When we rush to ‘block’, ‘not feel’, ‘shut down’ the strong emotions that rise up within us, we extinguish the chance of being shown something. Something worthy of our love. Something seeking our protection.

It disturbs the possibility of finding the parts of us that are asking to be seen.
A hurt. A strength. A tenderness. A guiding value.

“So my anger isn’t something that needs to be ‘fixed’… Because the root of it is me being passionate about justice, healing and fairness” a participant mentioned during our time together. They recognised the root of their anger as a strength that they could work with and transform, rather than feeling shamed and gaslit by the label of ‘angry’ and feeling the need to be ‘quiet, calm and positive’ all the time.

At times when we bypass our [sensitivity / anger / fear / sadness / jealousy / … ] we might also bypass recognising our strengths and gifts. This isn’t to say that we over-attend to, or be crushed by the weight of the emotion. But - if safe - to allow it to take a seat and be intentional with it.

Chances are, it’s pointing us towards something worth loving and protecting.

There's a reason I offer as much variety of art materials as I can.

‘Emotional granularity' is a term I came across a few years ago that has been with me since.
It is the ability to describe your emotional state with precision. Or rather 'granular' precision. A skill that enables you to have a finer grasp of your experience, and in turn opens up a clearer set of choices and tools you can adopt to move through and move on.

Rather than lumping our emotions into one word that rids our experience of its depth and intricacy, we'd be able to dissect and discern what this experience is creating within us and as such have a deeper sense of what we need to counter, or hold, or act upon.
Our choices of action when we're feeling vaguely 'angry' will be different than if we were feeling 'ashamed', 'disempowered' or 'afraid'.

Offering a range of art materials aligns with wanting to assist my clients in finding what closely resembles and reflects their emotional state, potentially reaching that sense of accuracy.

Through the materials, we try to meet our experience as close as we can.

And many times, we're surprised.

Is it rough?
Tangled. Abrasive. Smooth. Malleable. Hard. Soft. Resistant. Ticklish. Flowing. Unyielding. Heavy. Still. Restraining. Messy. Bright. Fragile. Opaque. Seeping. Wet. Sharp. Loose. Rigid. Residual. Dull. Tight. Reflective. Uncontrollable. Soothing. Leaking. Suffocating. Transparent. Encompassing.