I can’t remember when it was exactly, but early on in the curriculum, I had an “ah ha” moment, when I really think I understood the main gist of what is critical for any participant to understand to fully appreciate and benefit from a workshop, and crucial to understanding as a facilitator. The Art4Healing methodology asks that participants focus on the process, rather than the final product…. At first, this was difficult for me.

I think as children, we are quickly emphasized that when painting, coloring, etc, it’s important to stay in the lines. It’s important that you have correct shading. It’s important that your images mirror reality. But realism artwork is only one type of artwork, and I found abstract art to be much more enjoyable. Letting go of what I wanted the artwork to end up looking like did not come easy at first, but once I gave into the process and let go of my expectations, I really started to enjoy the process and respond more spontaneously to the instructions.