Veteran Bob found his way to the Expressive Arts Therapy Group in February. The song Let It Be by The Beatles was the song prompt for this artwork. The lyrics led to a discussion about letting things be that evolved into a conversation about letting things go versus holding on to certain things. That evening, Veteran Bob created this powerful drawing, tracing his hands and depicting what he is willing to let go of on one hand and what he wants to hold on to on the other hand. Notice the creativity, the position of the hands, and the feeling of the story of pain and hope in this depiction of “things” in his life. Veteran Bob is now focused on making life changes for the better.
Veteran Linda is a regular participant in the Expressive Arts Therapy Group. In this session, just a few days before St. Patrick’s Day, she connected with her Irish heritage and completed the “doodle art” featured here. We noticed how the colors reflected Ireland’s tri-color flag – green, white, and orange. This also led to listening to and conversing about old Irish songs including one of her favorites, Oh Danny Boy. Also featured is her mandala titled Walk through the darkness—You will see the light. Veteran Linda enjoys simple, but structured art experiences and has completed many crosses and mandalas. Veteran Linda stated, “not only is art relaxing, it brings up thoughts and feelings, memories and connections” all of which are important for our well-being.
