Hello —
Julia here, the art therapist and person behind Art Therapy Lab.
Trying something new can be a big deal, especially if it involves your health and wellness. I find when deciding on a service, experience, or person to work with it is important to know about who you are meeting, why we are here, and how we do things.
My life as an art therapist started in 2015 when I attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City to pursue graduate studies in Art Therapy. Prior to that I was working jobs in film and advertising while making art on the side.
Did I always know I wanted to be an art therapist? No.
Has becoming an art therapist changed my life? Yes.
As an art therapist, I get be an artist on my own terms, practice compassion and empathy everyday, constantly learn new things about myself in order to grow as a human being, then most importantly, help others through creativity.
I currently live between New York City and Europe. My location is flexible because I work completely virtual, which means I spend a lot of time talking to people through a screen. While there are pros and cons to virtual art therapy, overall it has provided the opportunity to meet and make art with people from all over the world.
This is what inspired me to create Art Therapy Lab.
I started working virtually in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. During this time, I found many of my clients were experiencing the same thing — anxiety, isolation, uncertainty… the list goes on. This is when I launched my first healing arts collaboration with Paris Collage Collective titled THE ART OF BEING ALONE. Participants from all over the world created art in response to what being alone means to them during the pandemic.
After this I started to facilitate virtual art therapy projects with collaborators from School of Visual Arts NYC, Kyiv Collage Collective, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, European Federation of Art Therapy, amongst others. In addition, I started my own art therapy services to include individual sessions, groups, and workshops.
Art Therapy Lab is the integration of this independent and collaborative work. I created it as a way to make therapeutic arts more accessible worldwide, inspire cross-cultural connection, and continue momentum of existing collaborations. My vision is to connect people around the world that are curious about the same thing — how art heals, then provide opportunities for them to experience the therapeutic aspects of art-making, wherever they are on this planet.
My thought is “The world needs a space to heal, why not do it together and do it with art.” Now, let’s get creative with our emotions.
Best,
Julia Volonts, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC
Art Therapist and Founder of Art Therapy Lab
