🎨 Drawing from the Inside Out: A Creative Workshop for Healing and Self-Discovery
Today at the Capo Center, something powerful happened. A circle of young adults gathered not just to draw—but to reflect, imagine, and reclaim their stories. This wasn’t just any creative workshop. It was a trauma-informed art experience designed for formerly incarcerated youth to explore the deeper layers of identity through a self-portrait from the inside out.
Hosted by Upward Together in partnership with Project Fatherhood, this 2-hour reentry wellness session blended mindfulness, reflection, and creative expression in a safe, supportive space.
🖋️ The Day Began with One Simple Question:
“How do people see you—and how do you see yourself?”
From that question flowed a deeper conversation about perception, resilience, and the small habits that shape who we are becoming. The group talked openly about what they’ve carried, survived, and are now choosing to build.
Then came the prompt:
Draw yourself—not just your face, but your essence.
No rules. No expectations. Just honesty.
With sketchpads and pencils in hand, each participant began the process of designing a portrait rooted in truth—past, present, and future. Some sketched layered symbols: roses growing from grief, clocks ticking toward change, or affirmations wrapped around their hearts. Others went literal, drawing themselves with clarity, strength, or unfinished lines to symbolize growth still unfolding.
✏️ Why Self-Portrait Work Matters in Reentry Programs
For youth navigating reentry and healing, art provides something rare: a way to safely access emotions that are often hard to name. Drawing becomes a language for grief, hope, joy, fear, and power—all at once. These kinds of trauma-informed creative workshops offer benefits that ripple far beyond the page:
Supports emotional regulation through grounding, tactile practices
Strengthens identity and voice by naming values, dreams, and internal strengths
Fosters connection and empathy in a non-judgmental group setting
Encourages ownership of healing by placing the pen (and power) in their hands
At Upward Together, we believe that every story deserves reflection, and every person deserves a space to reimagine their future. Creative self-expression is not just art—it’s healing.
đź“© Get in touch with us here or explore our offerings for youth and family wellness.
Let’s keep drawing futures where we all belong.
