Expressive Arts principles

"Play is experimental; it opens up the possibilities of the world. We suffer when there is no play-space, no gap between what we are and what we can be. Play also requires that we give up knowledge and control; we must surrender to the back and forth of a process without knowing the result in advance." — Stephen Levine ¹

In this article, we explore the core principles of Expressive Arts and how they support change, insight, and growth. While often used interchangeably with Expressive Arts Therapy, I use the broader term “Expressive Arts” to reflect its application across therapy, coaching, education, community work and organisational settings.

What is Expressive Arts, and how does it work?

The Expressive Arts approach is grounded in the understanding that creativity is an innate human capacity — available to everyone. Rather than focusing on artistic skill, Expressive Arts emphasises the creative shaping as a powerful pathway for personal transformation, expression, and meaning-making. These are the core principles that Expressive Arts follows:

Intermodality: exploring through multiple creative forms

Expressive Arts invites you to explore your inquiry through different creative forms, such as:

• visual art (drawing, painting, collage)

• movement and body expression

• sound, voice, and storytelling

• working with clay and tactile materials

• role-play and imaginative characters

• engaging with nature and environmental elements

These modalities can be used interchangeably or in combination within a session, enriching and deepening your exploration. Moving between artistic forms activates multiple senses and engages different modes of imagination, expanding the possibilities of your inquiry and generating new meanings.

For example, a drawing may begin as a visual expression, then evolve into movement, take on sound or voice, and eventually transform into a short drama or embodied scene. This and insights.

Low skill, high sensitivity

You don't need any artistic skills.

Expressive Arts follows a low-skill, high-sensitivity approach. Our focus is on building a relationship with art materials, exploring their qualities and gradually developing sensitivity.

You are invited to enter a sensory experience of making, where meaning emerges through interaction with colour, texture, movement, sound, and form.

Poiesis: responding to the world through creation

From the Greek word meaning "to make," poiesis refers to the act of bringing something new into existence. In Expressive Arts, poiesis is your response to life through creative shaping.

In this creative process, you transform your felt experiences, emotions and relationships into physical forms, allowing them to be witnessed, explored and transformed.

“…[human beings] have to find ways to respond to the world in which they find themselves, and then shape it so that it becomes an appropriate place for them to live... This basic activity of shaping in response to what is given, I believe, is characteristic of human beings throughout all of history and in all cultures. Our very existence in this world is an act of shaping or poiesis.” — Stephen Levine ²

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Imaginative space: decentering from a difficulty

Decentering is a central part of an Expressive Arts session. It involves stepping away from a problem and entering the space of imagination and play.

Rather than confronting a difficulty directly, you approach it indirectly — through metaphor, image, movement, or story. This creates distance and opens space for exploration.

"... the move away from the narrow logic of thinking and acting that marks the helplessness around the “dead-end” situation in question. This is a move into the opening of surprising unpredictable unexpectedness, the experience within the logic of imagination." — Paolo J. Knill ¹

In this "alternative reality," you become present and attuned to your creative impulses, materials and the space itself. It is your receptivity and creative force that guide you in this reality.

In this imaginative space, you are more open to opposing ideas. Contradictions can coexist and interact, helping you to form new connections and gain new insights.

The phenomenon of "the third": the presence of art

"The third" is the special presence of the art that emerges through the creative process. It arises in the room as something alive between you, the art-making, and the session facilitator.

"The third is the presence of the art as a sentient being, the presence of the ineffable. It is another therapeutic presence in the room that is neither therapist nor client, one that is emergent from the art making process. It is appearing spontaneously when the relationship and trust are established." — Paolo J. Knill ³

It cannot be planned or controlled. An emerging image, melody, form, or message arrives as an "Aha-moment", offering an insight and becoming a powerful source for imagination and change.

"All you can talk about is how to make space for it, and not stay in the way of it." — Paolo J. Knill ³

Phenomenological language: letting experience speak

Reflection in Expressive Arts is grounded in phenomenology — focusing on direct experience rather than interpretation.

You are invited to adopt the mindset of a researcher: paying close attention to details, retracing the steps of your creative process, and describing what you notice. Instead of asking “What does this mean?”, we ask:

• What do you see?

• How did the process unfold?

"... we need to stay on the surface of the work in aesthetic analysis... Observations are stated concretely and specifically about “what” we observed, “how,” “when,” and “where.” We also must be able to point out in space and time what we observe." — Paolo J. Knill ¹

This descriptive language helps interrupt habitual thinking patterns and creates space for new perceptions to emerge. By staying close to what is directly experienced, you begin to notice subtle qualities, shifts, and relationships that may not have been obvious at first.

Resource-based attitude: leveraging existing potential

Expressive Arts is a resource-based approach. Rather than focusing on deficits or problems, it looks for ways to build on what works and strengthen your resilience and existing capacities.

In the creative process, you loosen habitual patterns and reconnect with your inner resources — imagination, risk-taking, playfulness, and adaptability. These qualities support you in navigating life challenges, expanding possibilities, and creating meaningful, sustainable change.

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Thanks for reading. Thinking about trying Expressive Arts?

Reach out to me for individual Expressive Arts sessions in Berlin and online, Community Arts & Workshops in Berlin and online and Creative Team Building Workshops in Berlin and online.

Resources:

1. Knill, P. J., Levine, E. G., & Levine, S. K. (2005). Principles and practice of expressive arts therapy: Toward a therapeutic aesthetics. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

2. Levine, S. (2009). Philosophy of expressive arts therapy: Poiesis and the therapeutic imagination. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

3. Paolo J. Knill. (n.d.). The third in expressive arts – Paolo J. Knill’s reflections [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZZ0lFX3ZfI