Adventures Across Landscapes: Interview with Bianca Lee

Art Therapy Conversations is a regular column in Envisage, developed and written by Rebecca Montgomery. We thank Rebecca for her dedication and creativity in facilitating learning and expanding connections between art therapists across international landscapes!

Bianca Lee is an artist, advocate, Board-Certified Registered Art Therapist (USA), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (USA) and Licensed Professional Counselor (USA). She is the president of the Hong Kong Association of Art Therapists and has been a teacher and supervisor in the Expressive Arts Therapy program at the University of Hong Kong for four years. In addition, she has over 10 years of experience working in the mental health field, utilizing relational, trauma sensitive and empowerment approaches when collaborating working with clients (who she also refers to as ‘adventurers!'). Working internationally, she has developed a transnational practice rooted in understanding social justice perspectives.

Before speaking with Bianca, I read her last interview in “The Radical Magazine #2 by The Reclamation Project” and was inspired by her words of intention and gratitude, and found her account of using art as a tool to manage mental health throughout times of protest and change insightful and compelling. After reading, I found myself elbow deep in articles about the history of Hong Kong, particularly in relation to the National Security Law that was recently passed, and stories about how that is affecting people now. I am grateful for the inspired inquisitiveness, and I am very happy to talk with Bianca now, to see how 2021 has been treating her and her practice.

Rebecca’s narratives in italics below.

Hello Bianca! Thank you for joining me in conversation. As someone who works internationally, where are you in the world at this moment?

Thank you Rebecca for having me! I am currently in Hong Kong but preparing to leave for the US in a couple of weeks.

Something I like to ask each art therapist I talk with; In one word, how are you feeling right now? 

I am feeling imaginative!

I’m curious, what’s your favourite snack these days?

I am totally hooked on iced lemon and winter melon tea with konjac boba lately because Hong Kong summers are very hot and humid.

What composes your work weeks, are you mostly teaching, working in your private practice, or both? 

“I see my work as an art therapist is similar to being an adventure partner in the sense that in every session my client and I explore their emotional landscape together. There might be various elements of the landscape to explore and discover, but as we journey on, we start establishing a map or gaining familiarity with one’s psychosocial terrain. ”

My weeks are usually an even spread of teaching, supervising therapists in training, private practice, and my work as the chairperson of the Hong Kong Association of Art Therapists.

I’ve heard you describe your work as an art therapist as being an “adventure partner”. I love that name, and would love to hear more about what it means to be an “adventurer”.

I see my work as an art therapist is similar to being an adventure partner in the sense that in every session my client and I explore their emotional landscape together. There might be various elements of the landscape to explore and discover, but as we journey on, we start establishing a map or gaining familiarity with one’s psychosocial terrain. The great thing about being an adventure partner who is an art therapist is that we developed many skills and strengths from our clinical training. For example, we can bust out different materials or directives to help when our adventure partner feels a bit uncertain to move forward. Besides, we tend to remember the places visited together very well in addition to noticing patterns in one’s emotional landscape. 

What is an example of a practice you use for navigating the emotional landscape as an adventurer?

I really enjoy using scribbling as a tool to help participants to loosen up and to get used to the creative process. Scribbling is also a great practice to center back to the present moment especially when they experience some dissociative symptoms.

Do you make art at the same time as your adventure partners? Why?

Yes I love making response art alongside my adventure partners, because I believe that it levels out the inherent power dynamic that exists in the client/therapist dynamic. I find myself listening and understanding deeper for themes and patterns in the therapeutic content. People who are not familiar with the creative process tend to be more self conscious when making art, therefore, when I join in making art can be a beneficial way to build rapport and a psychologically more safe environment for my adventure partners.

How does your work affect and inform your own artistic practice? Do you feel it is important to have a creative output outside of your work?

Depending on material accessibility, many art therapists who practice outside Western countries have to adapt to resources that are available locally. I have been widening my perspective of what I consider art through the years of practicing as an art therapist collaborating with people from many different cultures. I believe that art can be anything that we put our focus into, for example, the art of mahjong, the art of swimming or tidying up.

Yes! Being creative outside of my work is essential for my mental health. I believe creativity is just as instinctual as breathing and feeding ourselves, yet what I do to satisfy that urge has evolved through the years. In my younger days I might limit myself to visual arts media, nowadays my creative output involves curating my social media posts, especially when I want to be thoughtful about content and imagery of what I share with others.

Is there a quote that inspires you that you would like to share? 

“With just one polka dot nothing can be achieved.” Yayoi Kusama. 

You are the first person I have chatted with who has a transnational practice! What have you noticed that may be unique to this perspective, having adventure partners both in Hong Kong and the United States? 

I am blessed to be able to develop a transnational practice and the people who make it possible and so fun to work across the globe. The process of traveling back and forth between two countries and having to do telehealth for years before the pandemic had been such a blessing. My adventure partners have been very accommodating and understanding with my schedule and practice, so even though we share a formal therapeutic relationship, I could feel their incredible support for me as I shape my practice to something that best suits my evolving art therapy practice. 

Having clients in multiple places of the world truly teaches me that the challenges of life can be quite universal. Yet, I learned through the years to be more open, more curious than ever since each person I meet has their own narrative, set of references, and history to tell. People I work with are also more interested and informed about world happenings, they would inquire about my other clients’ wellbeing after hearing about something in the news. For example, clients in the US were concerned when the anti-extradition protests were happening, and vice versa, as the Black Lives Matter movement began, my Hong Kong clients were sending solidarity through our conversations. This type of exchange began to weave an international network of support before my eyes.

It is good to hear about the curiosity between people wanting to know and empathize with what is happening in another place. Curiosity feels like such a caveat for connection to me. What do you think is key to fostering more connections like this? 

I believe we all can strengthen our connection with one another, our community, or even the world through learning to see, witness, listen deeply, and validate one another. Mental health professionals across the globe, myself included, are doing the work to help others learn these essential skills. We are also supporting them in unlearning, processing, and deconstructing systems of power or narratives to feel empowered to make more conscious choices in life.

What do you think is a good question for art therapists in Canada to be asking themselves right now? 

Not just art therapists in Canada, but everywhere, since we do see a rise of hate crimes towards Asian communities, in addition, many Hong Kongers are relocating to other countries, I encourage art therapists of the host countries to start wondering in what ways one can be of support, guidance, and in some cases, protection for people whom, like all of us, are seeking to settle in places that inspires peace?

Do you have any recommended resources for those looking to deepen their understanding of social justice and art therapy? 

Books I have always returned to are, my dear mentor Savneet Talwar’s Art Therapy for Social Justice: the Intersections. Another mentor, Cathay Moon’s Materials and Media in Art Therapy: Critical Understandings of Diverse Vocabularies. Adrienne Maree Brown’s Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds.

What is coming up next for you? Any projects or next moves you’d like to share? 

I am about to step down as the president of Hong Kong Association of Art Therapists in June to make space for more possibilities in my path. I am definitely brewing some exciting projects… do keep an eye out on my social media @blartistic to stay connected!

Thank you, Bianca! You have such a wonderful voice which has added new layers (and metaphors!) for me when thinking about expressive art therapies. Is there anything else you would like to share or add to our conversation before we finish for today?

Thank you Rebecca for making time to find out more about me! I am so honored to hopefully make a visit to Canada soon :)

Rebecca Montgomery (BFA) currently works as a freelance artist while studying psychology and neuroscience at University of British Columbia. Talking with art therapists across the country and beyond, she is reminded more and more of why art is such a powerful modality of healing. Most likely, you will find her drinking tea and drawing blind contours, or walking along the coastline. To learn more about Rebecca’s work please visit www.rebeccamontgomery.com.