20 July,2012 10:05 AM IST | | Surekha S
"Two decades ago art changed my life," shares Aradhna Singh, who has been conducting workshops since 2002 to help participants heal through art. For the past two years, she has been collaborating with George Brais, founder of Euphorah, a common platform for artists to collaborate with each other.
Singh and Brais are both based in San Francisco and regularly visit India to conduct the workshops. "It is a way of helping people find themselves through art," says Singh, elaborating on the concept.
Participants during a session of Hue ân' I
"When I realised that Aradhna and I were working on similar projects, we decided to come together and develop a creative process that would facilitate healing," says Brais. Participants will explore different art forms, including poetry and dance, with meditation to help them gain a better understanding of themselves.
"Expressive Arts is a new field. All creative modalities come together to be used as one tool. It is a journey through art that helps discover what the authentic self looks like," explains Singh.
"As expressive arts therapists, we are able to utilise these creative modalities to access hidden aspects of clients, as well as to process difficult emotions that may otherwise be too painful to hold or even talk about," says Singh.
She adds, "We are able to communicate through the arts in ways words cannot. Arts are a great way to celebrate our positive experiences too."
According to Singh, to work within the arts means to work in the imaginary realm, where one can tap into our subconscious and infinite imagination. "These are aspects of ourselves that we may not be able to access through talk therapy. Art has the power to reflect images of our past, treasures of our present, and future projections.
It is healing, encourages reflection, and even produces aesthetically beautiful works that we can share with others. The arts are the medium, the catalyst, and the vehicle that takes us to infinity and beyond," she explains.
Singh claims that the workshops help facilitate a routine that participants can use. for life "These are tools that can take us back to the child in us, when everything was possible, everything was new," she signs off.
