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The Identity Box: A Transformative Justice Informed Art Therapy Technique
The Identity Box: A Transformative Justice Informed Art Therapy Technique
In the Barnard Center for Research on Women’s video “What Is Transformative Justice?” Martina Kartman defines transformative justice as “The things we do to support each other to survive in this world. From the small things to the big things… Both about how we prevent violence, how we intervene in violence, and then how we support each other in the aftermath of violence, through healing or accountability or both” (Barnard Center for Research on Women, 2020). These ideas exist in opposition to the punitive, “eye-for-an-eye,” “hard on crime,” systems our legal system is built upon. Our legal system is reactive; it comes into play only after something terrible has happened. While transformative justice is proactive. In the same video, Stas Schmiedt added that transformative justice is: “Addressing harm but also understanding why that harm happened and addressing the underlying dynamics that created the conditions for this harm to happen in the first place… addressing the conditions of the community that allowed for that to be normal”
Mental health care is essential in both responding to harm and preventing it. While the benefit of learning healthy coping skills may be fairly obvious on a personal level, they can benefit the broader world far more than you may expect. In her book, “How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community,” Mia Birdsong emphasized the importance of “showing up for ourselves” as an act of resilience and resistance. Finding what truly recharges you can help you “build a stronger shield” against the systems made to push you out. This is resistance, this is abolition, this is transformative justice, because it allows you to keep going and keep telling your story and keep fighting (Birdsong, 2020). Many principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focus around dismantling existing structures of thought (automatic thoughts, catastrophizing thoughts, fatalistic thoughts, etc.) and replacing them with new, more adaptive and useful structures that can be used to challenge depressing or anxious thoughts. Abolition, a core principle in transformative justice, asks us to do the same thing but in our outer world. It asks us to challenge maladaptive structures and replace them with something better: “Abolition has always been as much about the work that focuses on building and experimenting as it has on what must be dismantled. As Ruth Wilson Gilmore has pointed out, ‘Abolition is about presence, not absence. It is about building life-affirming institutions’” (Birdsong, 2020).
The part of abolition that many people forget, or at least have a harder time practicing, is the creation aspect. Creative Art Therapy (CAT) may be a great outlet to practice abolition-creation. Artistry is a powerful tool of transformative justice because art of any kind requires you to create what you want to see in the world: “Artists have always been key agents seeding resistance and providing tools for us to imagine otherwise” (Davis et al. 2022). Verbalizing something that doesn’t exist (Or is at least believed by the dominant society not to exist) can be extremely difficult, but visualization and creative expression can convey what words cannot. It can bring complicated ideas like change (whether that be on a personal or societal level) into a more understandable and accessible medium. Learning to do this on a personal level through art therapy can provide these extremely useful skills to an abolitionist.
Thus, the idea of the "Identity Box" was born. This project was designed to be a multi-stage art therapy technique that a transformative justice informed therapist could throughout their time working with a client or community. The box uses CAT techniques inspired by Indigenous worldviews and Black Feminist practices of mental health. It's main goal is to serve as a sort of "vault" for a person. It is a physical manifestation of who they are and what makes them "them." Adding a physical aspect to these typically intangible and complicated aspects of a person can create a sense of safety because manifesting them in a "vault" such as this means they cannot be fully destroyed or denied. They are now cemented in reality forevermore. The Identity Box is designed to help a person connect with themselves on a deeper level by visualizing and creating physical representations of various aspects of themselves including their culture, their personality, their trauma and triumphs, their emotions, their somatic selves, their core relationships, and much more.
The following portions of this site will guide you through the general process of creating an Identity Box through a showcase of my experience creating my own. I will also include reflections on my own box and what each part of it means to me.
Supplies & Process
Supplies & Process
The Identity Box is an extremely fluid project that can be adapted, expanded on, and otherwise changed as necessary. It is meant to be extremely personal, and thus will look different for every individual. It is also meant to be accessible, meaning there are no "required" components. For example, if a wooden box is not ideal, the project can be completed on another vessel capable of holding things like a tote bag, cardboard box, a bowl, or even something digital like a Google Drive. Practitioners should supply the part supplies for their participants whenever possible in order to make sure everyone can participate without worrying about financial burden. They can be communal and/or sourced through donations.
To create my Identity Box I used:
One small unfinished wooden box
Acrylic paint & related supplies (paint brushes, paper towels, paint pallet, water cup)
Colored pencils
Stickers
Pipe cleaner
Sharpies (various colors)
A printer with color ink (and a laptop to print from)
Cardboard
Scissors
The only item I paid for was the wooden box. All other supplies used were gathered from communal resources I had access to such as stickers I had gotten from free events and art supplies available through my job.
The creation of the box was conceptualized with the idea of it being completed over several art therapy sessions. These sessions can be 1-on-1 or communal (Group/community therapy setting are recommended for this project whenever possible).
Again, there is no right or wrong way to complete this project. The only "wrong way" would be a way that was harmful for the person or a way that didn't serve them positively.
Box Prompts:
Box Prompts:
The outside of the identity box represents an individual's "worldview." Indigenous scholars define worldview as something that "constitutes our psychological orientation in life and can determine how we think, behave, make decisions, and define events." Using this medicine wheel model of an Indigenous worldview as a guide, each directional face of the box calls upon an portion of the wheel and attempts to capture what that section may mean to a person. The top of the box should be done first. From there, you can determine the directions and the order they are done as you please.
Top Of Box: Body Mapping (Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, & Mental)
Where do you feel (insert emotions here) on your body?
Examples: Joy, pride, fear, love, sadness, anger
What part of your body feels heavier or lighter when you feel (Insert emotions here)? Do you want to move a certain part of your body more or less when you feel (insert emotions here)? What color is (Insert emotions here)? Does (insert emotion here) look just like a blob of color or does it have a pattern or shape?
How do you feel (insert emotions here) on your body?
Does happiness feel like little polka dots? Does anger move through you like a pulse? Does sadness feel wet and/or cold?
North Side Of The Box: Physical & Spiritual
Create a representation of your "identity."
Parts of yourself to consider representing: culture, heritage, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, family dynamic, past triumphs, past traumas.
East Side Of The Box: Spiritual & Mental
Create a representation of your interests
Consider: hobbies, interests, personality traits, passions, likes/dislikes.
What makes you "You"?
South Side Of The Box: Emotional & Mental
Create a representation of your mind
Think about: Do you have an inner world? What does it look like? What does your mind look like? What does it look or feel like when you think?
West Side Of The Box: Physical & Emotional
Create a way to connect with your body on a sensory level. Include ways that channel your body/senses through the creation
Think about: If you used paint for the other sections, consider finger painting this section. Consider using puffy paint, sensory stickers, scented markers, scratch & sniff paper, etc.
Body Mapping
Body Mapping
Sadness: Sadness manifests as a dark blue color that weighs heavy on my eyelids and drags them shut (I get extremely sleepy when I am sad). I also feel it in the soles of my feet, like it is dragging me down or causing me to shut down in place.
Hope: I feel hope in my hands, feet, and legs. Its a soft peach kind of feeling that propels me forward. When I feel hope in those parts of me, it makes me feel like I suddenly have the energy to run and jump or pump my fist up high. It also typically prompts me to have better posture. It's a propelling, energetic feeling.
Fear: Fear is a bright, almost sickening neon-green. I mostly feel it on my neck and my shoulders. It feels like looming presence just behind me or like hands around my neck.
Anger: Anger is a dark, blood-like red. Darker the red the deeper the anger. I feel it in my joints. Anger makes me fidgety and for some reason I become hyper aware of my joints and want to flex/move them as much as possible.
Proud: I feel pride at the crown of my head and in my shoulders. It feels purple because purple as a color represents royalty. When I feel pride in myself or others, it compels me to hold my head high and straight my shoulders. Feeling pride makes me instantly fix my posture.
Love: Love is dark/light pink and orange in a sort of ombre. I feel it a little bit below the stomach. It feels warm and like it is slowly moving around the area. I also feel it near the corners of my eyes, sort of like the feeling you get when you smile with your eyes. Romantic love, familial love, and platonic love are not different colors to me or felt in different places.
Joy: Joy is both bright yellow and deep purple-red to me. I feel it from my shoulders to my chest. It basically feels like someone wrapped their arms around me and holding me tight.
I also added my hair to the representation of myself as my hair has always been one of my favorite features so I thought it was perfect yet simple addition to make this little gingerbread cookie cutter shaped person seem a bit more like me.
North: Physical & Spiritual (Identity)
North: Physical & Spiritual (Identity)
Throughout my life, the 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday. I come from a family of veterans and American history lovers, so the 4th of July was always a family celebration to remember. Fireworks, watermelon lemonade, parades, BBQ, patriotic music, and being outside while fighting off mosquitos are hallmarks of American culture to me. I also chose to depict the fireworks I painted here as a rainbow color to represent the LGBTQIA+ community. I identify as queer and have found acceptance and pride in queer culture. It has a rich history full of inspiring and spirited leaders that I see as my spiritual ancestors. I hope to make them proud and lead like they did.
East: Physical & Mental (Interests/Personality)
East: Physical & Mental (Interests/Personality)
Each column represents what I believe to be one of my core characteristics. In the first column I represent my love of writing. Even back when I hated school, I wrote elaborate short stories as a hobby. I have found a deep passion in writing poetry (especially spoken word or acrostic poetry) and I still write short stories and fan fiction today. The second column showcases just a few of my nerdy-interests. Video games, TV shows, Dungeons & Dragons... these mediums have helped me either shape a new part of myself or proudly define myself. I see my nerdy interests as a true act of joy and self-care, as they ask nothing of me except to enjoy. The third column represents my extroversion. I love nothing more than being around friends or meeting new people. It is a part of me I've watched grow, as I used to be deeply introverted, and that makes it mean even more to me. Finally, the fourth column is my interest in Psychology. Finding the connection between the mind, heart, and the soul has always been my passion. I know it impacts every aspect of our lives and I've never grown bored in my pursuit of learning more.
South: Emotional & Mental (The Mind)
South: Emotional & Mental (The Mind)
This is how I picture my mind. It is typically a pitch black void-like room that I see in a first person perspective. When I am just thinking, I see flashes of muted color (The colors are more water color-like in my mind but I only had bright acrylic paint). When I am thinking of something specific, creating something, or recalling a memory I can see and hear in vivid sound/color. Sometimes it feels like a screen. My daily maintenance thoughts are like a screensaver but when I channel my mind it becomes like a bright tv screen flipping through the channels.
West: Physical & Emotional (Sensory/Body)
West: Physical & Emotional (Sensory/Body)
I am a very sensory seeking person. I am always fiddling with or touching something. Despite this being such a big part of my constant daily life, I feel like I never think of it as a "core" aspect of myself-- at least not one as important as the other aspects of myself that I depict on the other sides of this box. So, I made sure to give it the spotlight it deserves here. While I used markers and paint brushes for the other sections, I finger painted this one. I also applied several layers of paint in some sections to create a bumpy, raised effect & overall uneven terrain. I also used some sensory stickers (they have a bumpy surface)-- partly because I love stickers, and partly because of their positive messages.
Inside The Box Prompts
Inside The Box Prompts
In the center of the medicine wheel model is "healing." While the outside of the box represents our worldview, the inside of the box represents the healing and self connection that must happen inside ourselves. There is healing that must be done within all of us. Whether that be healing from trauma (personal, generational, historical, and/or second-hand) or healing in the form of connection (better connection with one's self, with one's culture/heritage, connection with others, and/or connection with your body and senses). With this in mind, the prompts for the items on the inside of the box draw from Black Feminist views/practices of mental health care; specifically calling upon central ideas such as community, poetry, and affirmations. Truly, the inside of the box can hold anything and the prompts should be tailored to the individual or the community they are meant to serve. These are just some sample prompts & their meanings.
Family/Friend Photo Annotation
Take a photo or drawing of your family or friends and annotate it in ways that reflect your relationship with the person(s) shown. On the back of the photo, write a reflection on those relationships.
This can be used to further honor and connect yourself to a beloved community and/or used to visualize and reflect on lost or complicated relationships.
Triumph/Trauma Coin
Take a small disc (wood, cardboard, paper, etc) and decorate one side to represent a trauma/harm you've experienced and the other side to represent a triumph/healing you've experienced.
This exercise is meant to demonstrate that your identity is not a one sided thing. You cannot be defined by one thing that you've done or has happened to you. A trauma does not erase a triumph while a triumph does not mean you cannot still be recovering from trauma. Just like a coin, just because one side of it may land on top sometimes, it doesn't mean the other side suddenly ceases to exist or is less valuable.
Black-Out Poetry Affirmations
Write/type some insecurities, hurtful phrases/words, or major anxieties. Once you have the list written out, use black-out poetry to carefully select certain words/phrases to turn these harmful things into positive affirmations
This represents the control you can still have in your own narrative, even when the world is doing everything it can to take power away from you. It is an exercise in re-framing; abolishing the harmful and creating helpful things to take its place.
Family Photo Annotation
Family Photo Annotation
I adore my family. However, like every family, there are complicated dynamics and relationships. These dynamics have changed repeated throughout my life and have, at times, been incredibly hard to work through. I enjoyed annotating this picture because it allowed me to think deeper about how I see each member of my family and what role they play beyond just their traditional familial ones (father, brother, sister, etc.). I did not have enough room to describe myself on the back of the photo so I will do it briefly here: I drew myself as half obscured because there are parts of myself that I don't share with my family. That has two meanings: aspects of myself or my personality or my experiences that I choose not to tell my family about for various reasons and also aspects of myself that are just very different than traits/beliefs/practices that the rest of my family holds. I don't see this as a bad thing, necessarily, but it is a large defining part of the relationships I hold with each of them. It is hard to see in the photo, but I also drew the red dye in my hair. I did this to represent that even with our differences, my family is still my safe launching point to try new things and explore the beauty of difference even in such a close community dynamic.
Trauma/Triumph Coin
Trauma/Triumph Coin
The first side of the coin represents the time where my mental health was at its lowest. I was in a deeply traumatic toxic relationship and several fake friendships all while dealing with the imposter syndrome, loss of privacy, and dramatic life changes that come with adjusting to college life for the first time. During this time, my toxic relationship and fake friendships caused me to give and give and give until I physically couldn't anymore, only to have my givings be rejected or told that they weren't enough. This is represented by the water level required for the heart to grow to being depleted past minimum safe levels. The scissors cutting the already dying stems trying to reach the water represent how I felt so poorly about myself that I felt I had to cut myself off and punish myself due to the gaslighting and feelings of inadequacy. The overall decayed state of the heart represents my compassion fatigue at the time and how I felt my mental health and identity decaying. The second side of the coin represents the long journey I took back to self-love and acceptance. After going back to therapy and escaping the toxic relationship, invalidating environment, and fake friendships I was able to see my true value and learn to love parts of myself I had never loved before, this is represented by the lush and bright state of the heart. I also learned to take time for myself and how to balance life and relationships, represented by the now overabundance of water. Both sides are connected by a silver lining. This is because I learned important things from both of these times in my life. They are with me always, teaching me-- and neither are permanent. Sometimes I live on the good side of the coin, other times I slip back into the bad. But, no matter which one is currently on top, the other side is still around to teach me its lessons and help me grow in its own way.
Black-Out Poetry Affirmations
Black-Out Poetry Affirmations
Black Feminist mental health care emphasizes the power of poetry. Feminist abolition emphasizes abolishing what is harmful and creating a new, helpful system in its place. I believe black-out poetry encompasses both of these ideas.
I have always been an insecure person. The unfortunate side effect of being a vivid audio/visual thinker is that even when someone isn't saying these things to me directly, my insecurities often play like a 3D movie with surround sound in my head. I've been in therapy for years, so I am very familiar with the process of breaking down maladaptive thought processes and turning them into something more affirming. However, I had never done it "physically" like this before. It felt extremely empowering to work to see past the terrible words in front of me, and find something new, truthful, and inspiring just beyond them.
I also rolled up this poem and tied it with a pipe cleaner, almost like a scroll. I did this mainly because I thought it looked neat, but also because I felt like it made it seem more powerful-- like a powerful ancient spell or a royal decree to be read to all the people of the land.
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