Celebrating the Summer Solstice: Art Activities for Reflection and Grounding from the Perspective of an Art Therapist
It’s the season of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Today, we can embrace its abundance of light and energy!
It is a pivotal moment in nature's cycle and points to the perfect opportunity for art therapy to foster mindfulness, grounding, and introspection.
Here are some starting art activities curated through the lens of an art therapist, crafted to deepen your connection with the solstice and nurture personal growth.
Art Prompts for Reflection: Summer Solstice Edition
Watercolor Reflections: Embrace personal growth through fluid art creativity!
Materials: Watercolor paper, brushes, watercolor paint; mason jar for water brush, paper towel for drying paint brush.
Paint a scene capturing solstice reflections and emotions. Feel free to paint a sunset or a sunrise. Focus on the colors blending and have fun with it. Journal about the ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunsets’ of your current life.
Sunrise (What Are You Starting?):Write about new beginnings, goals, or aspirations you’re pursuing. Consider what excites you about these new ventures and how they align with your personal growth.
Sunset (What Has Recently Ended?): Reflect on recent closures, transitions, or lessons learned. Describe the emotions associated with these endings and how they have influenced your current perspective.
Sun Mandala: Connect with the solstice’s light and and your inner energy!
Materials: large sheets of paper, canvas, or cardboard; paints, markers, colored pencils; and natural materials (fallen leaves, stones, dried flowers)
Draw a central circle on your paper or canvas to represent the sun. Use art materials and gathered natural elements to create patterns symbolizing the sun’s rays. Reflect on bringing light and energy into your life, journaling your insights around the mandala!
Adaptation for Indoors: Utilize collage materials, indoor plants, crystals, or photographs of sunlight patterns for inspiration if outdoor conditions are not favorable!
Nature-Inspired Collages: Help yourself ground through connecting with nature.
Materials: Assorted papers like collage, magazines, junk mail, tissue paper, recycled artwork of your own; glue + scissors, natural items like fallen leaves and twigs; blank canvas/paper.
Collect natural items outdoors that resonate with you. Create a collage layering elements and paper pieces. Allow yourself to use textures to represent your grounding experience! Allow yourself to just be and nest in nature.
Adaptation for Indoors: Use the Shuffles app to make a nature inspired collage!
Solstice Vision Boards: Manifest and reflect your intentions for the next summer season. h nature.
Materials: Cardboard or large poster; magazine, images, junk mail, collage stickers; scissors, glue, markers, pastels; paper and pen.
Spend a few moments writing down how the past spring season has gone for you. Use your time to answer questions such as “What were the past few months like for me?”, “What am I working on right now?”, “What am I growing towards?”, “What were the highlights?”, “How do I want the next season of my life to go?”, “What are ways that I would like to be more present with myself?”.
Cut out words from your journal writing and begin to adhere them to a large poster board. Use magazine and other pieces to add to your vision board. Put it in a place where you can see it often.
Adaption for indoors or lack of materials: Use the Shuffles app or Canva to make a digital collage! nature inspired collage!
Wanting to find out more about the work that I do in art therapy sessions? Head on over to my Art Therapy webpage! Ready to learn more about how to begin art therapy? Fill out my contact form here!
Kristy Leone, LCPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC
Founder and Art Therapist of Labyrinth Art and Wellness, LLC
