to be having a bad day and to use art as an outlet, it works. Although most people probably think you need to be good at it for it to be effective which isnt true at all. According to the American Art Therapy Association, research and study shows art therapys positive impact with regard to health, cognition, social interaction, trauma, stress reduction, anxiety, confidence, abuse, and most of lifes challenges. Just imagine being given a blank canvas as a child with no words but so many thoughts. What would you draw? Probably the image making the biggest impression in your life at the moment and dont you think that if something big is going on in your life, good or bad, that it would be making the biggest impression? When I say something big going on in your life I mean family issues, just recently having a death in the family, being stuck in a hospital bed because of a sickness or even being in an unhealthy mental state of mind. Through out this essay I will be discussing the different people or animals that can use art therapy and what they can all use it for. Lets start this conversation by talking about some background on art therapy. The American Art Therapy Association led me to some insight on some

frequently asked questions that others have had on this topic. The idea of using visual expression for any healing process has been around for a very long time but in the 1940s an interest came up. This interest was in using art for mental patients. There was some realization that children can use art just as much to result in some significant growth around that same time. After that hospitals and clinics started growing the creative process of their patients to see how and if that worked, and it did. With that said, the profession came about. Art therapist can be seen in many facilities. For example, schools, treatment centers, halfway houses, correctional facilities, nursing homes, hospitals and clinics both mental and psychiatric, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, art studios and private practices. An art therapist must have a Masters degree in art therapy so you know they are very serious about their career. They can earn an income anywhere from $32,000 to $100,000 with a potential of one day earning $75 to $150 an hour. Art therapy is getting more serious each year and it can be very useful. The first big question you may ask is, who can have a use for art therapy? You might have an idea already. It is mainly used for those who have an illness, mental or physical. For example, cancer patients use art or those with schizophrenia.( Art Therapy For Schizophrenia) They can get taken aside and just allowed to express anything they feel comfortable expressing. No one forces them to paint or draw they are just offered the opportunity because it is understood how hard it could be to talk about an underlying issue a person may have. Also, when it comes to children, they may not even know how theyre feeling and art therapist are highly trained in human behavior and can scope out some details after an art session. I agree with this method because sometimes we dont have words to express our feelings and art is a calming experience that can allow you to let go of reality. For those who are confined to a hospital bed, stress has to be relevant in their life and a good distraction would be nice every now and then. Cancer patients especially because they are normally very aware of what is going on in their life and with their body, more than any one else. Every once in a while forgetting the reality of a situation can be healthy. There is no doubt that at one point later they will be reminded so why

not have a couples of hours to devote to being happy. You cannot deny that from a personal stand point, when youre sad your body probably doesnt feel that great either. You may feel sluggish or depressed. When youre happy though, you end up living a more upbeat life style, as much as possible that is. If you were living in a situation where death is coming and you have no idea when then I am sure any happy moment you get would be cherished. Now, I am almost positive that you guys are all thinking about adults. Its okay I was too, lets jump to the children though. Art Therapy isnt just for adults who may be mentally ill and we have to remember that. The Article How Art Therapy For Children Can Help helped me with all the facts about the impact art therapy can have on children. It is mainly for those who cannot express them selves like children and adults who are having a hard time with personal growth. Children in my eyes have it worse than the adults in these bad situations and they probably encounter more things because they cannot handle themselves on their own. Just take a minute to imagine all of the things you have heard involving children, on the news, in your own life, even on a television show. When I did this I came up with so many terrible situation. For example, kids getting kidnapped, raped, beaten, running away from home, not having a good financially stable household, being neglected by parents, being orphaned or adopted, being bullied at school and so much more. I cannot imagine having to go through so much and not being able to talk about for whatever reason. Art therapy can help those kids in need so much because they dont have to talk about it they can just express them selves and have an outlet. Then theres those kids who may have cancer or some disease. They are most likely having their childhood ripped away from them and that can be one of the most hidden but evident feelings in some children. Children have such a small capacity for what they can handle or should be able to handle with out breaking down but even the smallest things make a difference to them. Not to sound crazy but they are a lot like animals. (How Art Therapy For Children Can Help)

Saying that animals and children are closely related is probably an expression we have all heard at some point. Children can take in so much information and believe it or not animals can too but it doesnt come off as gracefully as wed like to believe. There are many animals that can learn to paint over time and make it look great and Nell Rose Helped me realize this in her article Art By Animals Elephants Gorillas and Many Other Species Take the Brush. For example, elephants can make beautiful paintings and amaze everyone who sees it. There is even a museum of paintings that elephants and other zoo animals have accomplished. The museum is called the Grant Museum of Zoology and features paintings from different zoos around the world from animals such as chimps, elephants and gorillas.

(L) 2010 painting

by 'Nong Bank' a 10 year-old Asian Elephant entitled 'Abstract Painting' (R) 2011 painting by 'Boon Mee' a 15 year-old Asian Elephant entitled 'Flower Pot

Elephants are some of the smartest animals though, so sometimes the elephants can learn and just know after once or twice with instruction but other times they need a guide behind their ear almost like a joy stick to keep them on the paper and painting nicely. Elephants are not the only animals that can paint though. There has been painting monkeys, horses, dogs, dolphins and even seals. There was actually a television show in the 1950s that was based around a chimp that painted

and it became huge believe it or not. The show was called zoo time and it was based around a chimp called Congo who had his own art exhibit. Chimps on the other hand have way less ability to paint masterpieces, their brain capacity is that of an adolescent so it can become pretty abstract but beautiful nonetheless. Most animals that do paint do so in zoos. You may wonder why any one ever introduced painting to animals well it is pretty simple. Animals are locked up and confined to one space just as cancer patients or mental patients are to a hospital. They can get very depressed being away from home and away from family. Being surrounded by a bunch of people who most likely do not respect them and just use them for money definitely isnt an ideal situation. Art is used for animals just as it is used for humans, relieving stress and creating a good distraction from reality. They need it to live because once animals want to die they give up and they will die and then no money will be made. That is why now-a-days zookeepers try to keep their animals happy and stress free. Overall art therapy is what the patient makes it, whether the patient is a human, animal, adult or child. It can be of great use for anyone who takes advantage of it. I know me with my minor teenage problems can use art therapy to put me in a better state of mind. It is a new concept to most but we have licensed doctors and psychologist who can be art therapist. Also, now people can get a degree called LPAT (Licensed Professional Art Therapist) or LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist). It is great for me to know that while learning about this it isnt just a thing that people made up and have no actual training in. For what ever reason I just love learning about how arts today has many different impacts on society. As you can see after reading this paper, there is a mental impact that art has and can create on many individuals. Even other arts like dancing and music are included but knowing that painting and drawing can reach out to wild life is reassuring as well.

Works Cited

"Art Therapy for Schizophrenia." Understanding Schizophrenia Art Therapy for Schizophrenia Comments. N.p., 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://understandingschizophrenia.org/art-therapyschizophrenia/?gclid=CPzWk7ShvrcCFXQS7Aod_lcAHw>.

"Art Therapy." Art Therapy. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.macalester.edu/academics/psychology/whathap/ubnrp/aesthetics/therapy.ht ml>.

Engebretson, Monica. "Why Elephants Paint." Bornfreeusa.org. N.p., 08 Sept. 2009. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.bornfreeusa.org/weblog.php?p=2168&more=1>.

"Art Therapy." Art Therapy. American Cancer Society, 01 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternative medicine/mindbodyandspirit/art-therapy>.

Rose, Nell. "Art By Animals Elephants Gorillas And Many Other Species Take Up The Brush." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://nellrose.hubpages.com/hub/Art-By-Animals-Elephants-Gorillas-And-Many-Other-SpeciesTake-Up-The-Brush>.

"How Art Therapy for Children Can Help." Art Therapy RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.arttherapyblog.com/child-art-therapy/how-art-therapy-forchildren-works/>. "Implement A Successful Art Therapy Program With Youth Affected By Traumatic Events & Health Challenges." Americanarttherapyassociation.org. American Art Therapy Association, n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/upload/toolkittrauma/traumatoolkit.pdf>.

YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1>. "ORIGINAL Elephant Painting." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 June 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk>.

"Frequently Asked Questions About Art Therapy." Www.arttherapy-co.org. American Art Therapy Association, n.d. Web. 24 June 2013. <http://www.arttherapyco.org/ataco/documents/whatis/AATA%20%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20about%20Art%20Therapy.pdf>.