One of the things we talk about in art therapy is how the very materials we use can impact the emotional state of a client. Depending on the person’s needs you assess and offer a material.

Materials are classified as controlled or loose. Controlled materials are things like pencils, pens, and markers. Loose materials are things like watercolors or regular clay. Of course there is a whole range of materials in the middle- things like acrylic, gouache, or tempera paints. Where would we put oil and chalk pastels? Or paint markers?

These designations get even more complicated when you layer in a person’s capabilities and skill level with a material. Most days I’d say gouache and acrylic are pretty controlled for me. Most days I’d even think that watercolors are something I have a lot of control with.

But then there are days when I don’t have control.

Case in point:

A few weeks back my DayJob announced internally a bunch of changes, the one I can now talk about is the closure of our film school program and that 2 of my friends are getting laid off.

BIG DEEP BREATH

Exhale

This obviously impacted me pretty deeply, I have mentioned in a few videos that I felt like I was mixing mud and that the watercolor and media felt out of control. I painted and used too much water and the color dripped down the paper in a way I had not expected, but normally would have, and felt frustration.

When the materials don’t match our mood, it doesn’t fit our needs, and it leads to frustration and art that doesn’t feel like it quite fit. But match the material to the mood and feeling? That’s where the magic lives.