Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Date of Award

8-2-2016

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA)

Department

Creative Arts Therapies

First Advisor

Imus, Susan

Second Advisor

Downey, Laura

Third Advisor

Malling, Sondra

Keywords

dance/movement therapy, creative process, self-care, therapeutic process, creativity, art.

Abstract

The purpose of this artistic inquiry self-study was to explore my experience of the creative process. This purpose stemmed from the concept that it is not enough to believe that I am creative, but I wanted to know how and why. During this study, I was a 33 year-old multiethnic, middle-class female, who had been raised in a foster home on the East Coast. I was living in Chicago, Illinois as a graduate student at Columbia College Chicago for a master’s degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. The research questions presented were: How does ritualistic self-care promote availability into my own creative process? How will understanding my own creative process influence the therapeutic process for my clients? and What is my creative process as an emerging dance/movement therapist? The study utilized artistic exploration to identify the blocking and unblocking of my creativity. Data collection included a 14-week period of a ritualistic self-care movement practice prior to internship, as well as journaling and art-making, that explored seven themes related to creative process which included, free flow, improvisation, intuition, play, presence, time, and vulnerability. Data collection analysis was completed through intuitive inquiry. 107 pages.

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