As a qualified art therapist and practising artist, I work with groups and individuals with the aim of providing everyone with a means to fulfil their creative potential, to explore their imagination and to facilitate self-expression, personal growth, insight and transformation through the non-verbal language of art.
Almost everyone is naturally creative. Everyday we exhibit our visual self-expression through the clothes we wear and the layout and decoration of our homes and gardens. However “I’m no good at art” is a statement frequently heard from people when they are introduced to the idea of art-making, usually because of a fear of failure.
Art from Within workshops and courses offer a completely different approach, as the focus is not on drawing or painting something you see in the outside world and rendering it accurately, but on exploring one’s inner experience – your feelings, perceptions and imagination – and connecting it with outer realities and life experiences. Because I believe that creative expression is not only restorative and healing, but also a powerful form of communication, no attempt is made to tell you what your work should look like, to interpret or give meaning to it, or to make any judgement whatsoever. Instead I provide a space for ‘play’ and enjoyment in which adults may grow and learn in the same way that children grow and learn through play.
My personal experiences of art-making as therapy have shown me that it can offer far more – it is a source of inner wisdom which can provide guidance, soothe emotional and physical pain, build self-confidence, transcend life’s problems, enliven and restore. By developing your ability to express yourself through images you can come to know and understand yourself more deeply, access your intuition, find relief from difficult feelings and emotions, increase your sense of well-being, experience personal change and become whole.
The art studio is located in Malvern, Worcestershire in the United Kingdom.
Art from Within is a non-profit organisation.
ANN JONES
MA Art Therapy, Cert. Environmental Art Therapy.
HCPC registered, BAAT.