A client creates a painting based on Aboriginal dot painting in Open Studio As an art therapist, I have noticed people’s hesitation in engaging with the creative process: “I’m not good at art,” “I’m not an artist,” or “It isn’t perfect.” The underlying thread of these responses relates to our inner critic, and our fear of failure or of having others see and regard us as incapable. The art, tangible and concrete, becomes a symbol of one’s perceived “incompetence,” and often, self-deprecating comments accompany the sharing of one’s artwork. While leading an Open Arts Studio group at Nationalities Service Center (NSC), I heard a few participants mutter the same words in response to their artwork: “No good.” We were working on Aboriginal dot paintings that particular session, using Q-Tips dipped in acrylic paint to create pieces inspired by this particular tradition. Their compositions consisted of dots in various colors used to create bold outlines of subjects of their choosing. A...