Therapeutic Time Out for Artists

Posted by
Jo Murphy
Apr 1, 2007

There are times within any teaching environment when a teacher wants students to focus quietly rather than seek to impart knowledge vigorously.

Often, if there is a settling activity before an orienting or enhancing activity, the information is absorbed and consolidated much more quickly.

If the teacher couples meditative techniques with a relaxing drawing task, students who may have been feeling apprehensive about new learning become still and more receptive.

Examples of relaxing and focusing art tasks:

Spirals that evolve in complexity
Patterns such as Half Drop Repeat and Tessalations
Art Nouveau created from the immediate environment
Abstract Colour Paintings allowed to flow directly from the subconscious
Focusing on Recreating Texture - throw down old hessian and ask the students to draw a close up of what they see
Cartooning - allow cartoons to come from the sublimnity of a guided meditation
Shading - gently simple abstract shapes scribbled onto the page at random
Lines drawn in a horizontal position. Horizontal lines are the most relaxing of all allow gently scripted lines them to spill onto the page and then trace and retrace

When would teachers want to use these kinds of down time activities?

Before exams when students may be stressed
Before holidays when students can’t concentrate
After sport when the teacher wants the class to calm
After a Critical Incident, that has caused stress for the class or community
In times of sorrow
When very important work is to be done and the teacher wants to focus students calmly
Friday Afternoon as a wind down and reward for a hard weeks work
After lunch to settle from the playground or socialising
When conferencing is scheduled and the students need to be very quiet

When might students be looking for down time?

Work is finsihed and they want to chill
When they feel an upcoming project is important and want to focus
When making gifts and anticipating a celebration
As a way of learning about their own personal taste or spirituality

In the article Art For Meditation on the Yoga for Meditation website

The author talks about meditation techniques and asks “why art is the most powerful (form of meditation)?” The reason is that images such as sunsets, the oceans, clouds and other peaceful visual depictions trigger calmness and bring us peace. “That is the power of vision on the mind.

“Images stimulate our mind with signals that transport us into an inexplicable state of bliss and calm. Various meditation techniques use symbols and colors to soothe the mind.” If you look at the paintings of Oscar Basurto you will find examples of healing art. One of the advantages of encouraging the students to create their own is that they will experience the powerful meditative effect and perhaps come to habitually use the technique for self-soothing as well as create a portfolio of their own work to display in the work area to keep this powerful influence permeating all of their creative endeavours.