The Therapeutic Mark by Sara Asman: Registered Art Therapist
Hey everyone!
I wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little more about who I am and why I’m chatting to you now. My name is Sara Asman and I am a registered Art Psychotherapist with the HCPC. Check out my credentials (https://mhscreativepathways.com › pages › about-me). I am super passionate about psychology, mental health and the power of creative expression and art. A couple of years ago, I moved from South Africa to the UK and boy was that one of the hardest things I have ever done. The move has been a huge struggle for me, mentally, physically and in every which way possible but more on that in later blog posts.
Guilty Pleasures (yes, lots!!)
One of my guilty pleasures, and yes, I have many, is true crime and human behaviour. I am a very curious person and an avid observer of everything around me. That includes human behaviour and everything in nature. I love people-watching, who doesn’t, whether that’s sitting at a dinner table observing people chatting to each other or watching groups of people interact with each other in a park or even at a supermarket. I make up silly little stories about their lives, who they are and what work they do and wonder what they are talking to each other about. I bet if I spoke to them and asked them about their lives, I may be really far off the mark but it’s just a fun past time and nothing too deep.
Who among you loves books and loves to read? Obviously, me too! I’m a voracious reader and maker of puzzles, the harder and more obscure the pieces the better. Don’t give me straight, boring, conventional pieces; they must be odd shapes and sizes, so I must think hard and be challenged. It’s incredibly therapeutic to make a puzzle because you are super focused and all the many thoughts swirling around in your brain recede to the background. This is an amazing coping skill for all you overthinkers out there and that includes me!! Focusing on making a puzzle helps all those pesky thoughts to recede to the background of your mind. Such a great mindfulness task.
Art, Art and More Art!
I am all about colour, colour and more colour!! Whether this is in my garden, my interiors or my clothing choices, I will literally wilt if I am not engaging with colour every single day. I often feel like I am swimming upstream, as not many people around me seem to love colour in the way I do. When I put colours together in my interiors, I can almost taste and smell them and it gives me such a buzz if I can smash colours on the opposite spectrums together and they look aesthetically pleasing. I will mix stripes with spots and pink with red. My mantra is, “be bold and courageous with colour”. For me it makes me feel happy, if you see me dressed in black, grey or any brown or beige colours then you will know that I am not feeling very happy.
Ah English Culture!
Now I’m just being curious about England and getting to know English culture, which I have to say is actually not that easy. It's a beautiful, confusing place where 'quite good' means excellent and a polite smile can signify either profound agreement or the silent contemplation of your demise. I also want to share my South African culture of being friendly and open and honest with my new friends and my clients as well as you lovely people that I will get to know better through my blogs. Most of you probably know South African people because of their love for biltong, braais and rugby. I don’t love biltong or braais but I quite like rugby, not necessarily for the game but for the deep connection people have with it and the unity it can bring, even for a whole country. As a South African gal, I am honest and direct, two traits South African people are very much known for. It’s been very difficult to integrate into a culture where what you say is not necessarily what you mean and I often feel like I need a guidebook to tell me what certain English phrases actually mean. Ben Fogle wrote a wonderful book called, What It Means to Be English, and in the appendix of the book, he shares many English phrases denoting what most people think they mean and then what they actually mean when said by English people. I love this and chuckle when I read it. "It's a beautiful, confusing place where 'quite good' means excellent and a polite smile can signify either profound agreement or the silent contemplation of your demise."
Let's Just Say It Like It Is!
One of the things that I am vehemently against is the sanitisation of mental health challenges. I very much challenge the idea that many people put out on social media of reducing very deep, complex psychological issues into a simple inspirational quote or a happy thought, encouraging people to believe that these simple ideas will stop them from feeling terrible and like your world is collapsing and will just instil happiness right back into your life. Rubbish!! I am absolutely about the ugliness and messiness of complex issues. I encourage my clients to make ugly and messy art rather than a simple, cute image that tells you nothing about the deeper feelings at play. Try this when you have a moment….
Try this....
Grab a coloured pencil or marker or hopefully an oil pastel because it’s got a lovely smooth but heavy texture. Now think of an intense emotion like anger or frustration and start to draw big looping scribbles all over the page but press really hard and intentionally think about the anger that’s inside of you, keep pressing really hard and intense, even if you tear the paper. Just this little, simple exercise can make you feel more relaxed and less stressed. Writing some more about the anger afterwards would be even better, but I am digressing and going off on a tangent. We will get to more of these exercises in future blogs.
Let's Connect In The Creative Space
I would love to share some of my experiences working in the psychology and mental health field and what that means to me and how it may help you.
I’m trusting you’re reading this out of curiosity and wondering what this is all about and that you’re not making any judgement calls just yet. Part of my expectation for this blog is to help people make deeper connections with not only other like-minded people but with themselves, too. When you know what drives you, what your hopes and intentions are then you are so much closer to your authentic self. I hope we can get to know each other more, as I am passionate about community and the value of sharing our experiences with each other to maintain our mental well-being. Connection with others is so important in a world where loneliness is the #1 contributor to depression. I would love to carve out a space where we can chat about difficult subjects and find a way forward as a community that values our mental health and wellbeing. I value having fun and love a good chat and maybe make a little art together. Keep your eye out for our group art making sessions online (https://mhscreativepathways.com › products › appointment)
Until Next Time...
You may be asking yourself what an art psychotherapist is, what they do and maybe you’re even asking yourself how this can help you. In my next blog...
"Beyond Basics: What is Art Therapy? I’ll outline exactly what an art psychotherapist does and how this might be valuable for you (
Please keep reading and send any questions you may have either via DM on Instagram or Facebook on MHScreativepathways or just right here.
"Keep colouring outside the lines and finding your inner peace!
Happy creating.”
