Art and Emotions

Our emotions are powerful sources of wisdom and energy, yet many of us were never taught how to work with them. Through simple art and mark-making practices, Art and Emotions offers a playful and intuitive way to explore your feelings, deepen your self-awareness, and reconnect with your inner creativity.

“Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, creative practices can be a powerful avenue for self-discovery and support. My DEI colleague Sue Barclay has created a wonderful workshop that can help anyone get in touch with their inner artist (spoiler – we are all artists!). Sue’s ingenious ways of incorporating art and mark-making into self-reflection and learning can benefit anyone of any skill level or experience. If you’ve been looking for a way to delve deeper into your emotional understanding and skills in a supportive, fun, and creative environment, Art and Emotions may be the right space for you.”*

Karla McLaren, M.Ed., author of The Language of Emotions and creator of Dynamic Emotional Integration®

About Dynamic Emotional Integration®

Art and Emotions grew out of my training in Dynamic Emotional Integration® (DEI), a pioneering framework created by researcher and author Karla McLaren, M.Ed. DEI re-values all emotions, even those we think of as “negative”, and provides empathic tools for working with them wisely.

If you’d like to learn more about DEI and Karla’s work, visit:

One-to-one Sessions

One-to-one sessions are shaped around your needs and can take place online or in person.

Cost of one-to-one sessions

60 minutes – £60

Workshops & Courses

I offer Art and Emotions Workshops & Courses throughout the year, both online and in person. You can join an existing course or ask me to create one for your own group.

If you’d like to book an Art and Emotions consultation, workshop or course, or to find out more, please get in touch.

What Happens in an Art and Emotions Session, Workshop or Course?

Engage with your emotions in a safe and creative way
Use simple mark-making to express feelings without pressure to “draw”
Develop emotional awareness without needing to analyse or fix
Discover gentle tools for self-regulation and balance
Reconnect with your inner artist and intuitive wisdom

A Wordless Practice that Lets Your Emotions Speak

“When Sue was in her licensing course, she developed an amazing emotion- accessing process called "mark-making," where she had us grab some paper and something that could make marks - crayons, pencils, paints - whatever we had on hand. I call it amazing now, but I was honestly alarmed by it at first, because I can't draw! Yet when Sue asked us to simply make marks, I was suddenly able to transfer what I felt onto paper. Something about getting away from words and being with that untrained part of myself that could just play with paper and make marks -- it was so freeing and illuminating.

I asked Sue to create a course for Empathy Academy. In Sue's course, you'll enter into a conversation with your emotions and explore mark- making, reflection, and activities in a supportive and empathic environment.” Karla McLaren, M.Ed.

Testimonials

“Sue’s courses translated the therapeutic ‘given’ that feeling emotions is beneficial in healing, into a practical and simple way of understanding, relating to, and channelling emotion. The artwork was an effective way to integrate the material.”

Ann, Psychotherapist

“I found this workshop series engaging and accessible. Sue’s guidance helped me reframe habits in my thinking and develop a deeper awareness of what emotions are – and what I can learn from them. The art helped me explore in a way that writing and talking couldn’t.”

Rosie, Art Lecturer

Dynamic Emotional Integration with Sue gave me an incredible insight into how emotions work. Learning to use mark-making unlocked something powerful. I’ll keep using it as a way to understand my feelings more deeply.”

Gabby

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