By Norhidayyu Zainal
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Not all emotions are easy to put into words, but for registered counsellor K. Aahrthi, the gentle touch of the fingers and interplay of colours on paper can serve as a medium for expressing pent-up emotions.
The 27-year-old advocates the use of the Japanese Pastel Nagomi Art as a means to help people, particularly senior citizens and low-income communities, express their emotions.
Also known as the ‘Art of Hope’, the tactile art form does not require participants to have advanced drawing skills. Instead, they use colours to create artwork while expressing their emotions in a relaxed setting.
“In Malaysia, therapy and counselling are still perceived as difficult or intimidating by some people. So, I use this space to allow them to express their emotions in a relaxed manner.
“It helps them reflect and understand themselves better, while also creating an avenue for them to become more comfortable sharing their feelings during counselling,” she told Bernama when met at the Puan-Tastic Festival here recently.
Aahrthi, who is also a certified Pastel Nagomi Art instructor, was introduced to the art form while attending a workshop.
“Initially, I thought this method would only benefit my counselling clients, but I later realised that bringing it into the community could benefit many more people. At first, participants were hesitant and said they could not draw, but by the end of the session, they realised they were capable of creating artwork.
“When the activity focuses on mental health, some participants have also said that it allowed them to see themselves from perspectives they had never noticed before,” she said, adding that she has been conducting workshops on Pastel Nagomi Art around the Klang Valley since 2024.
Running the initiative through Praxis Space, she said the community-based approach is also part of her effort to encourage people to turn mental health awareness into meaningful action.
“People talk a lot about mental health today, but what matters most is whether they take action. Providing the tools and space to discuss mental health in a community setting is important before someone seeks counselling services,” she said.
To date, more than 100 people, including senior citizens, children and residents of the People’s Housing programme (PPR) have participated in her workshops, which are conducted in collaboration with various organisations.
Aahrthi added that one of the challenges in organising the workshops is ensuring that they can be offered to participants free of charge or, at the very least, at a minimal fee.
As such, she actively raises funds through the sale of keychains and interactive mental health tools to cover the cost of art supplies, enabling the workshops to continue being offered to participants at an affordable rate.
Aahrthi hopes to expand the programme to other states with sufficient support, giving more senior citizens and B40 communities the opportunity to learn the art form as a way of managing and expressing their emotions.
Meanwhile, Khor Jun Yi, 28, who has attended one of the workshops conducted by Aahrthi, said the session helped her feel more connected to herself, while another participant S. Shankari, 30, said it gave her an opportunity to share her story, hear the stories behind other participants’ artwork and learn new art techniques that she could practise at home.
“I really enjoyed taking part in the session and hope to join more workshops like this in the future,” said Shankari.
-- BERNAMA