SYMBOL Conscious-Unconscious Language

A Study Beyond Art, Art Therapy and Art in Psychotherapy

Kilola Maishya (Sheenonway)

• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781641385619
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This book is about symbols, as a concept; hence, the reference "symbol." The author researches, "symbol, " its various definitions, meanings and purpose; and expounds upon, "symbol, " in terms of language, information, communication, decoding, meaning, interpretation, message and representation. This investigative study describes, all of this through the lens of the related fields of art, art therapy and phrase art in psychotherapy.

She offers poignant insights, innovative perspectives; she provides valuable information, and offers unique conclusions. Her rich insights into the topics derive from personal, professional research and experience. Her discourse is inclusive of topics such as the visible and tangible, as well as the phenomena of the invisible, less tangible and the intangible.

This book is intended to reach broad audiences in a wide range of fields, including but not limited to science, psychology and the paranormal. Authors included in the studies include Rudolph Arnheim, Joseph Cambell, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Victor Lowenfeld, Margaret Naumburg, Judith Aaron Rubin, Arnold Whittick, Ernst Kris, and Mardi J. Horowitz.

Chapter III

Theoretical Foundation

The Humanistic Art Interview

In this section, I utilize information from various sources, citing examples from different art theorists. The objective is to bring out how process is a part of the art therapist’s concern and what process is like for the art therapy client. I would also like to show how the client’s process may be the same or similar to the normal process of any creating person. From this review, I would like to draw connections between my own experience as a creating person, my observations as a teacher, and theory, in order to exemplify the ideas pertaining to process and the interconnectedness that exists between artist, product, and symbol. The intention is to illustrate how artistic experience can easily become a subconscious part of process as well as content.

These examples describe what transpires in an art interview (or art therapy session with a client). They describe process in the art interview according to the expertise of the art therapist Betensky (1973):

Sally said these words in a rather detached way; but the anger must have been acute, for she picked up a crayon and quickly scribbled on the left side of the female’s forehead in confused writing, “Murder that mom.” Such was the rage behind the quiet answer.

In the sixth month of her therapy, Sally began to use poster paints. Very cautious at first, she soon declared her preference for paints. She maintained that there were great advantages to the use of paint; large areas could be painted more quickly than with crayons, and paints could be mixed together to make new colors. This was a welcome change from the restricted linear crayon drawings to the more emotionally charged expansive areas of free-flowing paint. It was also a new freedom to experiment. She showed some joy in this activity, but occasionally, this was too much for her to bear or perhaps only to admit. She would then suddenly throw the brush at the painting, noisily move the chair away from the table, and have a confused outburst of anger. When this happened, she would be encouraged to return to painting and to choose something specific to paint. She readily responded. As the disruptive moods occurred less frequently and became shorter, Sally talked more willingly (p. 22).

In this example, as described in Betensky, I would pick out the elements of process as including such things as Sally’s initial cautiousness, her exhibited joy in this activity, throwing the brush, and outbursts of anger. Those same elements can be experienced by anyone who involves themselves in the making of art, for example, one may feel very cautious with new media when initially approaching an empty canvas, or a medium one has never worked in before, (or at least not for an extended time frame). The feeling of trepidation may not center around the medium, but the cause may instead be related to the approach of a new subject or simply creating a new painting. An older or more mature person may feel like throwing the brush at the painting but might refrain from acting upon it; however, the desire to do so and the emotions from that desire in the creating person are very strong.

I’d like to share the following from my teaching experience: at least one student in very class will approach a new project in a specific unsettled way. The student goes through the anguish of not being able to place the first mark on the page. A skillful teacher knows many tricks to help an overly cautious student over that hump in their creative experience. One perspective to take is that it would appear that if a person were not deeply connected to his/her own product, there would be no hesitation in attacking the canvas or the materials. Another example from my teaching experience focuses on aggressive emotions. Certain students will manifest anxiety during the art-making process, which develops into an eruption and a sudden tearing apart of the work and even its total destruction. Still another example is the student who is joyously involved in creating and who suddenly lets out a shriek of some sort and then destroys his/her work. There are ways of working with these people to assist them in overcoming and learning to handle what is happening to them and their work at these intense periods during the creative process. This type of observation clearly illustrates how the creating person is very connected to what they are producing, (externally, the visual aspect of the product), and to whatever is going on within them, (internally), at the time. The frustration could be related to aspects of creativity itself, or it could be represent implications associated with deep internal psychological factors.

I will describe my own personal experience as a creating person, using this as an example of normal process during the time of art making. When I begin a work, I may have a certain cautiousness and may even experience this feeling at different intervals during its production. There will be times of frustration for different reasons. These mood fluctuations are natural and occur during the art-making process, but people who may have emotional or mental disturbances in their personality or lives seem to exhibit more emotional mood shifts that have greater intensity. I will point out that there are possibilities of different reasons for particular responses; an example of one such determining factor might have to do with the medium used. Media can be a triggering factor. The medium might result in bringing out different aspects of the person’s nature; for example, one student was always quiet and very unassuming the entire year, and hard to inspire her to become involved in any lesson. However, when I introduced the medium of clay, and how to prepare it by wedging and pressing it, she at once took the clay and spent the entire one hour class pressing and pressing it over and over. I deemed that, at the time, and now, a very significant emotional engagement with that medium. The point being stressed demonstrates how intricately connected are person and product through the creative process. Note the following from Betensky (1976):

She turned to the painting of trees. One of them takes on particular significance in relation to the way it was painted. Sally first painted the large, richly green tree with many branches and with a sturdy reddish-brown trunk. Next, she painted a blue sky in short strokes. She described the tree as “spreading against the sky.” She added daubs of brown and red to accentuate parts of roots, visible above the ground. She then stopped but had not finished. She stared at the painting a long while and, with some determination, added the last feature. It was the low fence in black around the tree. (p. 22)

Sally examined the finished painting. Her face showed a quick transition from satisfaction to perturbation. She complained, “It [the tree] came out much older than the tree in front of our house that I was going to paint. We don’t even have a tree like this.” As her eyes moved from the foliage downward to the trunk, she became upset about “this funny fence” and repeated that the whole painting was “crazy” and “something is wrong with it, definitely.” There followed confused statements about liking and disliking the painting and about taking it home or leaving it with me. A small-scale tantrum followed. It consisted mostly of shouting, “I hate it!” six or seven times in crescendo, the last cry sounding high but pitiful rather than angry. She did not try to destroy the painting and did not throw brushes at it. (p. 23)

In this instance, the elements of interest that stand out are the following: Sally was very disappointed with the finished product and dismayed that the result did not resemble or come up to what she had visualized that she would produce. Again, this is the type of situation that occurs in many instances with any person who is creating an artwork. Then Sally identified with it in terms of “something is wrong with it.” Another significant behavior that exhibits the relationship connection between herself and the product is when she stated she hated it and had an emotional outburst then burst into tears. Further examination by the art therapist illustrates that Sally is not pleased with the visual results, which are very disturbing to her. But it goes deeper than visual content. She could have been upset at the visual result because it was a failure in terms of what she had been trying to achieve or thought she would achieve. Yet with the expertise of the therapist, the artist was aided to go further into the subconscious aspect of what was inside of her as she produced the work. What was inside of her, I believe on a psychological and emotional level, affected the visual aspects, including the image of what she wanted to achieve. Betensky (1973) states that when some of the contrasting feelings that Sally had expressed about the painting were repeated to her in her own words but in more orderly fashion; when she was told that hatred was not the only feeling she had, and when she was asked to try to remember what else she felt or thought during her work on this painting, strong emotional expressions were seen on Sally’s face as she began to talk. She said that there were “different things about different parts, and everything is mixed up.” She agreed to say as much as she remembered about each part and to choose which part to speak about first.

She had really wanted to paint the small tree, which is the only tree in front of their house. She always considered it her own tree. She wanted more trees. Sally sniffed and cried, but Mother refused to plant more trees or shrubs because she wanted Dad to build her a new house with a garden “like for a queen,” and she, Sally, liked this house, except for the carpeting. (p. 23)

This example illustrates the interconnectedness between the artist and the symbol, (or product). This example illustrates the connection between the client, her product, (or symbol), as well as the elements within the product, or visual imagery. The interesting point is that her imagery consisted of the realistic rendering of a tree with a fence. What could be so disturbing about looking at a tree with a fence?

Specifically, the tree was made to look quite old. The various art elements that made up the total gestalt produced an unpleasant effect, which coincided with the same type of unpleasant feelings related to her experience; she was working spontaneously she noticed things on the canvas were there, that she hadn’t intended, to the extent that the subconscious matter dominated the work. In such instances, the professional artist may decide such a work is too personal to share with the public, even if the themselves do not understand the hidden meaning behind what they have created. Such works can have a visual impact that is upsetting, repulsive or odd in some way.

The following examples are given by Naumberg (1973):

Frank was urged in each art period to try and make something that we had seen in the life about him but had never made before. A tiny figure that he said was the Statue of Liberty finally emerged from the plasticine. Beside this, he set a small bridge, which he explained was the Washington Bridge as seen from the hospital window. The Statue of Liberty had been observed by the patient from a ferry boat. (p. 11)

In the past, this patient had been reluctant to produce any work that was not copied. He was not doing original work. It is clear from this passage that the therapist has a concern with this issue and is working to support the patient in developing the ability to do original work. As an art instructor, I have the same concern with my students. There will always be at least one student per class, who will plead to engage in copying, as opposed to doing original work. Here is my first challenge as an arts instructor: to ask the question, “why,” when it comes to this particular student not wanting to work from...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Preface
• Description of Project
• My Personal Experience
• Theoretical Foundation
• Decoding of Works of Art
• Findings
• Conclusions
• Bibliography
• Career: Artist
• The Creative Process
• The Creative Process Addendum
• Life Purpose Statement