“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”- Pablo Picasso
Broken to Brilliant recently held our two-day DV-ART program. DV-ART is an acronym for domestic violence amazing resilient thrivers – because that is exactly what survivors of abuse are - amazing resilient thrivers!
To ensure people felt safe and welcome we created a cozy space with cushions, flowers, plants and lots of creative items for participants to use.
Making a mandala
One of the first activities was making a mandala. The Daily Ritual says, ‘the act of creating mandalas will help us to tap into special energy that radiates love and intention from the centre of our being'. Most importantly for domestic violence survivors, creating mandalas has been shown to decrease the symptoms of trauma.
Two members of the group were happy to share their mandala creation along with the deep meaning and symbolism behind their artworks.
Mandala -sparking joy
The uneven material shows the ups and downs in life.
The broken glass – this was our brokenness which was in a fire so that with one spark our lives can change into a burning fire.
The end goal being the fireworks on the card ‘sparking with creativity’ meaning sparking joy, happiness, laughter, celebration, and creativity in a business, owning a business, and wealth for financial freedom. The fire is burning traces of the past.
The flat piece of wood is for a house, owning my own house and being able to make it our home for stability and safety.
The leaves are for the bushland, hearing the birds, a haven for wildlife, and the trees are for freshness, clean air and deep breathing.
The blue tubing is water, hearing the waves represents tranquillity and peace.
The black stones are my family unit in my home.
The coloured stone is for the future, goodness, favour, blessings and the desires in our hearts.
The feather represents our pet bird Zazu.
Mandala our natural strength
The brilliance and strength of our true nature and our desire to control it, are linked together by the golden gift that lies within us
Art Therapist
Kerry led the DV-ART session, a Broken to Brilliant author, speaker, anti-domestic violence advocate, Art Psychotherapist, and business owner of Expressive Health Services. We are grateful for Kerry’s skill in taking us through this amazing creative healing process
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“The task of therapy is not to eliminate suffering but to give a voice to it, to find a form in which it can be expressed. Expression is itself transformation; this is the message that art brings. The therapist then would be an artist of the soul, working with sufferers to enable them to find the proper container for their pain, the form in which it would be embodied.” Stephen K Levine
Read more about the Broken to Brilliant DV-ART program in these blogs:
Inspiring to read of the courage & creativity to begin a new life. 💚💚