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Finding Your Flow: The Psychology Behind Creative Immersion
- Shiza Saqib
- Jul 25
- 4 min read
Flow State
Envision the artist. She lifts her arm, fingers curling around the cool, familiar shaft of her brush. With a deep inhale, she savours the earthy scent of oil paint; the exhale carries her hand forward until bristles meet the textured canvas. The stroke rises, dips toward her toes, then sweeps back up in a rhythmic loop. As the paint glides in this fluid motion, the artist remains fully engrossed. Interconnected, her mind and body welcome the opportunity to facilitate her motion through space. Dissolving into the movement and fully attuned to the space, she allows creation to unfold.
According to Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi (2004), the artist is immersed in a “flow state”, a phenomenon he describes as an “ecstatic experience” imbued with awe and wonder. Flow enables ideas and solutions to emerge intuitively and effortlessly, as though the artist is merely channeling the demands of the art itself. In his seminal work ‘Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience’ (1990), he explores this state in which individuals become deeply engrossed in an activity to the extent that external concerns fade away. This psychic state induces a predicament characterised by positive feelings, reduced self-consciousness and a sense of full presence (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). It is intrinsically rewarding and accessible to anyone; long-distance runners absorbed in their race, musicians during a concert or even gamers engrossed in the throes of video gaming (Nash, 2019).
Cultivating Flow in Art Therapy
Art has always spoken the unspoken, but when woven into therapy, it becomes a visceral bridge back to the body. Emerging in the early 1950s at the crossroads of somatics, positive psychology, and neuroscience, art therapy channels the creative process to ease distress and amplify well-being (Wilkinson & Chilton, 2018). At its most potent, it can draw us into a state of “flow”.
Chilton (2013) articulates how art therapists help clients achieve and sustain the intense immersion of flow, as well as transition out of it during artistic activities. They serve as facilitators of the flow state, guiding clients into immersive creative experiences by balancing instruction and support while cultivating an inspiring environment. Art therapists intentionally design the space, structure, and sensory experience to support deep creative engagement. This might mean offering just enough guidance to spark momentum without stifling autonomy, or selecting materials that align with a client’s comfort level and expressive needs.
The experience of flow in art therapy tends to fluctuate, shaped by the relationship between a client’s skills and the level of challenge presented. When this balance is in place, it becomes easier to access a state of deep focus and creative engagement. Throughout the process, attention often shifts between “external and internal stimuli”. Clients might become attuned to the feel of the materials, the rhythm of their movements, the therapist’s guidance, or the broader group dynamics (Chilton, 2013, p. 67).
Crucially, cultivating flow requires a conscious rejection of the constant pressure to do more, faster. As Csikszentmihályi (1996) emphasizes, flow emerges most naturally when a task presents the right balance of challenge and skill, offering space for growth without overwhelming the individual. In therapeutic settings, this principle becomes especially important. Clients navigating recovery or emotional distress may already feel fragile, and the push to perform or produce can easily disrupt the delicate state required for flow. Art therapy invites a slower, more attuned rhythm. By focusing on process over outcome, clients are encouraged to engage with the materials, their bodies, and their emotions without the burden of perfectionism or external validation.
Why it Matters
We’ve all experienced flow, whether pounding a trail, losing ourselves in a cello solo, or writing code at 2 a.m. Art therapy leverages that universal capacity, turning it toward healing. At its core, this unique form of therapy taps into the intrinsic human capacity for creativity, transforming it into a tool for psychological healing and growth. By understanding the intersection between art therapy and flow state, clinicians can develop improved treatment strategies that will undoubtedly impact the trajectory of health care.
References
Ann Wilkinson, R. and Chilton, G. (2018) ‘Interlude: The positive art therapy manifesto’,
Positive Art Therapy Theory and Practice, pp. 59–63. doi:10.4324/9781315694245-5.
Chilton, G. (2013). Art therapy and flow: A review of the literature and applications. Art
Therapy, 30(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2013.787211
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention.
HarperCollins.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988) Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. (1990). Choice
Reviews Online, 28(01). https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.28-0597
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2004). Flow [TED Talk]. TED.
Nash, J. (2023). 6 flow activities & training: How to achieve a flow state.
Parsons, A., Dubrow-Marshall, L., Turner, R., Thurston, S., Starkey, J., Omylinska-Thurston, J.,
& Karkou, V. (2022). The importance of psychological flow in a creative, embodied and
enactive psychological therapy approach (Arts for the Blues). Body, Movement and
Dance in Psychotherapy, 18(2), 137–154.
About The Author
Shiza Saqib, is a visual artist and Clinical Psychology Graduate
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