Art’s Role in Recovery and Resilience
The community behind the arts gives creatives a unique space to share their stories. Art, of all mediums, reflects the personal story of the artist; their thoughts, emotions, feelings, where they’ve been, as well as where they’re going. Because of this, art allows stories that involve recovery and resilience to be handled with the care and consideration that they deserve.
Recovery and resilience can mean a multitude of things, most often involving use of substances, which is not uncommon in the world of art. Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Thomas Kinkade, and Jackson Pollock are just a few of the notable names in art that have struggled with substance misuse and abuse. Art was one of the few things that offered each one of them solace, as well as a safe space for expression.
In recovery, one can feel lost, overwhelmed, guilty, all the while feeling hopeful, proud, and joyful. The arts are an outlet for all of these emotional complexities, providing space for both the subconscious and conscious minds, as well as their respective thoughts and anxieties. This is what allows art to provide companionship for those in recovery, as well as the fact that creating an art piece always leads to a tangible achievement, leaving the creator with a sense of accomplishment.
It is important to note that recovery and resilience are not topics reserved for the artists healing from substance misuse. Recovery and resilience are daily occurrences, and are things that each human heart has held. Art serves these variations of recovery just the same as the recovery previously mentioned, by providing an individual with a landing pad into a world that feels brand new.
Through making art centered around recovery, it gives those focused on healing a chance to see the stories of others that have turned to the arts in times of need. Doing so provides new insights and perspectives, as well as the chance to talk about relapse, feelings of isolation, and loneliness, all the while lessening the weight of a picture-perfect recovery.
Stepping into this community, one of art and healing, can also mean exploring these things through collaborative efforts. For example, at The Downriver Council for the Arts (DCA), an ongoing project, one that centers recovery and resilience, is set to come to fruition in just a few weeks. Based on rock balancing and cairn techniques, this piece will be made of mosaicked and stacked stones, painted by those in recovery and their supporters. This project is part of the art exhibition that highlights the healing stories of those in the Downriver area, but is also for the general community, as its simplicity makes it easily accessible for anyone wanting to reach for connection.
Overall, being in recovery and focusing on resilience are major accomplishments, no matter the subject that one is healing from, and recovering isn’t easy. Relapse and setbacks are bound to happen, and finding a community, sharing a story, or a journey, can be difficult. Art and creative practice transform the dread of sharing with those around you, into something to look forward to, making the path toward healing that much easier.
