Whenever illness is associated with loss of soul, the arts emerge spontaneously as remedies, soul medicine.
from Art as MedicineThe issue of talent is the most effective defense against expression... Sit with what you already have and dream with it in a new way.
Trust the ProcessCreativity is a force of nature, the mainstream of imagination accessible to all.
Imagination in ActionArt offers the space for discovery to emerge naturally, ahead of conscious thought. This artistic intelligence is a primary rationale for the existence of applied art disciplines and must be sustained in their research.
Art Is the Evidence: A Guide to Art-Based Research (in press)_____________
Shaun McNiff is author of Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go; Art Heals; Art as Medicine; Imagination in Action: Secrets for Unleashing Creative Expression; Integrating the Arts in Therapy; Art-Based Research; Art as Research: Art Is the Evidence: A Guide to Art-Based Research; and other books. An exhibiting painter who has had a seminal influence on the areas of creativity enhancement, the arts and healing, and art-based research, he has lectured and taught throughout the world. McNiff has received various honors and awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Journal of Applied Arts & Health and the Honorary Life Member Award of the American Art Therapy Association. He created the first integrated arts in therapy and education graduate program at Lesley University in 1974 and was recognized in 2009 with citations from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate as ‘Founder and Champion of Expressive Arts Therapy’. In 2002 Lesley appointed him as its first University Professor.