It might be said that everyone who creates artwork is experiencing a type of personal expression that is unequaled by other methods. Color and texture, even if the images are non-representational, are a pleasure to create and are entertaining to view and interact with. The sheer joy of such a creative process or the viewing of a result is, at one time, soothing and energizing. Although achieved from two different directions, the budding art student and the individual working with the art therapist share a similar end result. All we must do is recognize the value of working through issues or events that stifle our creativity.
Artists often can, and do, use their art to express their emotions.
Often those feelings are too difficult to speak of or write about or may not even be realized by the artist. But artists are creating a vision and this vision is often meant to evoke dialog. The avenue an artist chooses is one of color and design. His images are created to record experiences, emotions, or perhaps to document beauty. This is the exact same reaction that art therapy is designed to evoke.