ruffled quills

It seems I ruffled a few quills (comments) when I made a metaphoric link between quilling, tension and anxiety. But I take full responsibility for not having better explained the context in which such a link could be made. I too would object if I felt my art form was being pathologized.  I have since added to the initial posting to better understand when and how a process such as quilling could inform or serve an art therapy practice.  

Extract from initial posting:

….I am not saying that artists who enjoy quilling are anxious people in general;  art forms are made and enjoyed for a number of reasons. However there is an analogy to be made with the actual making that consists of a repetitive process of coiling that echoes anxious symptoms. This is a language we art therapists are sensitive to. It is always risky to describe artistic choices and process in pathological terms, it is  however the map that informs us in the context of a therapeutic session. But one must know that these visual maps are  never read independantly from other corroborating factors in the life of the person. Just like a proper research process, analogies like the one I am suggesting are triangulated, which means they are checked against other clues: Is the person showing other signs of tension, fears, compulsions?   

I can also surmise that quilling could serve to ‘bind’ anxious symptoms, just like any repetitive activity that is soothing and calming such as knitting,  doodling or even coloring. In art therapy I would eventually want to help an anxious person ’unwind’ and relax by gradually moving towards more free flowing and malleable mediums such as paint and clay in my therapy sessions. The reverse is also true where at times a creative process such as quilling could help clients who lack structure move through a process that requires organising, planning and focus.

Classé dans comments, quilling.

Catégorisé dans Autres.

Publié le 05 fév 2011