About the Art.
First of all: I am not an artist, and the paintings in the office were all purchased from artists for this particular office.
Throughout my career as a psychotherapist, the typical therapist office has disappointed me. Offices are generally white walls with a framed poster or two of a landscape or impressionist painting. Sometimes there is a small plant as well.
I think I understand the thought behind this. These generic offices spaces are supposed to be a calm neutral place for clients to work on their issues. Perhaps by decorating with neutral colors and generally approved art, the thought is that a client will not be put off by, or be otherwise uncomfortable due to, the decor. In actuality, however, there is often little thought into how the space actually impacts the client.
When I chose to move my practice into its current space, I thought very much about the client experience. I wanted to create a space that encouraged thought and movement, while being accepting of the person as a whole. A comfortable place that does not encourage complacency, but instead encourages you to confront the internal conflicts that brought you to therapy.
Therapy focuses on helping people be themselves. I want to bring out the uniqueness of each of my clients, so a place that strived to appeal to the most common denominator would not suit. I wanted a space that celebrated individualism, not the group. In many ways the art serves to help clients remember that they are not alone in their feelings.
The only theme to the art is that they have faces. They are not happy or sad they are just faces. It is always interesting to me to learn what others see in the art. Few see the same person or story, but everyone sees something.
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