The Singapore Association for Mental Health has found an innovative way to address both the importance of art therapy and the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses with a one-of-a-kind art class. During the session, which completes various projects across several different artistic genres, ordinary participants sit right next to and interact with people who have mental illnesses. What’s the catch? The ordinary participants don’t know going in to the art class that their fellow artists have these disorders.
The point of these sessions are to use art projects as a sort of icebreaker, obliterating any preconceived notions that ordinary people shouldn’t interact with other people suffering from mental illnesses. One of the participants in this unique art session said that if she had known ahead of time that the person sitting next to her at the table suffered from schizophrenia, she would have had trouble talking to them normally, afraid that she would say something to trigger the illness or harm the individual.
The Singapore Association for Mental Health is using these art therapy sessions to illustrate that individuals suffering from mental illnesses are just like ordinary people, especially when those illnesses are being regulated with medicine and other forms of treatment. One of the participants in the sessions who suffers from mental illness spoke about how afraid she is and how worthless she feels, wondering about what other people think of her and what she suffers from. However, after the art class and interacting with others, the individual said she now had new and lasting friends who help her feel more supported and more normal than ever.
The art project that participants completed in this particular session was a jar of memories. Artists were encouraged to delve deep into the idea and have their bottles and jars reflect what that notion meant to them. After the time to complete the project had passed, participants were encouraged to share the significance of their jars. For example, one woman whose loved one suffers from dementia included a cutout of a car in her jar as a remembrance of happier times when they would go on driving adventures together. Another individual tied a string around her jar to illustrate how she tends to bottle up her emotions and restrict others from seeing how she truly felt.
Art therapy classes and art in general can be an important and effective tool to help combat everything from mental illnesses to preconceived notions to all sorts of various personal problems. If you’d like to address ongoing issues in your life or if you’re working through your own creative block, consider signing up for an art class today via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com includes a comprehensive listing of classes in all sorts of different artistic genres, including sculpture, found art, 3-D art, and many more. Classes are available for participants with varying degrees of artistic expertise.
To read more about the art therapy classes, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/the-art-of-making-friends.