Eggs and caves
Summary
这是一个20分钟的艺术治疗课程，利用涂鸦帮助你与自己展开对话。这为你讲述故事提供了足够安全的空间，帮助你以非对抗的方式表达不同的情感。拿起笔涂鸦吧！一切都值得被听见。
Introduction
Everyone has a story.
This story may be about a trauma, a relationship, or a memory. It may be impossible to express in words or understand by others.
Perhaps we don’t need to “tell” these stories, but rather a way to see them, understand them, and coexist with them.
Art may not be able to tell us the answers, but it can help us see our own feelings and the kind of person we are becoming.
In these 20 minutes, we will not discuss past pain, nor do we require you to recount your experiences.
We use only two simple symbols: an egg and a cave. They can represent protection, vulnerability, growth, memory, or they can represent completely different meanings.
Tools:
- Eggs
- White paper
- Markers
Unit 1: Egg Drawing (5 minutes)
1. Pick an egg you like from the carton.
2. Draw a slit on the egg.
At this moment, you hold a magical egg in your hands and anything you can think of can come out of it.
3. Draw your imagined artwork on the egg.
4. Put the eggs back in the box.
Unit 2: Cave Drawing (6 minutes)
1. Draw a large oval on a blank sheet of paper (as large as possible).
This is the entrance to the cave.
2. Imagine you lived here. What would you see outside? Draw your imagined scene within the ellipse.
(It could be a jungle, a river, some scenery; it could be a surreal scene you imagine; or even some abstract lines.)
3. Leave a message on this cave painting: What were you thinking about while painting this? What would you like to say to your past self at that time? Please leave this message on the cave painting.
Unit 3: Sharing (5 minutes)
1. Take a photo holding an egg against a cave painting backdrop (the frame should only include your hand, the egg, and the cave painting).
If you would like to share this work, you can send the photos to this email address: eggsandcaves@163.com.
2. You can see other participants’ works at eggs.andcaves Instagram, and you can leave a comment on your favorite works if you wish.
homepage
3. Choose an egg you like (other than your own) from the box (if you are participating in this activity with a group) or the website (if you are participating alone).
4. You will receive a cave painting corresponding to this egg, and the sentence on the painting is yours.This means your inner world has been seen, and you have received a response.
5.You can take your finished egg creation home!
Unit 4:Reflection (3 minutes)
Write down the answers to the following two questions:
1.Did any unexpected symbols appear in the eggs you drew? What do these symbols represent?
2.What emotion stood out most during the entire learning process? Was it calmness, joy, sadness, or anger?
Congratulations on completing two art pieces!
Eggs and Caves originates from the Egg Drawing and Cave Drawing Technique by Japanese scholar Masahiro Tanaka.
I have made some modifications to it.
Let’s review this art experience together!
1. Look back at the egg you created. The graffiti on the egg represents your inner world, which may resonate with your current emotions or past experiences.
2. Cave art metaphorically represents a safe place.
3. Finally, you received a message by selecting the egg. This means that the hidden space you created was safely seen and responded to.
Tip：This isn’t a one-time experience; I encourage you to repeat this activity at different times and in different moods.Each doodle will help you interpret something different, which can help you see yourself and have a dialogue with yourself.
More resources：
If you would like to learn more about art therapy and Masahiro Tanaka’s research on eggs and caves, you can read the following materials.
The Squiggle-Drawing Game in Child Psychotherapy | American Journal of Psychotherapy
Graffiti: a creative means of youth coping with collective trauma – ScienceDirect
( Herbert E. Crowley (British, Eltham, Kent 1873–1937 Ascona, Switzerland))
( Herbert E. Crowley (British, Eltham, Kent 1873–1937 Ascona, Switzerland))
(Anqi Li)
