For me as an Autistic ADHD’er, the space between old and new ways of being can feel deeply uncomfortable, as they emerge. I like to explain it this way: My Autistic self loves the known and predictable, so I can feel empowered to navigate my sensory needs ahead of time, and stay within my ‘Circle of Capacity’. However, my ADHD self loves novelty and learning and growing!

These attributes mean I quite often come up against learning edges, as I grow and develop through my Life. So, I need tools that can help bridge those different parts of me, in nourishing, kind and Life-affirming ways.

How can Art Therapy Assist Personal Growth?

Engaging in Therapeutic Arts-making, is a consistently trustworthy tool I can use, to explore and experience a feeling or desire, that hasn’t yet become my ‘norm’ … In short, it helps me with my personal growth!

Through creative expression, we can use art materials to discover how it might feel to try on a new value, or experience in our lives, with art materials first. This ‘practice-run’ with the art materials feels much less daunting, and gives me confidence to lean into healthier ways of being, in real-life!

How can Arts Therapy Help Us Create new pathways?

Inquiring therapeutically with art mediums, can help us see our questions from a different perspective.

I can create space for different, or new ideas to co-exist together.

I’m able to join, merge and symbolise concepts in colours, textures and lines that don’t need to ‘make sense’ to my logical brain,, because they feel alive and known in my physical and energetic body.

How Can Art Therapy Help with ADHD & Autism?

Arts Therapy is a powerful tool for big-feeling, non-linear thinkers like me, and many other Autistic and ADHD folk, because it utilises a language that we are often quite fluent in: our energetic, intuitive and instinctual felt senses.

Often, we sense things BIG. As neurodivergent, many of our senses can be more heightened and attuned. So using these innate, sensing strengths of ours, can enable us to grow and thrive, within our Circle of Capacity.

I have been using the language of Art my whole life, as a tool for self-expression. I can often express things in paint, clay or LEGO, that I can’t yet articulate in words. And it feels deeply insightful and nourishing when I do!

After years of study in art, education and therapy, I’ve grown to understand ways to use art-making from a therapeutic, strengths-based-perspective, and utilise it in my daily and professional life. However, we don’t need to be an artist, teacher or therapist, to benefit from engaging in therapeutic art-making!

As naturally creative, sensory Beings, we innately know what feels good to us when we experience it. If drawing or painting and singing or baking or playing with LEGO feels good and nourishing for you, there’s a good sign that these tools vibe with you and ‘speak your language’ too. So using them more, may help you understand and align your system with a greater sense of wellbeing, and deepen your relationship with your tools and craft.

Also, connecting with an attuned Arts Therapist can be a wonderful way to lean into and discover the personal benefits, skills and strengths within us. I’ve experienced growth both sides, as Arts Therapist and Client, and I genuinely love therapeutic ways of the arts!

With practice and guidance, we can learn ways to turn to our own creativity for answers, assisting us to listen within for the soulful answers within, more often. This can only be a good thing for us!

I’ve decided, I am going to let my Instinct and Intuition LEGO characters hang out in my studio for a while, to see if their presence brings me any further insights.

With love,

Chrissy 🩵🧡

P.S. Love to create alongside me, online? Check out my new offering, Art & Chai HERE.