Colorful scarves are often comically seen as an essential part of an art therapist’s wardrobe. Playing with this stereotype is an 8-pound scarf created from a variety of yarn and steel hex-nuts, photographed being worn by the artist. Intentionally unidentifiable, this self-portrait represents the common practice of limiting personal disclosure within the therapeutic relationship. The idea for the scarf began from the heaviness felt following multiple difficult sessions and feeling a need to artistically represent this sensation. The juxtaposition of construction supplies and fibers combines two interests of the artist while also displaying some of the common assumptions of art therapy as a profession: “That must be fun” with “that must be heavy work.” The scarf was created over months, often being worked on daily as an attempt to reflect on the therapeutic work completed. While crocheting, many therapy metaphors and themes emerged, including: using what you have, being imperfectly perfect, at times being soft/rigid and loose ends remaining. The scarf illustrates that art therapy can be fun, playful, colorful, disorganized, unexpected, messy, and beautiful while also taking a heavy emotional toll. This piece describes the therapeutic weight that art therapists carry while standing tall and remaining strong for clients.

中文翻译：

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帮助的重量

五颜六色的围巾经常被滑稽地视为艺术治疗师衣橱的重要组成部分。玩这种刻板印象的是一条 8 磅重的围巾，由各种纱线和钢制六角螺母制成，由艺术家佩戴拍摄。这幅自画像故意无法识别，代表了在治疗关系中限制个人披露的常见做法。围巾的想法始于在多次艰难的会议后感到的沉重感，并感觉需要艺术地表现这种感觉。建筑用品和纤维的并置结合了艺术家的两种兴趣，同时也展示了艺术治疗作为一种职业的一些共同假设：“那一定很有趣”与“那一定是繁重的工作”。围巾是几个月来的，经常在日常工作中尝试反思已完成的治疗工作。在钩针编织时，出现了许多治疗隐喻和主题，包括：使用你所拥有的、不完美的、有时柔软/僵硬和剩余的松散。围巾说明艺术疗法可以是有趣的、好玩的、丰富多彩的、杂乱无章的、意想不到的、凌乱的和美丽的，同时也会带来沉重的情感伤害。这件作品描述了艺术治疗师在站立和为客户保持强壮时所承受的治疗重量。美丽的同时也承受着沉重的情感代价。这件作品描述了艺术治疗师在站立和为客户保持强壮时所承受的治疗重量。美丽的同时也承受着沉重的情感代价。这件作品描述了艺术治疗师在站立和为客户保持强壮时所承受的治疗重量。