ART AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

Art and psychotherapy have had a long history of one having influence on the other. Artists who study their art through the lens of psychoanalysis can come to know more about how the unconscious part of their minds inform their work. In so doing, they can learn a great deal more about themselves, which can increase their awareness of what they do. This can lead to greater creativity.

People in therapy or analysis who have had trouble finding satisfaction or passion in their work can discover and develop a not-previously know aspect of themselves by learning more about themselves, their inhibitions and what had prevented them from pursuing this interest which was previously dormant. Through therapy or analysis, people can increase their capacity to take risks as well as learn to tolerate being a beginner,  which can help them discover creative  aspects of themselves.

Often highly successful people are on top of their game. The idea of starting something new as a beginner can seem impossible. However, with new discovery in neuroscience and specifically the plasticity of our brains, it turns out that people can learn to do things later in life and they it actually is more optimal and healthier to learn new things later in life. As long as one is healthy, he or she can learns a vast number of new things that were thought to be impossible only a few years ago.

The concept of art and psychotherapy working together can also be applied to people with all types of problems that cause them during period when they can't produce any thing new. By understanding what is getting in the way, i.e.,  what mechanisms are at play the are  creating a "block," of some sort, they can get back on track and further develop their craft.

Most people who are in good health can learn to do things they have not previously mastered.  They can learn to sing, dance, draw, play the guitar, learn to play squash or whatever they wish to do by better understanding  and tolerating  why they have trouble, "being a beginner".  Learning how to be re-embrace or develop tenacity is also part of the process. These things can be learned at any age as long as one can allow someone to help them; a therapist in the case of understanding and helping them remove road blocks that prevent them from learning something knew and finding a way to start learning the new task.