Symbolism of everyday objects in virtual art therapy with low-income clients with disabilities
Nathalie Smith, MSc, ATR, ICST, RST
Calgary, AB
Nathalie is both an art therapist and a certified sand therapist. She runs a private practice in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, dividing her time between in-person sessions and virtual appointments. Most of her clients are neurodivergent and/or live with visible or invisible disabilities. As someone who is also neurodivergent and living with disabilities, Nathalie has first-hand insight into the unique challenges faced by this population—particularly the financial hardships of living in both urban and rural areas.
Over years of working with neurodivergent clients and those with visible or invisible disabilities, Nathalie, an art therapist and certified sand therapist, has developed a unique approach to making art therapy accessible. This artwork exemplifies her practice of using ordinary household items in place of traditional art materials, reducing barriers for clients who may face financial hardship. By transforming the familiar into the symbolic, Nathalie helps clients express complex emotions, create personal narratives, and find empowerment through creative expression—demonstrating that art can flourish even in the most resource-limited environments.
Art therapy traditionally relies on dedicated art supplies-such as paints, markers, clay, and paper–to facilitate creative expression and emotional processing. However, when working with clients who experience financial constraints, access to such materials may be limited. In these situations, everyday objects can become powerful and meaningful alternatives, serving both as creative tools and as symbolic elements within the therapeutic process.
Using everyday items from the kitchen, bathroom, garage encourages resourcefulness and reflects the adaptability of the human spirit. These objects often carry personal or cultural significance, allowing clients to weave their own histories, memories, and lived experiences into the artwork. The act of using everyday objects can express and mirror themes of resilience, renewal, and self- worth, reinforcing the therapeutic message that beauty, meaning, and value can emerge from unexpected places and everyday objects.
Fig. 1. My family
Artwork No. 1 - Family genogram with kitchen tools
This piece presents a deeply personal family genogram crafted entirely from everyday kitchen tools. The metallic whisk, chosen to represent the mother, stands as a symbol of care, nourishment, and the constant motion of family life. The father is depicted through a pair of scissors—strong, purposeful, and precise—while the children are portrayed by a variety of smaller items, each holding its own unique place within the family constellation.
As the mother arranged the objects, she reflected on their meaning, recognizing how each one spoke not only to its practical function but also to the emotional role it played in her life. The whisk, for her, was more than a utensil—it was a quiet emblem of her own presence, continually blending, holding together, and shaping the family’s world.
Fig. 2a. Going to church
Fig. 2b. Supplies needed
Artwork No. 2 – Faith in everyday objects
Created by a bedridden client living with severe illness and financial hardship, this work transforms recycled medication cardboard Fig 2b and two empty pill containers into a church scene/artwork. The pills containers symbolize the client and a friend, side by side, attending a service together. A scarf, chosen to represent summertime, brings warmth and vibrancy to the composition. Though no longer able to use pends, markers or paints, the client continues to find meaning through arranging small, familiar objects. The finished piece radiates calm and happiness, standing as a testament to resilience, faith, and the sustaining power of creativity in the face of profound limitations.
Fig. 3a. Me as a toothbrush
Fig. 3b. My anxiety
Artwork No. 3 – Bathroom refuge
This work portrays the inner world of a client navigating both financial hardship and the challenge of finding personal space. In search of privacy, the client retreated to the bathroom—a rare place of solitude within their home. There, they gathered familiar, everyday objects from their surroundings to construct a deeply symbolic artwork.
The toothbrush, standing upright, embodies the client themselves—an ordinary, personal item that is essential yet often overlooked. The bathroom towel wraps the scene in a sense of warmth and safety, representing the comfort the client longs for when anxiety becomes overwhelming. In stark contrast, the eyelash curler serves as a potent symbol of the relentless, tightening grip of anxiety—its repetitive and inescapable presence.
Through this arrangement, the client not only gave form to their distress but also to the small but vital sources of relief they draw upon, even in the most constrained circumstances.
Conclusion
These artworks collectively illustrate the power of creativity to transform everyday objects into profound expressions of emotion, identity, and resilience. Across diverse contexts—whether through kitchen tools, recycled materials, or personal items found in private spaces—clients are able to externalize complex feelings, navigate anxiety, and explore personal and familial narratives. Each piece demonstrates that art therapy is not limited by conventional supplies; rather, it thrives when imagination, symbolism, and resourcefulness intersect. Through these works, we see how individuals facing physical limitations, financial constraints, and emotional challenges can still find agency, comfort, and joy in the act of creation. Ultimately, these artworks stand as a testament to the enduring human capacity for expression, connection, and healing, even in the most constrained circumstances.