Whether you need an engaging distraction from your grief like coloring or want to create an art project that conveys your feelings of loss, art is a helpful tool for anyone coping with a loss.
Societies have long turned to artists to help process grief communally. When people must come to terms with catastrophic and large-scale tragedies like wars, famine, genocide, or other horrors, we turn to artists to create statues or other works of art that help us remember and reflect upon those collective losses. Artists have installed funeral monuments on public land or in museums where it is accessible to everyone. Other memorials like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and 9/11 Memorial help us process horrific events.
As these memorials demonstrate, works of art can help viewers work through complex thoughts and emotions. Art therapy takes the view that creating a piece of art can be cathartic and healing for the artist, too. Read on to learn more about how art therapy for grief can help you.
Why Art Therapy May Help
As you process your feelings of grief and sorrow, art can help. Making art and grieving have more in common than you may realize. Art is about making meaning through different materials, techniques, and forms. In the wake of a significant loss, many of us struggle to make meaning of what seems like a senseless and sudden event. Art therapy may provide a good outlet for your grief and sorrow if you find it difficult to express yourself through language or are artistically inclined. Even if you effectively communicate your emotions in a journal or conversations with friends, creating a work of art may cause you to reflect on the loss in new ways and lead to new insights or perspectives.
Art therapy can be cathartic for the creator for many reasons. As the artist, you take materials and transform them into something new and meaningful. A blank canvas becomes something entirely new when you start painting or drawing on it. The visual transformation that occurs as you create a piece of art may lead to an inner emotional transformation that may be cathartic for you. Additionally, working on an art project can provoke thoughts and emotions that we may be repressing. We may be willing to let our imagination go places we usually avoid within the safe confines of our artistic endeavors.
Art Therapy for Grieving Children
Art therapy can work for everyone, and it can be a useful tool for children who may not have the vocabulary to express their feelings about a loss or traumatic grief. Children show their emotions through playing and other behaviors, and you may see signs that they are mourning in their mood. If children do not adequately process their feelings, it can have long-term consequences, so it is vital to help them find ways to live with a loss. Like adults, children may not “get over” a loss, which is okay, but they need to find ways to cope with it.
Art therapy provides an opportunity for children to tell their stories and come to terms with them. When they put their emotions on the page, they may see them from a new perspective than when they were previously locked inside. It can prompt questions and conversations about the death that may not have arisen otherwise. Visual storytelling may make the child feel more in control, which can be comforting because a loss makes adults and children alike feel powerless. Additionally, their drawings or paintings may provide a jumping-off point for you to start meaningful conversations about the loss.
Art Therapy Ideas: Find the Right Art Therapy Modality for You
Based on your prior experience and exposure, different types of art therapy may be more appealing to you than others. Drawing and painting are the most popular modalities since so many people have been exposed to them. Art therapy, though it may feel challenging at times, should be a soothing experience overall, so make sure you choose an enjoyable modality for you. That way, you get the most benefit. Regardless of the modality you choose, remember that your goal is to process your emotions, not produce a flawless work of art. Not only is art therapy fun, but it’s a proven way to boost your mood.
Painting
From beginners who want to paint alongside old videos of Bob Ross to advanced painters, most of us have some exposure to this art form. This modality takes advantage of a wide range of tools. You have many options with paint, from acrylic paints to spray painting to watercolors – and many more!
Drawing
Drawing supplies are widely available, making this an accessible modality for many people. You can purchase drawing paper and pencils, charcoal, or crayons at office supply or art stores. However, drawing is not the most forgiving medium, and we tend to view it as a specialized skill. If you are easily distracted by mistakes, you may want to consider other modalities.
Sculpture
Sculpture provides a more tactile experience as you work with materials like clay or paper mâché. The 3-D nature of sculpture adds yet another dimension for working through your emotions. You may enjoy the feeling of control this medium can inspire as you shape something new from your materials.
Collage
Collage is a dynamic visual art that allows you to use various art supplies and materials to make meaning. You might use magazines, patterned paper, brayers, adhesive, pens, pencils, paints, stamps, and other materials as you construct something new. If you feel that painting and drawing do not inspire you or are too limiting, this modality may work for you.
Photography
Art therapy that incorporates photography may involve using old photos to create something new. Or, you may take new pictures that help you process your grief. You might use several images, old or new, to tell a story. You can transform your photos digitally or incorporate them into a scrapbook in a way that is meaningful to you. It may be difficult to look at old pictures of your loved one because they remind you of painful feelings of loss, but you can reframe this through visual storytelling, using the photos to tell a story about your loved one’s contributions in life.
Textiles
Knitting, sewing, crocheting, and weaving are sometimes dismissed as crafts, but textile art is a legitimate artistic mode. Each technique requires some learning, so this may be best for people who have already developed these skills.
Digital
Digital art is a growing trend, and it’s an evolving art form. If you are skilled with digital editing tools, this is the right medium for you. You can use digital techniques for editing photos or use a software program for creating a digital scrapbook. You can also use video editing software to create a video. If you want your art project to be private, make sure to store your digital files in a secure location.
Famous Works of Grief Art
Pablo Picasso’s Guernica
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy bombed Guernica, a town in Northern Spain that was important to Basque culture and associated with the resistance movement. Most of the men were away fighting, so the incident killed many women and children. Picasso depicted the horrific events and brought attention to the destructiveness of the Spanish Civil War while helping people process the senseless violence.
Edvard Munch’s The Scream
The meaning behind this iconic painting is disputed, but many take it to reflect the anxieties of the human condition, including loss and grief. This Norwegian painting depicts an anguished figure screaming on a fjord overlooking Oslo. It has remained popular for over a century, so the difficult emotions it displays resonate with viewers.
Memento Mori
This artistic trope was popular in the ancient and medieval periods and was used across several different artistic modes. It used visual motifs like skulls, bones, coffins, hourglasses, and wilting flowers to remind viewers that they would eventually die. This trope is one way people in the ancient past understood loss, including the loss of their own life. For Christians, this visual motif was a reminder that divine judgment awaited them in death and of the need to repent for their sins. One famous example is Rogier van der Weyden’s Braque Triptych (c. 1452).
