Dreams and Cloudscapes

Elana Shorey Art • Portland, Maine

Inner Child Self Portraits: Bridging the Gap Between Art and Therapy, 2024

After creating a series of self portraits that allowed me to capture my essence and connect with my sense of self, I took the next step forward in merging my therapy work with my artwork, and opened the floor for the inner child. Throughout my life, I’ve had many different chapters of therapy, with varying topics and levels of effort put in by me. By far, the most significant therapy modality for me has been “parts work” or “internal family systems”. This method of treatment allows me to directly connect with and confront parts of myself that were causing me pain, or hiding from my pain.

I found that although I was able to openly discuss my childhood struggles and trauma, I was very disconnected from my childhood self, and thus could not fully support my inner child and her needs. I started drawing old photos of myself, studying these nostalgic images that were hung around my house or kept in photo albums. Feelings of nostalgia were now replaced by heightened emotions when looking into my childhood eyes. Merging these two life paths, art and therapy, has given me a greater sense of purpose and connection to my inner child that I’ve never found before through talk therapy. As I continue with this series, I expect to have even more revelations and thoughtful explorations that bring on more self love and eventually more inner peace.

Each portrait is done with simple pen on sketching paper, in an unfinished, somewhat messy style. The style evokes the fleeting experience of memories, especially those with a history of trauma and dissociation.

Exploratory Narrative Self Portraits, 2024

This year, I began using self portraits to explore my self image and sense of self. With each piece, I used simple materials, just a pen on sketching paper, and established a basic understanding of the structure of my face. I then went back into each piece and added imagery to represent passing thoughts, tell a story, or discover deeper emotions. Utilizing the self portrait feels like a “full circle” moment for me as an artist, as it is what I started with as a child, adding another layer of the self exploration not only in current times, but throughout my lifetime.

Planetary Alignment, 2024

This body of work reflects on my fascination with space, the bigger picture of the universe, and the ever-changing placements of planets in our Solar System. Concurrently, this series acts as an introduction into merging my own personal development with my art. Although mental health practices like therapy, medication management, trauma work, and mindfulness shouldn’t be challenged as the standard for treatment when someone is struggling, alternative methods used in conjunction with established practices can lead to more informed understanding of one’s sense of self and the world around us. Alternative tools I utilize regularly include yoga, somatic body work, chakra balancing, connecting with nature, celebrating solstices, and following astrological transits. This series includes all of the planets in our Solar System - Painted with acrylic paint and paint markers, and encapsulated in acrylic pouring medium to create texture and dimension, with a thick and shiny, glass like surface.