How to Find Hope Through Art
Sometimes it’s hard to find hope.
This blog post is different than my usual posts. It is broken up into two sections. I started with a personal reflection about how I’m feeling, followed by an invitation for you to have an art experience that helps with finding hope in challenging times. If you’d like to skip to the art directions:
A Personal Reflection
I write with the thought that I don't know how to write, but a strong urge inside of me is saying write.
It’s the beginning of 2025 and in the US we are off to a struggling start. The world and here at home feels divided. It feels impossible to write with an update about my professional life or an educational blog without acknowledging the discomfort inside and around me.
I’m filled with fear of speaking out about subjects because my message might not align with yours. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that someone could have a different opinion, when I feel mine is so right. How can I express myself in this moment of time where we don’t listen to one another, we judge. How can I or we find hope in this moment?
As a Licensed Therapist I've been taught to honor the space that sits between us, even in the most challenging of situations. Outside of my profession this is starting to become more difficult, but honestly as a typed this post up I started to feel a little better. I want to share more with you, so you might feel encouraged to share in your own way.
Whether we share similar opinions or not.
This website is about the betterment of the lives of people experiencing a dementia-related diagnosis. It's also meant to inspire hope, resilience and empower confidence to those who travel beside their person with dementia on this journey.
It's meant to be a resource and reminder that I'm holding your hand on this journey regardless of who you are and what your views are.
When I don't know an answer or feel lost the best thing for me is to turn to art. I'd like to now offer you an opportunity to experience art for when you might be questioning how to find hope in your life.
This is for you to try and if you feel something while creating or after, please share with a friend.
How to Find Hope Through Art Experience
Hope can be hard to find, but it lives in each and everyone of us. At different times in our lives we may need a little help finding it. This is how I was feeling before I created and I hope this activity might help you challenge feelings of hopelessness.
Together we can figure out how to find hope using art.
Supplies Needed:
Small Container (I'm using a jewelry box from Michael's)
Magazines
Adhesive (Glue or Tape)
Scissors
Writing instrument (ie: pen, marker, pencil)
Add-on Supplies (optional):
Colored Tissue Paper
Colored Pencils
Acrylic Paints + Brushes
Anything else that brings you joy or sparks curiosity
Art experience Instructions:
Gather materials in front of you, and when you're ready…
Take a look at your container and mindfully checkin with yourself about how you're feeling in this moment…
What led you here?
How do you want to feel?
Take a moment to notice this in your body and mind before moving on to the next questions.
Is there someone in your life that you don't always agree with? This could be someone you don't know well and have a hard time connecting with. It could be someone you want to connect with and it feels impossible. It could be a close relative. If thinking about a person feels difficult, you can think of a place or item.
Here is where we are going start to find hope.
The next step is open your mind and heart to find the good in that person, place or item using collage as your starting point. We are all filled with goodness and when we see that in others, hope has a way of creeping back into our lives. Sometimes it takes a look outside of ourselves to feel it on the inside.
Open your magazine and pick out images and words that stand out to you. Here's the most difficult part - Try not to judge why an image is speaking to you. In this moment you're going to receive it by cutting or pulling it out and continuing to look for more images and words.
When you have a good pile of images and words, you're going to open your container and start arranging how you want those images and words to work together. As you're doing this that person might creep into your mind or maybe something else is. It's all acceptable. When it comes to creating art, the mind tells us what we need to hear on our journey. You're tapping into the unconscious.
Using glue or tape, you're going to start pasting images and words to the box. You may work in and out of the box.
This is your permission to make this your own and not like mine.
When you feel complete, take a moment to look at your container and check in with how you feel right now. Do you notice any changes in your body or mind from when you started?
Note: There is no correct way to feel right now. I often suggest to clients to let their art simmer. Go back on another day and see how the art speaks to you then.
Additional Idea:
Sometimes I write on a sheet of paper to further my process and sometimes I don't. For my own process I didn't write about my art, but I did write this blog post. During the art experience I only wrote on top of the box “Good is Inside us All”. That's a reminder to myself. If you’d like, you can write a mantra on top of or somewhere in your box too!
This box will live on my desk. I plan to let this container evolve with me. I want to include some small notes from my days where I notice something good in others around me.
Examples can include:
Sharing a table with a stranger at a crowded SweetGreen
Holding the crosswalk open so a person could pass without stress
A simple smile or hello when walking down an urban street.
You can truly make this your own.
This experience was therapeutic for me.
I hope it is for you too.
**Group Considerations and Adaptions for How to Find Hope through Art**:
If you're using this to facilitate an art group, I would not recommend sharing in the group, unless you a creative arts therapist. This kind of activity can bring up a lot of strong feelings.
Working in a community setting? Try this:
I recommend adapting this activity by assigning group members someone in the group to create for. This could take about an hour or two, depending on the pace of participants. Each participant could create about the goodness they see in the other person and share that at the end. Be sure to give the option of sharing as a group or individually.
Find Help From an Art Therapist:
If you’re in a 10-20 mile range of Everett, Massachusetts, I’d love to facilitate this program for you. Fill out a contact form here. If you’re looking for an art therapist in your area, you can search the ATCB website to find one!