Art for your Parts

Recently, I was feeling some darkness and heaviness. Negative thoughts and beliefs started to sneak in, and I decided to practice what I preach: I asked myself, “How do you want to play with this?”

I got curious. What are these thoughts? What’s being triggered in me? Which parts of me are showing up?

As the answers came, I realized the artist in me wanted to play. Three distinct parts emerged, and I began to imagine what they looked like and how they related to one another.

I saw the part of me holding and growing the light—the one that trusts, feels the beauty of what I’m building, and stays connected to intuition and the path ahead. But alongside her were two other parts clouding that experience.

The first was the Scared Child, tugging at my heels, trying to get me to shut down. She wanted me to hide, stay safe, and retreat into the small, numb world she’s found refuge in. She was exhausted and afraid.

The second was The Judge—an old acquaintance of mine. This part critiques and condemns my actions:
“You’re not doing good enough.”
“You’re going to mess it up.”
“It’s your fault.”
“You’re going to fail.”

The Judge knows how to throw daggers to get my attention. It wants to protect me too, but through perfectionism and fear—scaring me into being flawless so the outside world can’t hurt me.

When I could see each part—its interactions, motivations, and need to be witnessed and supported—I felt more peace within. I’ve been tending to them with more care ever since.

Here is the art I created if you want to check it out:)

Want to try this yourself?

1. Notice the voices.
   What are they saying? Where do they come from? What’s their motivation? Sometimes it helps to sense where in your body you feel them.

2. Give them form.
   If they could take shape, what would they look like? Get creative!

3. Observe their relationships.
   How do these parts interact with one another?

4. Make art.
   This isn’t about a polished product—it’s about the process. Let it be messy. Put it all on the page.

See what shifts when all your parts are seen and expressed.