Here at Tribeca Therapy, we have thought a great deal about how our space can best reflect us and our beliefs. As our resident art therapist, I've taken on a role as the de facto minder of the chalkboard.
We hope our space makes folks feel welcome and inspired. When you first walk into our therapy office you'll notice a large chalkboard straight ahead. There's an open invitation for everyone to join us in creating something together. Regardless of talent, experience with art, and reasons for being in our therapy office, we are all equals on the chalkboard.
Monks in Tibet and other parts of Asia work painstakingly for days, months, and even years on mandalas, designs made inside of a circle with profound meanings about balance and the innermost workings of the universe. They use only colored sand and tools, such as small funnels, to create these intricate images. Once the mandala is complete, they sweep the sand up in a clockwise circular motion. And the grains of sand that have been meticulously and purposefully placed are no more. This is meant to represent acceptance over the impermanence of life and everything in it.
Every week, we take a picture to acknowledge and honor whatever image has grown that week (images can be found on twitter @tribecatherapy). We then wash the chalkboard regardless of what's on it. There are times where the chalkboard is mostly bare before the washing and the images on it feel disjointed and unrelated to each other. There are others times where the chalkboard is covered in vibrant color and it feels unbelievable to know that the image was created separately by strangers over the span of a week. Sometimes I dread the erasure and feel a little sad when I come out of my office to a blank board. But the energy and the joy that took place to create the images lives on. And with a blank board comes opportunity for the next image.
