I’m Danielle Rhome, ATR-P, RMHCI. Welcome to Art Changes.
I want to invite you to see firsthand how art changes our hearts, minds, bodies, and communities, all for the better, and without need for skill. We are all created to create, and you are no exception.
Nearly all of us made art as children. The difference between people we consider “artists” and “non-artists” is whether or not they stopped.
People stop for many reasons. Maybe you realized you were skilled in something else and slowly stopped on your own. Maybe you got a bad grade in an elementary art class and decided you would never make art again. Maybe you like to make art, but have shame about how it might look or if it is good enough.
Whether you have been making art for 30 years, or haven’t made art in 60, I believe there is space for art in your life.
My personal mission is to see as much healing and restoration in the world as I can in my lifetime. Using art-making and art therapy processes, I have witnessed many individuals experience breakthrough. Whether it is a colleague’s client for an art therapy consultation, a group of Swiss mental health professionals for a self-care workshop, or a group of life-purpose-seeking church members, I have seen firsthand how art changes and heals.
About the Logo
Art Changes uses the logo of two butterflies mirroring with one another. The top butterfly is upside down, a position a butterfly freshly emerged from a chrysalis takes to dry its wings. While the butterfly is now in its final form, it must take another step before it is able to dance through the air. This reflects an essential part of the healing process, patience. Something that empowers us to be patient and to persevere through the process of healing and transformation is the hope in what we believe we can become. A butterfly emerging from the chrysalis has only ever experienced what it is like to be a caterpillar, yet it does not doubt or question how it will transform, or seek to rush the process. Often, we struggle to have hope in our ability to heal or become who we were designed to be, because we have not experienced it for ourselves.
Reflected below the butterfly with drying wings, is the image of a vertical butterfly in flight. The butterfly below shows the first what it is having patience for. In many cultures, dual butterflies symbolize mutual transformation, soul connection, and coordination. When butterflies fly together, their dance is a different pattern than when they fly alone.
Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) reveals the importance of healing in the presence of others. We are designed to experience freedom and healing when we are seen, soothed, safe and secure. We must experience vulnerability for this to occur, and creating art reveals the internal without defenses, an inherently vulnerable process. Most of my services integrate a community and group component for this reason.
