Final Blog: Couple's Activity

The art exercise/activity I chose was the couples one done during our Creative Arts Therapy course, which I found very interesting and useful in practice with relationships of different dynamics. The materials consisted of 6 large pieces of paper and 2 different color markers. My partner and I took turns being the leader or follower during each set, and I replicated the same order in which we did this activity in class. First, we started with the leader ensuring that the follower was creating the same image. Second, the leader was to be partially involved in whether or not the follower was keeping up with the image. And third, the leader was to not check or pay attention to whether the follower was recreating the image.

The process was interesting and fun with my partner. The first set was easy and both of us drew our figures slowly to ensure that we were on the same track. Additionally, they were much simpler shapes created in the first set. The images became more complex and the process became quicker as the activity moved on. There were only few mistakes made by each of us during the first two sets. We did not find it challenging to keep up with one another. The third and final set, however, proved to be a little more challenging. Several mistakes were made and things became a little more confusing. When my partner was the follower, he stated that he found the image I created to be difficult for him to reproduce because he feels he does not draw well and because of how quickly I was drawing it.

Overall, neither he nor I exhibited any communication issues or other difficulties. This is not surprising because we have a relatively great and healthy relationship in which be both work together and help each other with different aspects of our lives. I did explain to him that this exercise would have perhaps gone differently if we were having issues, or that there are other relationship dynamics for which this activity could be used, i.e., father and son.