Perfectly Imperfect

Ugly is Beautiful

This is a liberating aspect of art therapy. You don’t have to be good, or experienced. You only need to be soulfully open.

The goal of art therapy is not to create a beautiful piece of art for public display. It is to privately express what your ego has restricted you from expressing. And often, this is aethetically diverse.

If you can allow yourself to feel safe to put something “ugly” or “different” or “abnormal” on the paper, it will truly allow you to develop and heal.

Have you made some “ugly” art and if so, what feelings did it evoke in you both during and afterwards?  

Creating Some Ugly Art

Get a big sheet of paper and tape it down in a place that is allowed to get “messy”. Grab some acrylic paints and use your hands or fingers to dip into the paint and smear it on the paper. Do this for as long as it feels good. Afterwards, admire your work in all of its glorious, messiness and thank it for the experience. How do you feel now?