Why are art and creative expression healing and transformative?

“The purpose of art is to wipe the dust of daily life off our souls.”

Picasso’s words attest to the important role of the arts and creativity in improving health and wellbeing—and show that they have long been appreciated.

Many art therapists believe that the soul expresses itself through art. We also believe that every human being is creative. The fact that art can assist in therapy has been applied for decades, since the birth of the profession in places like Great Britain, Israel, Canada, and the United States. Reaching even further back in time, Indigenous peoples have long practiced art as a way of seeing, being, and knowing.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that our souls often express themselves in imagery. People frequently describe themselves as visual thinkers and we have all heard the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

But what is it about creative expression that heals and transforms? And if creating art is so healthy, shouldn’t artists be among the healthiest members of society? For Canadian expressive arts therapist and researcher Stephen Levine, “Expression is itself transformation; this is the message art brings.”

Art therapy is not magic, nor is it a panacea for mental health issues. Levine underscores this point when he asserts that, “The task of therapy is not to eliminate suffering, but to give voice to it, to find a form in which it can be expressed.” Effective therapy also depends on a deeply attuned therapeutic connection between participant and therapist.

Art therapy in a nutshell? Emotions, stories, beliefs, things we value and things we fear tend to emerge in imagery, and the process of creating and then considering this imagery can be profoundly illuminating for the participant and therapist, alike.

A common misconception about art therapy is that the therapist will look at the art the participant has created in a session and know what is happening for the participant—cognitively, emotionally, and behaviourally. Although this is not literally the case, it is true that over time the participant will see for themselves that, as Canadian art therapist and teacher Peggy Clarkson asserts, “When we quiet our minds, the soul speaks.”

Listening and attending to their soul—together with the trained therapist—the participant may find that their art and art making begins to act as a catalyst to change their experience and perception of life. And, so it is that deep connection combined with soul expression can lead to healing and transformation. Some people might almost call it magic.  

This content has been revised from a blog originally created by me for the Welling Centre in 2020.