“Breathe in deeply. And let it all go.”
Kendyl Arden, The Art Therapy Way: A Self-Care Guide
Kendyl Arden’s “The Art Therapy Way: A Self-Care Guide” is a book that I would recommend to pretty much anyone. I really like how the book is organized into different sections based on the type of mood or emotion you are experiencing (happiness, pain, anger, grief etc.) and then with each activity there is a meditation / mantra, the actual activity instructions, and the follow up “processing” questions to think about. This is especially appealing for me because sometimes I’m better at writing than I am at creating something… so even if I decided not to do the art project specifically as described, I still have some amazing reflection questions to think about and use. I envision adapting some of the activities to be part of my journal as opposed to separate pieces.
I was also really impressed with the variety of activities described. I will admit: creative journaling and self care are not new topics for me to explore. I have a Master of Social Work license (granted, not in clinical practice but still). So a lot of times I see the same activities suggested over and over. But this book has some that I think are very cool- “Get Your Anger Out” and “Chalk”.
There are many relatable and meaningful mantras, things to think about, and even poems written by Arden herself interspersed throughout the book.
The only “downside” of this book is that the meditation portions can be repetitive both within a single activity section and across the whole book. But, this feeling is likely because I sat and read the book straight through instead of on an activity by activity basis.
All in all: I think this book is a great addition to the world of art therapy.
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