SEL in Action: How Writing Their Name With Art Built Confidence and Calm

At Upward Together, we use art as a tool for social-emotional learning (SEL)—because creativity helps students express what words sometimes can’t. This week, we worked with markers and oil pastels to explore identity and confidence through a simple but powerful prompt:

“Write your name in art.”

Students were encouraged to design their names using color, pattern, symbols, and emotion. This wasn’t just about lettering—it was about Who am I? What makes me unique? How do I want to be seen?

One student, who usually struggles to start assignments and often puts his head down, stared at his blank paper for a while. Instead of rushing him, we gently asked,
“What colors feel like you today?”

He chose blue. Then added fire-like orange. Then bold lines.
And suddenly—he was fully engaged.

He drew, blended pastels, added movement, and carefully designed every letter of his name. When he finished, he looked up with pride and said,
“This actually looks cool.”

For the first time this semester, he completed his assignment from start to finish—and even volunteered to share it with the class.

His teacher smiled and said,

“Art opened him up. This is more progress than we’ve seen in weeks.”

This is the power of SEL through art:
✅ Builds confidence
✅ Supports mental health
✅ Encourages self-expression
✅ Creates small wins that turn into big growth