Typically, the affective component of the ETC is my absolute favorite. It is where the emphasis of expression of feelings and emotions are amplified, unconcerned about the way things look. It is where I initially found myself while doing the El Duende process painting. The El Duende also allows for the perceptual component. One can look within the image and begin to pick out form and create structure. I was back and forth between these two components depending on the day. I began working on the El Duende during election week. My emotions were high! As I pushed the thick paint around the canvas I felt an instant release of pressure and felt relaxed. There is something pleasurable about thick paint getting caught onto the other piles of paint, forming new paths. Thick paint also takes hours to dry and for this reason, I couldn’t keep working on it and had to put it down to dry. On Wednesday, after an entire day of watching the election results, I found myself weaving towards the perceptual component, perhaps looking for some emotional containment and I began looking for images and symbols, moving towards the symbolic component. The symbolic component “refers to thought that is condensed, displaced or not wholly known” (Hinz, 2016). This pretty much sums up my thoughts on Wednesday. Further, Hinz states “symbols are used as defense mechanisms when specific objects and thoughts are represented by subjective graphic representations” (2016). I found a black heart and emphasized that with white paint. It felt like this dark heart was symbolic for a hurting nation, that was radiating away from its core. I had another day of the affective component but then moved into the cognitive, creating a self-portrait.
“El duende exists in moments of discovery, reflection, and soul-searching and is thus thought to be helpful for learning and growth.” For this reason, I have chosen older adults with substance use disorders (SUD’s) for various reasons. The first reason is due to the fact that those with SUD’s go through many transformational stages, similarly to the El Duende, particularly if they begin working the steps (if that is something they choose to do). Older adults are also patient, something I think is important when working on the El Duende. You have to wait for the paint to dry, and need to be ok with the time in between sessions to reflect. Further, those with SUD’s are constantly reflecting back on their past behavior and actions and how to reconcile this. I imagine an El Duende being created and recreated at every step in the 12-step process. “Estes (1992) wrote, “whether you are the artist or whether you are the watcher, listener, or reader, when el duende is present you see it, hear it, read it, feel it underneath the dance, the music, the words, the art; you know it is there.” I did not feel this way about my El Duende but can see how this ca be an effective response. I think some limitations might be the size of the canvas and the materials used. Those with SUD’s tend to have trauma history’s as well and I have considered how using the affective component might result in an over abundance of emotion. How might that pose a challenge? Using more controlled materials like collage might be a good start or restricting the area as in the space to work in might allow for some containment.
Chilton, G., Lynskey, K., Ohnstad, E., & Manders, E. (2020). A case of El Duende: art-based supervision in addiction treatment. Art Therapy: Journal of American Art Therapy Association,0(0), DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2020.1771138
