The Overlap

Little by little it's becoming more natural. My creative making is starting to push into my work days. It started out slowly and the effort was mostly personal. I'd take a little time to blog surf and dream of projects for days off while downing my sandwich during the day. Or I'd take a brief moment during the day to knit a few rows to ground me and take a breath between intense sessions.

But now, little bits more have been creeping in more organically and enhancing my practice. This past month felt really good this way. I handed out a playdoh recipe to one client who wants to do some sculpting without the mess of clay. I also made a little boat from this tutorial, which I used in a new group I'm cofacilitating to hold little slips of paper from each member naming something that's holding her down and then, in the little pocket I sewed on the sail, something that is keeping her afloat. A few weeks ago, I talked knitting with another client and was able to explore some family relationships through the conversation.

(Now, as I'm writing this, I'm getting thinking about exploring family relationships through handcrafts or maybe cooking. I wonder what a genogram focused on making would look like?)

I'm really interested in where this is going to lead. I've never been particularly drawn to typical art therapy (I wrote some about my approach to therapy a while ago here) and a lot of the projects I naturally gravitate towards are not office-space or hour-session friendly. How will my form of creativity further make its way into my practice? My gut tells me not to force this. I've got decades left in my career and maybe this slow overlap can't be forced. I guess I just have to keep myself open to it and invite it when it comes knocking.