It has been a little over a year now since I picked up brush lettering. I have always had a fascination with my own handwriting whether it be print or cursive. My younger self had made a few attempts with calligraphy that didn’t go so well, so I never thought I would take up brush lettering in the first place. I had a strong dislike for lettering because my fiancé’s ex is actually one of those people who makes cutesy cards to sell on Etsy. Just thinking about it makes me gag a little.

Now how did I end up brush lettering? Near the end of my junior year, I started  experiencing depression and anxiety that crippled my mental health. There were times when I didn’t want to fight it, and I would skip class just so I could avoid seeing people or email understanding professors who would give me an extension on my essays.

I don’t know how I did it, but one night, I decided that I was going to cut the relation my mind had made between brush lettering and my fiancé’s ex. I went on Amazon and purchased a beginner brush lettering set. Mind you, I was really proud of my ability to detach emotions from something that was had been neutral, but tainted with my insecurities. And quite honestly, I am so glad I was able to do that because being open to brush lettering opened up a lot of doors for me as I found community through workshops provided by Caffeinated Letters. Caffeinated Letters is a collective of female artists with the goals to empower and inspire women to be boldly creative and build authentic community. Not only did I find a community, I also stumbled upon a very stress-relieving and therapeutic activity that I could incorporate into my daily life. Brush lettering became a creative outlet for me to cope with stress and control my anxiety.

Healing through Art Therapy

Although I personally never had my depression and/or anxiety treated officially diagnosed or received treatment, I can understand firsthand how art therapy is commonly used to treat psychological and mental health disorders. There is something to be said about breathing in and out as I pull the brush pen downwards and gently moved it upwards, slowly and carefully.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is “a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creativity process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.” It not only helps people cope with anxiety and stress, but it is also used as a component of a person’s holistic addiction treatment.

Who is Art Therapy for?

Art therapy can be for everyone and anyone from young children to senior citizens as a means of communication and a way for them to express and explore their thoughts and emotions. Although no prior art experience is required, this type of therapy may not suit everyone. Here are some examples of people that strongly benefit from art therapy:

• People with mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

• People with learning difficulties or who are on the autistic spectrum that make it hard for them to verbalize their feelings.

• People who suffer from dementia and struggle with feeling like they have a lack of personal identity.

• People with a chronic/terminal illness such as cancer, leaving them potentially hopeless and in despair.

• People who have a hard time expressing their thoughts verbally and find creative outlets a better communicator.

• People who are coping with traumatic events and need medium to help process their emotions and trauma.

Consequently, art therapy can be found in hospitals, community organizations, senior communities, psychiatric rehabilitation centers, crisis centers, addiction rehabilitation centers, and domestic abuse shelters.

Goals of Art Therapy

Although there may be different materials, settings, and outcomes from each art therapy session, there are four concepts that remain constant:

• Perception: Art therapy allows an individual to explore his/her own understanding of “self-perception” and “global perception,” leading the individual to recognize and validate his/her emotions.

• Personal Integration: Through art, individuals can become more comfortable with their own identities and self-image.

• Emotional Regulation: By channeling expression through a creative process, individuals can work on regulating his/her own emotions and impulses, leading to better emotional control.

• Behavior Modification: Art therapy provides a space to exercise different responses to stressful situations, and it can help an individual learn how to better manage his/her behaviors in situations that cause them distress.

Types of Art Therapy

Art therapy comes in many different forms, and just because painting works for me doesn’t mean it would work for another individual. Below, I’ve listed some of my preferred mediums of art therapy when coping with stress:

• Painting. This is probably the most creative art therapy technique because one has the freedom to paint whatever they please. However, people like me find that a little daunting so it’s helpful to know that trained art therapists can help by providing exercises or prompts to follow.

• Collaging. Collaging is an art form that involves searching for pictures, cutting them out, and pasting them together on a piece of paper or board. You can choose any image that expresses your emotions or even inspires you. What I like about this is that you won’t have to draw or paint anything. People often use this technique to create vision boards of their dreams and goals in life.

• Photography. Photography is similar to collaging because you can gather images of what you delight in, such as people you are thankful for or objects that you find pleasing to the eye. Once you have the photos, you can print them out and put them into your collage if you wish!