AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

Whether I am coloring alongside a client, throwing clay on a potter’s wheel, or blotting tea bags onto watercolor paper – it feels good to me. Making art allows me to slow down my mind chatter. Why is this useful? Balance. It’s all about balance.

I recently read a book, “My Stroke of Insight,” written by a neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD. While studying the anatomy of the brain at McLean Hospital, she awoke one morning to discover she was having a stroke on the left side of her brain. She managed to call for help and survive (and to recover from!) both the stroke and subsequent brain surgery. Able to observe and report her experiences from the view of a brain scientist, Dr. Taylor provides insightful clarity about the right brain and left brain phenomena. This book is a jewel. It supports my claim that right brain activity deserves our respect and nurturance.

Art Therapy is a strong tool in the support of hemispheric balance. Use it to your advantage. And don’t forget to have fun.