My  love letter to ART: Art is my deepest love, a love that never fades or abandons. Art is always there for me. Art makes me feel alive, sexy, and deeply nourished.When I engage in art making I fall in love again and again. I fall in love with the people I create with, my collaborators, my film subjects, my co-teachers, my students, and the environments where art is formed. ART continues to amaze and surprise me. I hold my breath with anticipation and imagine what else ART will offer me this year. With unwavering commitment to the creative process, Adriana Published: February 14, 2018

"I don’t think about myself as a woman when I set out to make art. I do, however, want to see myself, and the issues I care about reflected in my artwork.”  - Soad Kader, Woman of Color Visual Artist How is it to live as a woman today? And to be a woman artist specifically? These are questions I’ve been sitting with in response to the #metoo campaign and the opening of Pandora’s box in politics, the comedy world and Hollywood. It is a time to speak up about harassment and injustice towards women, and people are paying attention. ...

“Sometimes you hear a voice through the door calling you, as a fish out of water hears the waves…Come back. Come back. This turning toward what you deeply love saves you.” - Rumi   Today I am in a vividly beautiful natural environment at my main venue for teaching in Marin County, California. I am amongst the redwoods and the warm sunshine supporting a group of students to explore the creative process through various modes of art-making. Even though I am working, I have space to breathe and feel myself nourished in body and spirit. In this moment, I feel ...

Sometimes being an arts therapist doesn’t feel very cool. The label of therapist can make me feel uninteresting and irrelevant. It can feel like wearing a conservative outfit, being invisible and blending into the background. Sometimes in social settings I have seen people get nervous around me when I identify as a ‘therapist’. I’m guessing that they think I might be analyzing them or reading their insides. Or they might start opening up about their deep pain and struggles imagining I will take some of the burden away. Either way, my impulse is to take up less space. When I ...

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” - Philip Pulman, writer The stories that inspire me the most are non-fictional stories, stories that are about real life and real people. These kind of true stories are the most compelling to me when they incorporate emotion, vulnerability, unexpected twists and elements of change and rebirth. Basically, I’m a sucker for stories that show how people survived difficulty and got to the other side. This interest in truth telling brought me to the work of expressive arts therapy and education. It was an invitation to ...

  "Art is the bridge when walls of fear keep us insulated and reactive. A society loses meaning, purpose and direction without it" - performance artist Karen Finlay It is a very complicated time. The predominant emotions I encounter around me are grief, anger, hopelessness and bewilderment. I often experience uncertainty in regards to supporting people in response to the politics we are facing. There isn't a rulebook, it is one of those moments that challenges us because we are in new territory here in America. It is a waking up process as many people understand more clearly the tensions and biases that exist with race, gender, class and sexual orientation. There is resistance ...

The Creative Source: An Artistic Life Shaped by Recovery by Adriana Marchione Published through In Recovery Magazine, Winter 2016, (link no longer active) I am an artist and a person in recovery; this statement illustrates how I define myself and shape my world. When I got sober in 1993, I found it absolutely necessary to connect with people in recovery who could show me a new way of life. However, the artistic resources and mentorship necessary for me to maintain my creative life and artistic integrity were missing. I have had to find my own way in unearthing artistic expression ...

     I have been sitting on this blog for a little while. I would say it has been slowly forming since 11/9/16. My thoughts and emotions have been heightened along with a good majority of people in the world. I have bounced from fear, confusion, sadness, outrage, shame, concern and ambivalence to a feeling of trust and ease. Then I’ve bounced all around again multiple times. We are all being bombarded with facts, ideas, perspectives and opinions. In the midst of this, it is hard to know what is real. It has prompted me to take some time to ...

  Sometimes life brings incredible surprises. I got a phone call several weeks ago from Janet Hopkins who is the editor of 'In Recovery' magazine asking if I could come to Phoenix, Arizona this November to receive an award. I wholeheartedly said, 'YES!' and will be heading down to the In Recovery Gala on November 19th to be given an 'Artist of the Year Award'. I am so honored to be acknowledged along with many other esteemed colleagues who support addiction/recovery in various ways. See the list of award winners here. In case you are interested in learning more about the event ...

'Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.' -Twyla Tharp Today, I am reflecting on 'the art space'. After many years in my work as teacher, expressive arts therapist and interdisciplinary artist, I am still so struck by the powerful space that is created when we engage in art-making. This past weekend I taught a one day introductory expressive arts workshop at the Tamalpa Institute. From beginning to end I felt the magic that was so easily created when people danced, drew and created performance in a committed way. On my drive home from Marin County to ...