Phenomenological approach in Expressive Arts: uncovering the (in)visible
- Mar 1, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 1
"An artist is not the image, nor is the image a part of the artists." — Paolo Knill ¹
In the Expressive Arts session, no one will interpret your art
Many people worry their art will be interpreted, that a facilitator will look at their work and tell them what it "really means." But Expressive Arts doesn't work this way. Not only does the facilitator stay away from interpretation, but you are also guided to move away from assumptions.
Instead, the creative process is approached as a rich field of choices, qualities, and unfolding moments that cannot — and should not — be reduced to fixed meanings.
It is grounded in a phenomenological attitude: one of curiosity, careful noticing, and staying close to what is actually experienced — allowing meaning to emerge rather than be imposed.
The phenomenological lens: going back to the things themselves
What is my lived experience like?
The phrase "back to the things themselves" (Zu den Sachen selbst) comes from Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology.
He proposed that philosophy — and any serious inquiry — should resist the urge to quickly apply categories and theories to lived experiences. Instead, we should set aside our assumptions and focus on simply describing what is actually present.
What is a phenomenological approach in Expressive Arts?
In Expressive Arts Therapy, this is exactly what we practise.
We stay close to the lived experience — both during the creative process and in the reflection that follows.
After creative activities — drawing, movement, sound, or writing — there is often an urge to jump immediately into meaning-making: "This dark colour means I'm anxious." These interpretations may feel familiar and even meaningful, but they often reflect habitual stories we keep telling ourselves — and those stories can reinforce the very patterns that keep us stuck.
"When we focus exclusively on a particular theory of interpretation, we hamper the true power of actualization in the work of art — a power that needs care in order to open to the fullness of the emerging work." — Paolo Knill ¹
A phenomenological approach invites us to notice before interpreting, and to encounter our creative work with attention to detail.
How selective attention shapes what we see
Here is a small experiment: look around the room and notice every red object. Take ten seconds.
Now, without looking again, how many green objects did you see? Almost certainly, very few.
Your attention was anchored to red, and green disappeared from your perceptual field. This is selective attention at work. This is selective attention at work. It is not a flaw; it is how the human brain efficiently navigates a world overloaded with stimuli.
In the context of therapy and personal growth, it reveals something important: we notice what we are primed to notice — and miss what falls outside our focus.
We all carry mental “filters” shaped by beliefs, past experiences, cultural context, and emotional habits. These filters are useful, but they also create blind spots.
We encounter our artwork through these filters, too.
The phenomenological approach is, at its core, an art of noticing more: a way to meet experience in its richness, without reducing or generalising it prematurely.
Staying on the surface of experience
What does it mean to "stay on the surface"?
In phenomenological terms, it means attending to what is actually present — the concrete, observable details — rather than immediately asking what they symbolise. It is a discipline of description over interpretation.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, whose work on embodied perception is central to phenomenological thought, argued that meaning is not hidden behind experience — it is in the experience: in the body, the gesture, the texture and weight of things.
In an Expressive Arts session, this shift becomes concrete. Instead of asking "What does this art mean?", we ask:
Artwork: What do you see in the final piece?
Process: What was your process like?
Experience: What decisions were made? What worked? What didn't?
We attend to the what, how, when, and where of the creative act. We describe before we make sense.
As Paolo Knill puts it, this is a form of attention that honours "the work and the process that offered so much play." ¹
This type of focus truly matters. It helps us notice surprises, recognise obstacles, and discover the strategies to address them. These insights connect back to life, impacting relationships, situations, and challenges outside the play area.
As a little fun activity
Reflect on your day and recall what surprised you today. Examine the surprise: What exactly is surprising? Why is it surprising? What led to this moment? Is there anything to learn from the surprise? Have fun 🎉
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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:
Knill, P. J., Levine, E. G., & Levine, S. K. (2005). Principles and practice of expressive arts therapy: Toward a therapeutic aesthetics. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
