Digital Arts
Digital technology has created several new arts modalities, and updated many others. Expressive arts therapy works with them all. Arts of Passage will be fully equipped to work with the digital arts.
Digital arts have a high degree of aesthetic distance, and a low degree of embodiment. They can be either metaphoric or literal, and either holding or probing.
Audio
With the advances in computer-based music composing and recording, it's now easy and affordable to have clients engage in the music-making process within therapy. Here are a few ideas:
- Karaoke: use karaoke to sing or rap songs. Clients can rewrite the words to make them more personal.
- Songwriting and recording: use digital recording studio.
- Audio drama: develop a script for an audio drama, record and distribute on the internet.
Video
The computer has revolutionized film and video, and it's now possible to make "movies" with modestly-priced equipment. Here are a few therapeutic ideas:
- Music / rap videos: Client writes, performs and records song, and develops music video to work with it visually. This is a great way to integrate visual arts, creative writing, music and dance.
- Video drama: just like an audio drama, except filming live action.
- Animation: create cartoon animations (possibly an approach to doing a music video). There are a great many affordable and easy-to-use animation tools.
Photography
Photography predates digital media, but like other art forms has been transformed by the digital age. Here are a few therapeutic ideas:
- Family tree collage: Digital image manipulation programs like Photoshop and the GIMP offer new ways to work with collage images. Clients can scan in family photos and collage scenes to illustrate their family.
- Comics: Great for clients who "can't draw." With photos and clip-art, anyone can create comics. This is a great tool for working with teens.
Photo (c) 2008 Svetlana Kreimer
