22-11-2021, 09:24 PM
Any of them. Truly.
McNiff started off as a young man working in a mental asylum and went on to discover the power of art to heal, to teach, to provide a reason to live. His books are powerful stories. Powerful tools - for me they were life changing. I think his Trust the Process would be worth dipping into for you.
Another one I loved was by Nick Bantock - his The Artful Dodger. Again, the story of how his artist life developed, the accidents, the opportunities.
One of the most important lessons I learned in rebuilding my practice was just to start. We can let all kinds of stuff get in the way, but if we just start and let the process take over, without us putting aims or expectations in the way, the process of making something/anything is in itself the guide, the healer, the teacher. Once you start, and regain some of the pleasure of it, it becomes easier to rebuild the discipline of making room in your life for it. Do it just for the sake of doing it, and make no judgements. No inner critic allowed. Just play. For fun. For the joy of it. And any art making is good artmaking. The more you do, the better you get - just like with your stone working.
This guy is good too, though a bit denser to read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi
He is the 'flow' man, and he has researched the process in similar ways to McNiff, and Campbell, and Bantock, And other artist therapists.
Thing is, once you start learning about art therapy, and engaging with the process, you will be changed. Mostly for the better - but change can be an 'interesting' experience. You might end up a bit of a zealot, like me, lol. We all need a bit of art therapy. It is good for our souls.
McNiff started off as a young man working in a mental asylum and went on to discover the power of art to heal, to teach, to provide a reason to live. His books are powerful stories. Powerful tools - for me they were life changing. I think his Trust the Process would be worth dipping into for you.
Another one I loved was by Nick Bantock - his The Artful Dodger. Again, the story of how his artist life developed, the accidents, the opportunities.
One of the most important lessons I learned in rebuilding my practice was just to start. We can let all kinds of stuff get in the way, but if we just start and let the process take over, without us putting aims or expectations in the way, the process of making something/anything is in itself the guide, the healer, the teacher. Once you start, and regain some of the pleasure of it, it becomes easier to rebuild the discipline of making room in your life for it. Do it just for the sake of doing it, and make no judgements. No inner critic allowed. Just play. For fun. For the joy of it. And any art making is good artmaking. The more you do, the better you get - just like with your stone working.
This guy is good too, though a bit denser to read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi
He is the 'flow' man, and he has researched the process in similar ways to McNiff, and Campbell, and Bantock, And other artist therapists.
Thing is, once you start learning about art therapy, and engaging with the process, you will be changed. Mostly for the better - but change can be an 'interesting' experience. You might end up a bit of a zealot, like me, lol. We all need a bit of art therapy. It is good for our souls.