Practical Artistic Approaches to Recovery
#1
The First Step Series
A five-part project called The First Step Series is a common group of recovery art techniques.
The series is designed to help people recognize the need for change in their life. Not only that, but it’s meant to empower them in making those changes. In The First Step Series, participants are tasked with creating five art pieces. These pieces process and connect the hardship of taking the first step of starting treatment to building a long-term recovery plan.
Piece #1 – The Crisis Drawing
The first piece is a drawing of the crisis that led them to seek treatment and recovery. It could be a specific incident or it could be just the general nature of their current reality of struggling with substance use.
Piece #2 – The Recovery Bridge Drawing
The second piece is a drawing of a bridge that connects where they have been with their substance use to where they hope to reach in their recovery. The bridge itself represents where they are now. This allows them to engage with the prospect of making the big changes in their lives.
Piece #3 – The Cost/Benefits Collage
The third piece is a set of two collages made of magazine and newspaper clippings. One collage depicts the pros and cons of continuing to abuse substances and the other depicts the pros and cons of getting sober. This creates a holistic view of the reality and decision they face every day and what it will cost them.
Piece #4 – The “Year from Now” Drawing
The fourth piece is a set of two drawings that takes a deeper look into the cost/benefits collage. One depicts what their life will look like after one year of sobriety and the other after one of continuing to use. Like the cost/benefits collage, this piece leaves the artist with a powerful sense of motivation to create the conditions for a better future.
Piece #5 – The Barriers to Recovery Drawing
This final piece is a drawing of obstacles that will make it hard to stay sober. This even includes emotions and feelings like depression, stress, and loneliness. This allows the artist to develop a practical and proactive plan for the hardship of long-term recovery. They will be less likely to be “blindsided” by difficulty and reactively jump back into old habits to cope.
#2
A Life Timeline
Another common recovery art technique is the simple drawing of a timeline of one’s life.
The timeline begins on the year of their birth and ends with the current year. They then mark down along the timeline significant events of their lives, both good and bad. These events can include major job changes, meeting an important friend, or the death of a family member. As they mark down these significant events along the timeline, they also draw symbols that represent the event.
After the artist finishes the timeline, they write in a journal about the emotions that came to mind as they marked down each event. This often reveals the origins of emotions and feelings that are behind the choices they presently make. It also allows the artist to reflect on unresolved conflicts in their life.
#3
Transformational Self-Portraits
This next technique lets the participant visualize the potential for transformation in their life.
They create three self-portraits using any materials they like, such as drawing, painting, or a collage. The three portraits are then set side-by-side in order to depict their recovery process.
The First Self-Portrait
The first portrait is created while the artist thinks of a past event in their life that affected them negatively. It can be from a long time ago, or it can be from their recent struggle with substance use. The portrait will reflect how they felt about themselves during this negative event.
The Second Self-Portrait
The second portrait is intended to depict where they’re presently at in their recovery journey. This portrait aims to answer questions like “What are your current challenges?” and “What are you doing now to support your recovery?” It should reflect how they feel about themselves now and what they’re doing to change the image.
The Third Self-Portrait
The last portrait is created while the artist thinks about what they hope to achieve through sobriety. It visualizes the feelings they hope to have about themselves after accomplishing the milestones set out in the second portrait. It’s meant to reflect a hopeful future of sobriety, better coping skills, and improved mental health.
Putting Them Together
The three portraits are then arranged in order to depict the past, present, and future of their transformational journey through recovery. This creates an excellent starting point for a conversation about practical steps they can take to support their recovery journey.
#4
Drawing or Painting Emotions
This unstructured recovery art technique simply let’s the artist show how they feel, in any medium they choose.
This gives them an outlet to communicate thoughts and feelings they can’t put into words. It can also allow them to become more in touch with their feelings and even learn to differentiate between different emotional states.
Both drawing and painting are also great tools for relieving stress and anxiety. A recent study found that making any type of art powerfully lowers levels of stress hormones in the body. This happens at any level of artistic skill. It’s as beneficial to someone learning to draw cartoon frogs as it is for someone painting a full-scale mural of a pond.
#5
Collage and Photo Stories
Another recovery art technique tasks participants to create photo stories using existing pictures.
This technique can be used to create a collage depicting their life story or collecting another artist’s work to talk about how it moves them. Though the focus here is the collection of images to tell a story, some participants may feel led to create or capture their own photos.
They can take new photos of the people they love and the things they enjoy. The creation and capture of new photos can often contrast past imagery, which can sometimes stimulate unwanted memories. This can create a visual “break” between their past life and their newfound life in recovery.
The Benefits are Endless
Art has the power to heal the heart and mind. You don’t have to be the next Picaso to reap the benefits of brush.
A 2016 study by the American Art Therapy Association speaks true to this. They found that less than an hour of creative activity has a significant positive effect on your mental health. This is regardless of your artistic talent. It can significantly reduce trauma symptoms, depression, and stress.
Even outside of the clinical benefits to artistic activity, the personal and emotional benefits are insurmountable. During the creative process, you’re able to focus on your own perceptions, imagination, and feelings. You’re encouraged to create art that expresses your inner world more than making something that is an expression of the outer world. So change your world.
