The Open Studio Process is an expressive arts medium founded by Pat Allen in Chicago, IL. The practice utilizes intention, as one might set before meditation or yoga practice. Intentions are drafted often as an “I am…” statement, affirmative or reflective of some kind of information/guidance sought. The practice is simple and usually really basic, accessible materials like brown paper and craypas, tempura paint on butcher paper, sculpture using tin foil, tape and paint. The object is to allow the energy of intention appear as energy through the medium, with less focus on creating a final “piece,” but instead to allow the process of creating to guide. After 60-90 minutes of process art making, participants then journal and write while observing their art, sometimes even having a dialogue with it. The art making is supportive in a group context and participants are encouraged to read what they have witnessed in their writing, so that their process can then be witnessed.

I trained as a facilitator of this process and learned to quiet my inner critic significantly through art making and witnessing. The drawings and sculpture shown here are no longer in existence, as I’ve moved a few times, but the process of making each was a personal, transformative experience for me.