Phototherapy: The Artful Path to Healing

Lingxue (Luna) Hao, photo courtesy of the artist.

Lingxue (Luna) Hao is a photographer from China who is now based in LA. After graduating from Beijing Film Academy, she worked as a food photographer for two years. While studying photography at the Savannah College of Design and Art, she turned her focus to telling stories through the camera. She is particularly interested in finding beauty from the ordinary and mundane and creating a virtual diary based on everyday love, loss, and reflection.

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Host Tia: Welcome to a new episode of The Scholart. I'm your host, Tianchu, broadcasting from New York City. Today, I'm joined by Luna, a fellow graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. She holds an MFA in photography.

Luna: Hi, everyone!

Tia: We'll discuss the concept of art therapy and how photography can heal the soul. Art therapy has gained significance, especially during the pandemic, as it helps individuals facing mental health challenges express themselves when words fall short.

Luna: Art therapy is like an intervention. It provides an alternative to traditional counseling for those struggling to articulate their emotions.

Lingxue (Luna) Hao, Holding an Egg, digital capture, 5x7.5 inch, 04/2020. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Tia: Instead of direct dialogue, art therapy creates a unique circle of healing through artistic expression.

Luna: That's right. Art therapy goes beyond coloring books; it's a formal discipline with high standards, often involving psychology and artistic skills.

Tia: Now, let's explore how photography fits into the world of art therapy. Can photography have a healing effect?

Luna: Yes, indeed. Photography's simplicity makes it an effective tool for communication in art therapy. It creates a significant channel for expression, especially for those who struggle with verbal communication.

Tia: So, photography's ability to establish communication sets it apart from other art forms.

Luna: Absolutely. Photography's straightforward nature and its function as evidence make it accessible and powerful in conveying emotions and experiences.

Tia: It's like presenting evidence through images, a direct way to express one's feelings.

Luna: Precisely.

Tia: We've touched on how photography is related to art therapy as a medium. Do you know any well-known art photographers whose work can have an immediate healing effect? Can you give us some examples of these masters?

Luna: There's one photographer I'd like to talk about, Nan Goldin.

Nan Goldin, Nan One Month after being Battered, 1984.

Tia Nan Goldin? Why discuss her?

Luna: Despite her fame for portraying intense themes like male-female relationships, cross-dressers, and more, Nan Goldin is somewhat a beneficiary of the healing power of photography. She's known for saying that photography illuminated her life and saved her soul.

Tia: How so? Her photos often tackle heavy subjects like homosexuality and AIDS, which can be unsettling.

Luna: Nan Goldin's journey is indeed remarkable. She started as a means of recording her life to preserve it without alteration. Her family faced a personal tragedy, and she wished to prevent others from tampering with her life. Her initial goal was to create evidence of her existence.

Tia: So, her photos became a way to preserve her life?

Luna: Exactly. Her honesty is evident in her work. For example, her famous self-portrait, "Nan One Month After Being Beaten," documented her experience with domestic violence. It was a way of confronting her situation.

Tia: Her photos are direct and honest, serving as evidence of her life's challenges.

Luna: Yes, and she described her camera as an extension of herself. The act of taking photos became a means of self-exploration and healing.

Tia: So, she used photography to heal herself.

Luna: Yes, exactly. In a chaotic era filled with issues like homosexuality and AIDS, she lost many friends. Her photos, titled with the names of those friends, became a way to preserve their memory and her journey as a survivor.

Tia: It's intriguing how photography can become a tool for self-healing and documentation.

Luna: Indeed. I've had a similar experience myself with depression. I used photography to document my journey, and it became a therapeutic process.

Tia: Can you share more about your experience with photography as a form of self-release and healing?

Luna: I've battled severe depression for years, and my MFA project focused on recording my illness and treatment. It started as a means to communicate my feelings when words failed me. The act of photographing my experiences motivated me to confront my illness. Through the project, I found that looking at the photos objectively allowed me to see the changes in my life, bringing me comfort and healing.

Lingxue (Luna) Hao, Marks, 35mm color negative scanning, 5x7.5 inch, 10/2020. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Tia: So, photography helped you confront and heal from your depression.

Luna: Yes, and it also allowed me to connect with others. Strangers who saw my work during an exhibition told me they were deeply moved because it helped them understand feelings they couldn't express. That connection and communication between the audience and the creator became a source of healing for me as well.

Tia: So, photography's healing power extends beyond the creator to the audience, creating a mutual process of healing and understanding.

Luna: Precisely. It's about the value of communication through art.

Tia: Wrapping up our conversation with Luna today, we've ventured deep into the world of photography and its ability to offer solace and healing to the everyday person. We've explored how accessible and straightforward techniques like cyanotype and lumen printing can actively involve people in the creative process, delivering not just photos but tangible, personally crafted masterpieces.

Luna: Indeed, these hands-on approaches to photography offer a unique gateway for individuals to truly engage with this art form. They go beyond mere image capture, enabling personal expression and profound self-discovery.

Lingxue (Luna) Hao, Small Dried Roses, unfixed lumen print on FOMA warmtone matte FB paper, 18x12 inch, 2023. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Tia: Luna also tackled the intricate dilemma that many of us face when we encounter beauty in the world. It's the age-old question of whether to capture these moments through photography or to immerse ourselves wholly in the experience. Striking a harmonious balance between being present in the moment and preserving memories through photos is a deeply personal journey, unique to each of us.

Luna: Absolutely, it's a multifaceted issue, and the decision to snap a photo or indulge in the scene varies based on context and individual inclination. Sometimes, taking a photo becomes a means of fostering communication and connection, allowing us to share our experiences with loved ones and embark on meaningful conversations.

Tia: As we bid adieu to our listeners, we urge you all to explore the therapeutic potential of photography in your own lives. Whether through creative techniques or by simply capturing the moments that resonate with you the most, photography can be a powerful tool for healing.

Alright, we had a great time chatting with Luna today. It's been a while since we had such an enjoyable conversation. So, let's say goodbye to everyone.

Luna: Goodbye.