The Sheela Na Gig, besides being a great PJ Harvey song, is thought by some to be a pre-Christian fertility or Earth Goddess figure. These figures carved out of stone are found all over Britian and Ireland. No one is really sure what they mean, and over the ages, people have ascribed different meanings to them. I like to think it’s an image of feminine power and fertility. I created one in art therapy class last night with plaster, and I have to work on it some more, and then paint and decorate it next week. It was really fun to do and it felt empowering and healing in a way. They’re also kind of cute looking and playful figures.

Is it really true, that you can just do what you love and money will come pouring in? I just don’t know. Right now I’m just enjoying my classes, doing something I do love. I find the classes fascinating. But practically speaking, I’ve got a mortgage to pay and I don’t know how I could do this. My friend Isadora says that she has confidence in me that I can make it work. So I asked my art materials teacher what she thought of the job market and outlook for art therapy, and she said it’s a growing field. She said alot of hospitals are realizing that they really need art therapists. Also the licensing of the field is giving it much more legitimacy and she feels that eventually the salaries will start to match those of psychologists. According to her starting salaries are 40 a year for someone with their master’s. So I think I could do this, it’s another tool in my toolbox, perhaps I could even work part time. A lot of people, when I tell them what I’m studying, really don’t believe that I could make a living at it. They think I’m crazy to even pursue it. So, am I crazy? Why not start with doing something I really enjoy, and see where it takes me?

In Art Therapy class tonight we created works about addiction and what it feels like. I drew a bright yellow shape which I associated with feelings of joy, and of desire, and drawing it with the pastel was really pleasant. But from the top broken anger is descending down. At the bottom is the sadness and pain. A lot of the other works in class were compartmentalized, and that’s how I drew mine. The sadness and the anger are barely touching the tempting substance. The person doesn’t see the connection between them.

SVA’s Lecture and Workshop series for Art Therapy looks really interesting this season. I really want to attend the MARI Mandala Assessment lecture. All are open to the public, the workshops are $20 and the lectures are free.

I found this interview with Dr. Ellen G. Horovitz really interesting. This woman is amazing, she’s a mixed-media and 3-d artist, an art therapist, and she even writes short stories!

I feel drawn toward multiple media: art, writing, music, dance, drama, etc. For me, the creative process is something that I have to do. It’s not about recognition as much as it is about the creative process: I have to create. It matters not what form it takes.
-Dr. Ellen G. Horovitz

An Interview with Dr. Ellen G. Horovitz: Professional & Academic Perspectives of Art Therapy

In Art Materials class we each made a mandala, an artwork within a circular form. Jung felt that the very act of creating a mandala has a healing effect. The mandala is seen in all cultures and has been created by humans since the dawn of time. Jung also felt that the images within a mandala were straight from a person’s subconscious. I thought it was a very relaxing process, especially since our professor had Coldplay on in the background and I was using oil pastels which always blend so well together. Here’s the mandala I created:

Woo hoo! I have been accepted to the Creative Arts Therapy Certificate program at the New School! I just registered for Training in Art Therapy and Art Materials. I’m very excited!