Philosophy Whether through individual or group therapy, mentoring, supervision, workshop or in classroom setting, I am interested in helping my clients/students to create an inspired life, using the creative process to illuminate insight, express thoughts and feelings in a visual way, and to learn how to use the art making process as a pathway to deepened self -awareness. The artwork becomes a coping skill, a strengthening of the self, and assistant to the journey and struggle, to identify the needs of the soul. And thus, be able to live a more satisfied life, working towards and fulfilling life’s goals and desires. Depression, grief/loss, struggles with relationships are all roadmaps that, through the use of the creative process, (art manifesting thoughts and feelings in a symbolic way) provide the creative, therapeutic information through the imagery, that when investigated into the deep nature of the many layers of meaning, helps to connect insight with action, as merely acquiring insight, does not necessarily manifest into achieving desired goals, but the art process gives us just that, a way to begin, and the parallel of altering and working with the art materials provides a safe place to move towards change, because we can see it outside of ourselves. Also, it is important to consider all aspects of the life, body, mind and spirit, to see ourselves, as complicated and multi-layered, and through the creative process do we often find the answers revealed about ourselves, along with strengths. These are then applied to the creation of a new lens with which to see themselves and the world around them, and the world of possibilities. Using the “artistic” brings objectivity and clarity to view the subjective and sometimes cloudy nature of ourselves. There are always new possibilities, and the art process leads us to those discoveries.
Bonnie A. Berkowitz