Meet Elissa Arbeitman | Art Therapist & Process Painting Facilitator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elissa Arbeitman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elissa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Art Therapy is not the most well known profession so I knew I needed to start my own business if I wanted to create and provide my own programming, get compensated well and make my own schedule to support my children.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a Process Painting Facilitator I help Women quiet their inner critic and start accepting themselves with compassion so they can feel more connected. To do this, we use a specific technique called Process Painting. Here, painters are encouraged to create from the inside out, as if their painting were a visual journal. There are no techniques or models to follow. Instead, women are encouraged to turn towards their internal sense of self and and begin to listen to what she wants, needs and desires. We respect and honor what is coming up by giving it a YES and bringing it into the painting or into conversation. We bring it to the light. Through supportive guidance we work around creative blocks to help uncover your creative muse so you can ultimately feel more free.

I have been a student of this work for over 10 years and now I facilitate my own groups. My creative process is a place of deep acceptance, exploration and a “giving over” so more unexpected, spontaneous things can come through. My paintings are REALLY BIG and filled with ALOT of emotion. This process has become a practice for me where I feel completely alive, accepting of myself and creative again.

This is my second business since 2003. Although my first business was successful, I realized 7 years in that I created a model that was not reflective of who I truly was. Instead of using my energy to create, my energy was used to mask who I truly was and as a result, I show up as the professional I thought I SHOULD be. It was exhausting and I quickly felt burnt out. I closed the doors to that business, took a short break while having children and then returned as “Wild and Free Painting” ready to honor my true self.

One of my greatest lessons along the way has been to trust my intuition. Building a business can be an incredibly spiritual and creative practice. When I am true to myself and that internal whisper that guides me I find I end up meeting people and having experiences I could never imagine. Intuition plus openness has led to a spontaneity, interest, excitement and satisfaction that keeps me coming back. This approach allows me to have more energy and keep burnout at bay.

Wild and Free painting is a safe, comfortable place for women to BE and express their full range of emotion. It is a respite where you are encouraged to leave the expectation to produce and perform behind. You are invited to take off the masks and stories that have been handed down to you and instead CREATE your own path. Our purpose is for you to feel complete acceptance for who you are. I want people to know that a place like this exists for them.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The facilitators at The Painting Experience https://www.processarts.com have been instrumental in helping me find the language and creative process to share with others so they can in turn break through their creative blocks.

Website: www.wildandfreepainting.com

Instagram: wildandfreepainting

Facebook: Wild and Free Painting