A Place to Land: Processing Through Art
As the current of life keeps pulling— asking us to hold it all together, to keep moving no matter what—finding a place to land is an act of quiet rebellion.
Landing is the opposite of urgency. It is the quiet pause where your body exhales, your mind can soften, and your spirit remembers: you do not have to hold everything alone. For many of us, finding this sense of groundedness is not automatic—it is something we learn to practice, piece by piece.
Art-making can be one of those pieces. It can give form to the things we cannot yet say. It can hold what feels too heavy for words. Most importantly, it can offer us a place to land when the world feels unrelenting.
Why We Need Spaces to Land
When we experience stress or trauma, our nervous system can get stuck in cycles of activation—constantly bracing for the next thing. Without intentional ways of processing, we may end up holding that tension in our bodies and minds.
Having a place to land—whether through therapy, community, or creative ritual—interrupts that cycle. It gives us room to metabolize our experience, to notice what we’re carrying, and to set it down, even if only for a moment.
This is where art comes in. Contrary to popular believe, with art-making, there are no right answers. There is no pressure to make it perfect. There is only you, your materials, and an invitation to slow down and meet yourself exactly as you are.
Art Therapy Prompt: "Mapping a Landing Place"
This prompt is designed to help you explore what it might feel like to create a space of rest and grounding for yourself—whether literal or imagined.
Materials:
Use whatever you have on hand—there’s no “right” supply list.
Some Ideas:
Paper or a sketchbook
Pens, pencils, or markers
Optional: collage materials (magazines, glue, scissors), paint, or any other medium that feels good to you
(Your landing place can be made with the simplest tools—what matters most is the act of creating.)
Steps:
Settle In: Take a few deep breaths. Notice where your body meets the chair or floor. Imagine letting yourself "land" here, right now.
Imagine Your Landing Place: Close your eyes and picture a space—real or imagined—where you could fully rest. It might be a cozy room, a spot in nature, or an entirely dreamlike landscape.
Map It Out: Using your materials, begin to draw, paint, or collage this space. Don't worry about making it realistic—focus on how it feels.
Add What You Need: What belongs in this place to make it feel truly safe and supportive? Add colors, symbols, or objects that bring comfort.
Reflect: When you’re done, take a few moments to write or think about what you notice. What surprised you? How does it feel to see this space on paper? Is there one small thing from this image you could bring into your real life?
Holding Space for What We Carry
Processing doesn't always mean finding closure or resolution. Sometimes it simply means giving your feelings a soft place to land—acknowledging what is, and letting it breathe.
When you create your "landing place," you’re not just making art. You’re practicing self-compassion. You’re reminding your nervous system that you can return to safety, even if only for a moment.
And sometimes, one moment is all it takes to begin again.
Written by Corbly Brockman. Brockman is a queer artist, therapist, and co-founder of Roots & Rays Center for Creative Medicine. Corbly writes from the fire—where protest meets healing, and memory becomes medicine.
