Q&A: ART MAKING TO KEEP GOING in FUCKED UP TIMES, by Sonya Gracey, Art Therapy Practicum Candidate
- What is Art Therapy?
- Who is Art Therapy for?
- What will I do during an Art Therapy session?
- What kind of art can we make?
- How does Art Therapy help?
- What if I am not a creative person?
- Do I see an Art Therapist instead of my regular counsellor?
- How does Art Therapy relate to acupuncture or other modalities that I am accessing at Heart & Hands?
- How is Art Therapy Collective Care?
- How is Art Therapy a somatic practice?
- What school do you go to and when will you be done?
- References
Creative, collective care!
Sonya Gracey (she/they) is a polydisciplinary creator whose practice is rooted in living decolonization, neuroqueer world-making, and justice-oriented mutual care.
She is a neuroqueer solo mom to two autistic teens surviving in capitalism. Having spent 23 years as an RN working in healthcare (street outreach, reproductive justice, harm reduction) where she became increasingly aware of the violence of the status quo and her role in that. Last year she gave up her registration as a nurse – but kept all her lived experience with people and relationships! She works from a decolonial, intersectional framework that centers relationship and access.
Through relational, somatic (body-based) art-making, Sonya’s work fosters personal growth, embodied political action, and a critical awareness of the interconnectivity of the personal, collective, and systemic narratives that shape us and we shape. Their practice integrates neurobiology and eco-attachment-informed approaches while challenging dominant therapeutic frameworks that reinforce settler colonial and capitalist ideologies.
Sonya is a student at Kutenai Art Therapy Institute where she is completing a 2 year post graduate diploma.
The world is wild (in all the best and worst ways) and things are too hard and too fast for most of us. Just trying to figure out how to get through the day can take all the spoons we have but we also want to be contributing to our communities in these complex times!
Art making shows us how!
I was a nurse for 23 years and in late 2022 after a significant amount of personal grief and transition I applied to go back to school to become an art therapist. I had been longing for more creativity in my life for years but somehow never could find the time to do something that seemed so frivolous, and I always felt like I wasn’t good enough at anything anyway! Two years later and I am nearly done with my diploma with the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute – and I am here working with Heart & Hands!
What I have learned while completing this program is something I wish I had known all a long: Art and creation are not frivolous, they are life! They are the way we imagine our way forward and keep going!
My hope is that creativity and art making can also become something that supports and inspires you – like it does me – and that we will collectively keep going!
Here are a few questions I think people mighty have who are considering coming in for a session:
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a psychotherapeutic practice that uses creative inquiry and expression as a way to explore emotions, process experiences, and support healing. Instead of focusing on artistic skill or finished products, art therapy centers the creative process as a way of accessing deeper knowledge, self-understanding, and transformation. For many, it is also a tool for resistance and empowerment, offering a space to challenge dominant narratives, reclaim stories, and imagine new possibilities.
Who is Art Therapy for?
Art Therapy is very accessible as you don’t need any special skills or experience to participate and it can be adapted in ways that work for you! At Heart & Hands I will be working with anyone age 13+.
Specifically It is great for folks:
- Living with persistent and chronic conditions;
- Experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, loss or grief;
- People in transition or periods of uncertainty;
- During times of overwhelm or stress;
- As a decision making support.
What will I do during an Art Therapy session?
Materials are included in the price of the session, and you are also welcome to bring in or use materials of your own! I personally try and source/use natural fibers as often as possible. We can sort out a materials plan at our first session together.
Here is a list of some materials we could use:
- Recycled papers, newspaper, magazines, packaging, books
- Pens, pencils, chaulk, pastels
- Water colour paints, inks
- Natural and plant dyes, dried fibres
- Fabric, thread, leather, wool, string
- Glue, clay, paster, wood
What kind of art can we make?
The options are endless and we will work it out together. I will have some suggestions and ideas for you based on what you hope to accomplish therapeutically, and we will work out our plan together.
Some things I may offer are: felting, fabric and paper collage, post card making, body drawing, bilateral drawing, wisdom scribbling, photography, zine making, freehand sewing/stitching, printmaking, permanent and impermanent sculpture, poetry reading, free writing, permanent and impermanent sculptures and more!
How does Art Therapy help?
Everyone has a different experience in art therapy but some things that people say they get out of art therapy are: relief, release, joy, soothing, insight, clarity, pleasure, satisfaction, resourcing and regulation.
Some specific ways include:
What if I am not a creative person?
All people are creative!
We often just have not been given or had access to the conditions that allow us to explore and get to know these parts of our self. Feel free to come into a session or two and see what you discover! I have a feeling you will be surprised at how creative you actually are!
Do I see an Art Therapist instead of my regular counsellor?
It’s up to you!
Art Therapy can be a stand alone practice or it can be a great addition to other ways you are engaged in your own processes. If you have a regular counsellor Art Therapy could be a place for you to process and integrate what you are working through there.
How does Art Therapy relate to acupuncture or other modalities that I am accessing at Heart & Hands?
However it works for you!
There is no wrong way. I personally think Art Therapy before (focused on intention setting and clarity) or after (focused on processing and integration) Community Acupuncture, Cupping, Reiki or Somatic Sex Education sessions could be great – if you try it, let us know!
How is Art Therapy Collective Care?
Art has always been personal and political!
Cultures around the world have evidence of ancient mark making as ritual, celebration, communication, time-tracking, record keeping, wayfinding, storytelling. Art transcends time and language and opens the possibility of other ways of being and knowing.
Here are a few examples of how participating in community based Art Therapy is a contribution towards collective care:
How is Art Therapy a somatic practice?
Creating art requires the use of our bodies and so naturally engages our soma.
Here are a few ways that can be somatically therapeutic:
- Body-Based Expression – Engages sensorimotor pathways through hands-on creation, allowing emotions and trauma to be processed non-verbally
- Nervous System Regulation – Activates rhythmic, repetitive movements (e.g., drawing, sculpting) that support self-soothing and co-regulation
- Embodied Awareness – Encourages tuning into bodily sensations while creating, fostering interoception and emotional connection
- Trauma Integration – Provides a safe container for fragmented experiences, allowing for meaning-making and reconnection between mind and body
What school do you go to and when will you be done?
I attend the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute and I am hoping to be completed by July 2025!!
If you are curious to know more about what Art Therapy can do for you, me and my work!
Sonya Gracey,
Art Therapy Practicum Candidate
gracey.sonya@gmail.com
www.sonyagracey.com/otherways
@otherwayscreative
References
- Van der Kolk, B. (2014).The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
- Explores how trauma is stored in the body and how creative expression can aid emotional processing.
- Levine, P. (1997).Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
- Introduces Somatic Experiencing and discusses how engaging the body through movement and sensation supports nervous system regulation.
- Porges, S. (2011).The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W.W. Norton & Company.
- Introduces how art therapy can engage the ventral vagal system, promoting safety, connection, and embodied healing.
- Schwartz, R. (1995).Internal Family Systems Therapy. Guilford Press.
- Describes how working with internal parts fosters self-understanding and integration in trauma recovery.
- Malchiodi, C. (2020).Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process. Guilford Press.
- Highlights the role of art and creative expression in trauma healing, meaning-making, and agency.