What originally drew you to the field of art therapy?

Like many of us, I have a deep love for making art. Growing up, it was also instilled in me through my family and my background that helping others is one of the best ways to make an impact on this world. In my career search, I knew that I wanted to work with people in a way that felt "real" rather than transactional, and Art Therapy seemed like a way to bring together two of my biggest drives.

Can you tell us about your academic journey?

My undergraduate degree was at Connecticut College, where I studied visual art and philosophy. During a summer internship before my senior year, I pivoted from my double major to get the prerequisites I needed for graduate school, leaving me with a BA in Visual Art, and the philosophy turning to a minor instead. I graduated in 2011. From there, I attended Pratt Institute in New York and gained my degree in 2013 in Art Therapy and Creativity Development. 

Can you talk about the power of art therapy in your life and your work?

Art Therapy has been an incredible way for me to guide my career path. I love the work itself, but the people that I've been able to connect with have truly been a powerful experience in my life. I'm so grateful for the mentors that I've had put in my path, and the ways that doing this work has pushed me to expand my skill set and use my creativity in every aspect of work! 

From your point of view, what is the most important thing to keep in mind when working as an art therapist?

I think it's so important to remember that your body is the tool that you're using to do the work. Get grounded, stay present, and remember to take care of yourself. Art materials and psychological theory are the expansion of your tool, but ultimately it all starts in your own body. 

What are some important self-care practices you recommend or practice?

To answer the question directly, make stuff, move my body, and eat protein. Having said that, self-care is such an important piece of being able to do this work, but it's rarely the only component. I'm passionate about fighting burnout in healthcare professions of all kinds, so I want to share this piece about fighting burnout that I think is said so rarely: the opposite of burnout isn't self-care; the opposite of burnout is control. When we feel that we have more control in our lives, personal or professional, it doesn't matter how much we have on our plates - we feel like we can handle it. Because self-care is something that can be done at the individual level, it gets most of the attention, when I think we really need to shift focus to things at the systemic level, but I'll speak to that more later on.

Are you working on anything now that you’re really excited about?

I feel like I have so many irons in the fire right now! I recently opened my private practice in May of this year, and it's been a huge effort to get off the ground. I know a lot of us have been there or are currently going through the process, so I want to let you know: I see you! Another project I've been lucky to be a part of is the Government Action Committee! It's been so rewarding to get involved with a space for advocacy for our profession. Having a chance to affect the parts of our systems that need change feels important and motivating to me.

How important is it to collaborate with your art therapy colleagues?

I believe it's vital to collaborate with my art therapy colleagues! So often we wind up working in a vacuum, or as the only Art Therapist in our spaces. Being able to connect to Art Therapy colleagues specifically enhances our practice and helps build a support network of folks who actually understand the work, rather than first having to educate, advocate, and THEN build the support system.

How have your professional collaborations benefited your career?

I guess the real question is - how have they not? By collaborating with my non-art therapy colleagues, I've been able to jumpstart the next phase of my career. My practice is in partnership with other wonderful people, and the support is invaluable. The collaborations I've been able to make with my Art Therapy colleagues have enriched the work I do, as well as opened new opportunities for me to follow my passions. By connecting to COATA and getting involved, I became part of a network that connected me to CORAL, the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab, which directly engages in fighting burnout for healthcare professionals. By helping lead a group through CORAL, I was able to fight my own burnout by having such meaningful work that relates to my own sense of purpose.

How would you like to see the field of art therapy evolve in the coming years?

There are a lot of ways I'd like to see the field grow and evolve! There is so much attention to mental health needs right now, that I'd love to see the ways that our field can gain more attention and funding for even more and better research. I'd be so interested to see ways that new art materials and techniques can get incorporated into art interventions, because I think that there are lots of exciting ways people are creating, and I want to see them integrated into some of our existing assessments and diagnostic criteria through research.

Is there anything you would like to see happen to support and expand the Colorado art therapy community?

Absolutely title protection for Art Therapists! Having support at a state level is going to make a big difference for the work that we do. I encourage everyone to get involved if they can - join in on a Government Action Committee meeting, find out what you can do to contribute. Title protection will protect the efforts you made to become an Art Therapist, and it will push more folks to get proper education to meet the requirements of being an Art Therapist, which ultimately expands our field with quality practitioners.

How is/can art therapy or art used for social justice?

I believe that art is the engine for social change. Art is one of the ways we can connect people on a deeper level, and social justice doesn't come without personal investment in change. Art Therapy can help empower people by letting them move through challenges and grow from them. By engaging with their own creativity, people can reach a point of healing, and I believe that advocacy is an extension of the healing process.

Is there anything additional you would like to share about yourself or your experience as an art therapist or your art therapy practice?

I love opportunities to collaborate and support each other - anyone is welcome to reach out if you have an idea you want to move forward, and need some help getting it rolling. I particularly want to encourage anyone in and around Colorado Springs to reach out! While we're all over the state, I know that the highest concentration of Art Therapists is in the Denver area, so it can be hard to feel like there's a good amount of community nearby. I'd love to connect, collaborate, and build up our Art Therapy community in my local area.

Thank you so much to COATA for this opportunity to share about my journey, passions, and process.