'Art saved my life': How art therapy can heal your inner child
From childhood trauma to finding a safe space, art therapy transforms one’s self-expression into finding confidence and creativity.
By Philip Wong
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Chloe Etoilee was asked this question during her art therapy session at 18 when she was at
a point in her life faced with hopelessness and depression. Her art therapist had asked her
to draw something contrary to her feelings and recall happy memories from her five senses.
In that moment she saw sand, stars and sunflowers; she felt the touch of light, her favourite
songs, and the smell of her cats. “I said yellow because it best represents how I see myself,”
she said, that simple realisation helped her to rediscover her raw emotions.
After dropping out of high school at 17 she was admitted into a psychiatric ward, and art
therapy led her back into pursuing an education endeavour. Now studying in a comic art
course, she wants to create children's books like her idol, Arai Ryoji – a Japanese artist who
inspired Chloe’s artwork.
“This is a self-portrait I drew in art therapy, it was at a moment when I hated myself so much,
that my two best friends stopped talking to me and I wanted to scream out loud for wanting
affection, like a monster yelling.”, she said,
“I just wanted help and to be loved but people ran away from me.”Most lifetime mental disorders are developed during childhood, and their needs can continue into adult life impacting the individual throughout the life course without the right support. Arecent analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists reveals a concerning 27% rise in the number of children and young people in England seeking treatment for mental health needs – a troubling indication of the increasing demand for early intervention and care.
So what makes art therapy unique?
Tracey Downing leads an art therapy workshop inside Croydon’s Studio Upstairs – an art
therapy charity in England. During these sessions, Downing facilitates a focused art-making
period within a safe and private space free from interruptions where she would paint
alongside the participants, they are encouraged to respond to the materials provided with
complete creative freedom. At a thoughtful moment, she may chime in, offering comments or
reflections on the participants' work. “The theory behind it,” she explained, “is that using art
materials enables us to tap into much earlier and unconscious aspects of ourselves.”
“We don’t analyse people’s artwork,” said Downing, “it’s more about the participants
developing their identity as artists.” She believed that drawing skills are not required to
become an artist, rather she saw it as a metaphor for life, offering a way to see things from a different perspective. Just as you never know what will emerge on the canvas or through the
medium you choose, life often unfolds in unexpected ways.
“Being dissatisfied with your work is part of the process,” said Downing. “If you can overcome the frustration or simply accept that a piece isn't going to turn out the way you imagined, that’s a tiny triumph.”
Art comes in different shapes and sizes. When *Bandit joined art therapy, he not only worked
on drawings but also poetry that represented his journey of healing from self-harm. “It helps
direct my urges to something healthy and productive,” as he celebrates a month of getting
clean from self-harm.
Similar to Chloe, Bandit started therapy after the childhood trauma of his parents splitting up
at the age of eight. “There is the ‘dirty’ and ‘ruined’ feeling you get from sexual assault (SA) in general,” he shared.
“It’s controlling and makes you hyper-aware of everything about
yourself, I avoided it like the plague and attempted suicide over it at 13. ”
Bandit would start creating stories with characters that represent part of himself, “it has helped me digest my feelings and trauma much easier, being able to separate what happened and figure out what influenced parts of my life.”
He would publish his work on a Japanese online community for artists called Pixiv, his stories have influenced many people online with over 12,000 followers on X, and he encouraged other young artists to try art therapy.
“Art therapy helped develop my journey as an artist, discovering different mediums that I
would otherwise not experienced,” said Bandit.
A recent report from King’s College London has found that around over three-quarters of
people with severe mental illness are economically inactive with around two-thirds reporting
a disability and poor health. These outcomes are strongly linked to living alone.
Art spaces like Studio Upstairs create a supportive and inclusive environment that fosters a
strong sense of community by participants sharing their skills with each other.
“A lot of our members are already very isolated in their lives, ” said Sally Davies, administrator of Studio Upstairs in Croydon. Their art therapy workshops helped many participants gain confidence in making and building relationships and interacting within a group.
Unlike other art therapy groups where the work would be kept in a locked cupboard in the
room and deemed like confidential material, artwork created by the participants in Studio Upstairs would often be displayed in an exhibition.
“It’s to encourage people to be confident about other people seeing their work, ” Davies explained, “some people even sell their work.” At the end of last year, Studio Upstairs expanded in South London made possible through a £232,531 grant over three years from the City Bridge Foundation.
“It has made a huge difference to our capacity to stay in what we’re doing and offer new opportunities”, said Davies. They recently launched a drawing workshop from the funding for people who may be encountering mental health difficulties, specifically people on low incomes and refugees who might not be able to afford art therapy otherwise.
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