The October edition of Muses – the arts blog from BJPsych International – features a short blog by Motswana visual artist, Sedireng Mothibatsela, who writes about a crucial moment in her artistic development which coincides with her parent’s separation. It is a moving piece about how visual arts intersects with trauma and healing.

I can recall the afternoon that changed how I create. I was 12 years old and in my last year of primary school and the looming high school years ahead presented many questions about how I wanted to proceed with my art. I had painted a watercolour still life and I was bored with it. Although my art received praise from my family and peers, my handling of watercolour was juvenile at best. I needed more; technically and conceptually. It was then that I began to question the art making process. Like most young artists in primary school we were simply taught that “good art is pretty art.”

I had always retreated to making art whenever I needed a safe space to process the world. My parents were splitting up and there was a great deal of instability at home. I needed to understand my place in an environment which made me feel both loved and alone, and how to channel my feelings in a constructive way.

So, I drew.

I felt most confident with graphite, as it was the first medium I learnt to control. I began to deconstruct still lifes and thought of singular objects and what they represent. I produced a drawing of a ring, a rope, and a chain, which recurred in my sketches for a few years as I engaged with the “brokenness” of our family and how to find solace within myself. As a child, I did not trust the world. I did not believe that the answers to my peace of mind could be found outside of myself. My visual vocabulary came purely as a result of my desire to understand and navigate my own survival patterns.

I was accepted into Maryland Institute, College of Art when I was 17 years old and there I further interrogated the role of Symbolism and the materiality of painting in my visual storytelling. My education unlocked my understanding of conceptualisation, and I began to explore the makings of, why I am, more acutely through examining my mother. She became the subject of my undergraduate college thesis and personal investigation.

Through this journey of discovery, I have come to acknowledge the parts of myself which have remained that slightly reclusive 12-year-old who was processing divorce, to a young adult who was traversing the turbulence of growth, and finally to the artist I am today who uses memory and repositories of sentimentality and repeated thought patterns to trace her own healing. Making Art keeps me honest, and has moved on from being a tool of survival to being one of healing and a reverence to my personal history.

Since the age of 12, I have explored Abstraction and Realism interchangeably, using Symbolism and colour theory to communicate emotional journeys in a plight to find solace. I intuitively navigate between these genres of Art to better communicate who I am and how I am constantly evolving.

Welcome to Muses – the arts blog from BJPsych International. Launched in March 2022, this new blog aims to highlight international art and artists, particularly from low-and-middle-income countries, with a focus on mental health. We welcome submissions for consideration, such as, comments on artwork, visual arts, literature, drama, films, podcasts, and videos. Do have a look at the instructions for blog authors for details on how to submit. General enquiries about the blog: BJPInternational@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Professor David Skuse, Editor-in-Chief, BJPsych International