Doing Well: The Wellbeing Science Insights Podcast · Life Management Science Labs

Svetlana Bykovec, AThR: Unlocking Inner Artist in You for Better Well-being | Doing Well #74

·1 hr 2 min·3 clips

Svetlana says the universe can 'conspire' when someone keeps showing up for a dream for years.

Joanna opens the episode by framing creativity as a pathway into wellbeing. She welcomes Svetlana, a senior creative arts therapist, and keeps the tone open and grounded. The conversation gives the act of making art room to breathe. Svetlana describes creative arts therapy as a way to help people express what they may not be able to say directly. That matters when feelings are stuck inside the mind or body and need a safer place to land. For children, the work often connects to self-esteem. It also reaches school engagement, because confidence can shape how a child shows up in class. The teen work shifts toward identity. Self-portraits and masks become tools for exploring who someone is and what they show the world. Adults bring their own resistance. Many have already decided they cannot draw or paint. Svetlana gently works past that block. Expression matters more than polish. The episode also moves through different modalities, including visual arts, narrative, sand play, and clay. That flexibility matters when one form feels blocked and another opens something new. The work stays person-centered throughout. Svetlana keeps returning to the client’s needs rather than forcing a fixed method. A useful thread runs through the whole conversation: difficult feelings can be projected onto the page and then looked at from a safer distance. The result is a calm, practical invitation to treat creativity as part of taking care of yourself.

As heard by us

Creativity is presented as a practical, person-centered route to expression, confidence, and safer self-reflection.

Joanna frames the episode around creativity as a wellbeing practice, then turns to Svetlana Baikovic for a clear explanation of how creative arts therapy can support children, teens, and adults.

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Why you'd press play

You want creativity to feel useful, not like a performance.

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