Art therapy, A safe space for Black Women: A Black Girl Vitamins Sponsored Event

Therapy is often stigmatized in the black community, but art therapy offers a unique and accessible approach. It provides a safe and non-judgmental space to engage in therapy and explore our emotions in a creative way. Through various artistic mediums like crafting, painting, drawing, or even writing, art therapy can help us express our emotions, release stress, and find solace. Art therapy can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and healing, especially for black women. Many Black women face unique challenges and pressures, and therapy in general provides a safe and empowering space to explore and process these feelings. Art therapy can help combat seasonal depression by allowing people to creatively engage with their feelings and emotions. It offers an outlet for self-expression, which can alleviate feelings of sadness and isolation, especially during those colder months. 

This is why Black Girl Vitamins always supports black people with vitamin supplements to help manage these conditions and events to help build a safe haven and a reliable community for melanin-rich women. As black girls, women, and mothers, we are told to be strong and show no weakness. We are supposed to always play hard even in difficult times, so we suppress our emotions and they become trauma. 

Partnering with Pierra D.B., Black Girl Vitamins sponsored an art therapy session for wellness and self-healing. Pierra is a registered art therapist in Chicago, who hosts unique workshops that use the art-making process as a tool to improve mental health. The mental health of melanin-rich women is very important and with this even the attendees. During a quick introduction, Pierra spoke on seasonal depression and suggested the BGV Vitamin D3 to help manage the symptoms of this condition. She also spoke on the issue of therapy and its importance. She then gave a task to the attendees. 

The task was to each create an affirmation box with hard papers, glue, lots of colorful pencils, highlighters, glitters, and all things shiny. Through this artistic expression, these women were able to discover new aspects of themselves and prepare plans to nurture their own well-being. This session encouraged these black women to practice self-love and prioritize "me-time." It provided a space where they could focus on themselves, their needs, and their desire. A space where they could forget their roles as wives, mothers, partners, and employees. After a moment of reflection amongst them, one of the attendees noted “You can only be useful to your loved ones when you are useful to yourself, you can only help others when you work on yourself.” This is so true because, sometimes, we are so encased in our roles to others that we forget we also have duties to ourselves.

These direct and indirect affirmations played a significant role in this art therapy session. By creating art that reflects their strengths, resilience, and beauty, with phrases like “forgive yourself”, "give yourself grace”, and “get your ass up”, these black women were able to reinforce positive self-perception and challenge negative narratives. Above all, this session encouraged these women to forgive themselves and heal. Forgiveness is another important aspect of therapy. Through the art of writing, these wonderful ladies explored their emotions around past hurts and traumas, allowing them to heal and find peace. The event ended with some fun group activities, including a reel for Instagram.

In summary, art therapy can be a powerful tool to help us address seasonal depression, burnout, and anxiety, with lots of creativity, self-love, me-time, affirmations, and forgiveness. It allows for creative expression, healing, and empowerment. Black Girl Vitamins is committed to providing holistic support to melanin-rich women, and art therapy is a perfect addition to our mission. Stay tuned on our Instagram @blackgirlvitamins for information on upcoming sponsored events, you don’t know what you might find!

Reviewed by Bryanne N. Standifer-barrett, MD