Art Therapists on the Grid: Art Therapy Meets Social Media Conversations is a weekly interview series this summer featuring a variety of art therapists and how they use the power of the Internet and social media in relationship to sharing their work with others, professional development, nurturing creativity, cultivating community and more.
Last month this series spoke with Rachel Sikorski, one of the founding members of Art Therapy Buffalo about some of the efforts of this professional group for art therapists in the Buffalo and Niagara, New York region – including how their web presence has been helpful to supporting their mission. This week’s chat features an interview that took place virtually during one of community’s monthly meet ups where members of Art Therapy Buffalo were able to add their own experiences. Their meeting was held at the ¡Buen Vivir! Gallery for Contemporary Art, where the group has had an exhibit on display since early June to “respond to the current economic-social-political climate, and how this has impacted art therapists both personally and professionally, as they use art to help clients of all ages who may be struggling with hopelessness, fear, and anxiety as it relates to changes in leadership and policy, on a personal and collective level.”
This conversation features Rachel, Teresa Weston, Carla Reeves, Michelle Price, Sandie Crocker, Karie Schwartz, Katie Mullaney, Madonna Adymy, Andrea Koch, and Lisa Horlein who share more about their work and how the community of Art Therapy Buffalo has helped decrease a sense of isolation, foster support, and awareness about art therapy. You can also learn additional information about the art therapy work of the entire Art Therapy Buffalo team here.
A few of the topics discussed in this chat include:
- How community building and networking benefits art therapists
- The role social media can play in outreach efforts
- Exhibits as a form of advocacy and awareness about art therapy and a voice during times of change & uncertainty
Listen to the meet up below!
If you are interested in connecting with the Art Therapy Buffalo community to learn more about art therapy, obtain services in Western New York, or network with art therapists in this area, please visit arttherapybuffalo.com.
Resources mentioned in our conversation:
- Instagram photos from Hope & Fear: Using Art Therapy to Cope in Times of Transition
- What Are You Afraid Of?- The New York Times
- Karen Pence Aims to Raise Awareness About Art Therapy
- Expressive Therapies Summit
- American Art Therapy Association Conference
Spending time to virtually meet up with the art therapists of Art Therapy Buffalo was great— thank you to everyone who was able to attend and chat about their experiences!
This entire series and all the art therapists who have contributed about how they have leveraged and navigated the Internet and social media has been inspiring to share. Many of the conversations have had crossover themes and topics, but at the same time uniquely different reflections, resources, and experiences. A top ten summary of content inspired by this series can be read here. Thank you for listening and tuning in!
This week’s interview features Jade Herriman, a transpersonal Art Therapist and accredited Barbara Sher Life Coach based in Sydney, Australia. She works as an art therapist with clients in mental health, women’s health, and parents and children, as well as supporting professional women with many interests to bring their creative dreams to life. She is a keen art maker, participates in multiple mail art projects, and loves the way creativity can be a release, joy, mirror, comfort, inspiration and more. She loves social media for the connections it brings.
In this chat Jade reflects on her digital presence online as an art therapist and artist, including her blogging practices and strategies for engaging on different social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Jade also shares her insights about the benefits of using social media as an art therapist, as well as some of the challenges.
This week’s chat features Theresa Zip, MA, BEd, a Registered Art Therapist practicing in Edmonton, Canada. Theresa always has loved making art. She got 3/4 of her BFA in art (from 2 different schools!) then switched to art education. She began teaching in 1983, back when technology was the hand-cranked purple-ink spirit duplicator! She remembers her first foray into word-processed exams, students freaked out that they wouldn’t be able to recognize familiar content in this weirdly professional looking format. Teaching for over 20 years (mostly high school, with some elementary and junior high sprinkled in) it was two years teaching art in a maximum-security juvenile detention facility that convinced her to make the shift to study art therapy.
The flip side of the perks of being independent, hidden away, and working one-to-one also has its drawbacks: among them can be feelings of invisibility, self-doubt and professional isolation. While nothing can replace face-to-face mutual support, Theresa has found valuable encouragement and community in several online art therapy related groups, projects, mental health resources, and art communities. In this conversation, Theresa speaks to how she has accessed and benefitted from these resources for professional development, support, and self-care as an independent art therapy practitioner.
The Art Therapist's Guide to Social Media 
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