This is one of my favorite images from our 10 years at One River school. First of all, you could see the pride on this boy’s face when he shared his completed drawing . And he is as cute as can be. This particular project was a form of self-portrait with a wrinkle. We asked our students to draw / sketch their face in as many different ways as they could that would demonstrate how they felt in various emotional states.

After seeing the results of this project, I started to wonder if there was a real therapeutic component to this project. Think about it. If you are able to be in touch with your emotions and to be honest about the various aspects of your personality and go the extra mile to draw or paint what you thought you might look like in all of the states, it may be cathartic and growth oriented.

Art has a way of allowing us to stretch how we think and how we view ourselves and the world at large. And, it also allows us to be reflective about ourselves and to have fun thinking about who we are, how we are wired and the emotions that drive us.