My Journey Through the 7 Day Watercolour Reset with Discover Art Therapy
- Remy
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
Recently, I had the chance to participate in the "7 Day Watercolour Reset" with Ashleigh Gureckas, aka Discover Art Therapy. I hoped that this week-long somatic experience would not only breathe new life into my approach to art therapy, but help to rediscover the incredible therapeutic benefits of watercolour painting. I wont give away Ashleigh's teachings here, so please check out her page for more information here.
Day 1: Breath Led Brush Strokes
The first day eased me in to the process of somatic watercolour painting by prompting breath-led painting. I was a day late starting this prompt from when it first launched, so I felt a bit (unduly) rushed. However, once I allowed my breath to guide the experience I was able to enter a flow state.
Day 2: Play and Lines
On the second day, we were prompted to play with a continuous line. Once I created the continous line, and followed Ashleigh's suggestion to add another colour and follow the line, I decided to add a third colour and create a type of container for the playful linework.
Day 3: Bilateral Painting
Day three led us to explore regulation, connection, and the release of perfectionism through bilateral painting. The amount of water and pigmentation absorbed by each brush made this prompt really interesting for me as I released the notion that the two hands would create identical marks.
Day 4: Speed, Pressure and Lines
On day four we played around with the pace of our brush strokes, the heaviness or lightness of our touch, and the length of our lines. This prompt was significant, particularly when playing with pressure, because I discovered how heavy-handed I often am with various art-making utensils. It was a relief to work lightly and loosen my grip intermittently.
Day 5: Personal Somatic Expression
The fifth day focused on allowing our emotions shape our painting. The imagery was guided by the way I felt that day and emerged through linework and colour. This day I was experiencing rib pain and tried to express that discomfort, while honestly trying to move through this piece quickly so I could get off the chair.
Day 6: Exploring Layers
The sixth day was dedicated to the process of building and patience. We explored how layers in watercolour could shift and change depending on the wetness of the layers, and how we chose to build them up. For this piece I was drawn to the intersection of colours, and how the vibrance and opacity would shift depending on colour combinations and placement.
Day 7: Boundaries and Containment
On the seventh day, we explored containment and expansion. Before starting I was sure that I would be most drawn to containment, but after beginning I found that expansion allowed for a release that I didn't know I needed. This mimicked the sense of ebb and flow, and it turns out on this day I needed more flow.
Bonus: Integrative Painting Project
Ashleigh provided a bonus day for expression with this integrative painting. She encouraged us to combine every somatic technique we learned in one integrative painting that promotes self expression. The one technique I didn't include was bilateral painting, but otherwise I tried to include all elements.
If you're considering exploring art through watercolour painting, I highly recommend joining a program like this. You will discover not just the joy of creating, but also a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you. Embrace this opportunity to express yourself and perhaps even heal through your artistic journey.
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