Worth a Thousand Words:

4 Ways to Begin your Self-Discovery journey through Photography

Art, dance, song, play, storytelling—there are so many wonderful ways to express yourself

that both nourish, challenge and tickle us. And I think photography should have a proud and prominent place among these other forms of expression.

First, cameras are ubiquitous—we have cameras on phones, tablets—and many of us love to take photos, sometimes mindfully and sometimes not.

Those photos we take and those we gaze at, tell a story, infused with our projections and memories. What we see in them, or how we construct them, can be very revealing.

I love how accessible photography is, its creative potential, and its capacity for holding memories and expressing emotions, dreams, and fears.

What's PhotoTherapy? Why do it?

Judy Weiser, with whom I studied, defines PhotoTherapy techniques as:

“Therapy practices that use people's personal snapshots, family albums, and pictures taken by others (and the feelings, thoughts, memories, and associations these photos evoke) as catalysts to deepen insight and enhance communication during their therapy or counseling sessions (conducted by trained mental health professionals), in ways not possible using words alone.” (1)

As an art therapist using photography in my practice, I practice a subspecialty, “Photo Art Therapy”(2), where I use photography as one of the media in my art therapy work with clients.

Most of the photos that are part of the therapy sessions are taken by clients, usually in between sessions. I find giving photo assignments useful as a nudge for clients to stay connected to the therapy work during the week—by taking a moment to, say, photograph:

• how they are feeling

• what “trust” or “goodbye” looks like

• and I also use a variety of self-portrait-related assignments

These small, creative moments help clients stay emotionally present and reflective—even outside the therapy space.

I've also taken several courses from Vivienne McMaster and have been influenced by her unique ability to invite you on a journey of self-discovery through thought-provoking and sometimes poignant photography assignments.

This “therapeutic photography” is done without the guidance of a therapist but can yield wonderful results in terms of personal growth (3).

As you begin to explore expressing and understanding yourself through photography, it's ideal to share some of your photos (and the process of taking them) with a therapist, friend or group of people trying to capture a similar idea or feeling. Together, you'll likely discover a marvelous diversity of images.

Would you like to dip your toe in and get a taste of what it would be like to use photography as a path to self-discovery? If so, read on!

📷 4 Creative Photo Prompts

for Self-Discovery

1. Photograph How You’re Feeling Today

Simply go out and take a photo of how you are feeling today. It doesn't have to be fancy! Use your phone, if you like—don’t get too hung up on the technical aspects.

Maybe today you captured yourself as a babbling brook, or a still, quiet pond. Maybe you felt like a foreboding sky, or as joyful as a bright, sunny day. Or your shadow.

For this first step, you don’t need to include any part of your physical self in the photo.

I know: that can be daunting. Just snap away!

2. A Photo That Introduces You

Another favorite assignment of mine is to take a photograph that you would use to introduce yourself to someone who didn’t know you.

This is a wonderful way to really think about:

• your values

• your identity

• how you represent yourself to the world.

  
  

(It’s also a great early assignment when a therapist and client are getting to know each other.)

When a client shares this photo with me, I usually have many questions—some I ask, and some I tuck away.

Want to take it further?

Print out the photo and use a copy og it in a collage of other things that represent you, like:

• other photos that are meaningful to you,

• or you might want to do some writing, perhaps 10 words that you or others would use to describe you,

• your own drawing or painting,

• or glue down some found items like old tickets, buttons, fabric, or newspaper clippings

You don’t even need to use paper—I love creating collages on and in old cigar boxes!

You then have a ready-made treasure box to store something personal and precious. Or you can make a digital collage!

3. A Photo of Two Sides of Yourself

Another photography adventure you can try is to explore two seemingly different parts of your identity:

• The self that likes to get dressed up and the one that likes to wear sweats,

• The self that likes to be the life of the party and the one that craves quiet time alone.

Try putting these two aspects of yourself into a single photograph. You can play around with:

• creating a side-by-side collage 

• or overlay the images to create something entirely new and expressive.any processing apps such as Diptic or Picmonkey will easily assist you to put two photos together into one. You can do this side-by-side or if you're feeling extraordinarily creative, try overlaying them and see what happens!

  
  

Pro tip: Many processing apps such as Diptic or Picmonkey will easily assist you to put two photos together into one. You can do this side-by-side or if you're feeling extraordinarily creative, try overlaying them and see what happens!

4. Capture the Feeling of Favorite Words

Ok, this is the last suggestion: Think about a beautiful piece of writing that you love.

For example, it could be:

• a letter someone sent you,

• The Gettysburg Address

• a meditation or prayer,

• or a beautiful poem or song lyric.

Now, take a photograph that expresses something about that piece of writing.

It's always your choice; it could be literal—photographing something that is related to content—or the photo could be more abstract, expressing the mood it evokes.

Feeling ambitious? Combine your photograph with the written inspiration for a layered piece of self-expression.

Be creative, be truthful, and have fun!

Written by Cindy Gordon, PhD, LPC, ATR-BC, CAAP

restART studio Board member

Sources:

1) ©Copyright, Judy Weiser, R.Psych., A.T.R.; from webpage at: www.phototherapy-centre.com.

2) For more on the distinctions between PhotoTherapy, Photo Art Therapy and Therapeutic

Photography, see: www.phototherapy-centre.com

3) For more information on Vivienne McMaster's philosophy and courses, see

viviennemcmasterphotography.com