Meet Jules Gillen | Expressive Art Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jules Gillen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jules, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a artist I have I have always been drawn to creative pursuits and wanted to find a way to use art as a healing modality to help others. As an expressive art therapist, I facilitate clients in using creative expression through visual art to process emotions, reduce stress, and gain personal insight. I find that engaging in artistic activities can help people express themselves when words fail them. Making art is a right-brain process that taps into the subconscious and bypasses our cognitive defenses. When working through art, people can access feelings and parts of themselves that may have been buried.

I started my business because I am passionate about promoting healing, self-confidence and self-esteem in others. I have seen first-hand how creating art can be transformative for people who are struggling. The creative process helps them get in touch with their inner wisdom, gain perspective, and feel empowered. I get to witness amazing breakthroughs and growth. It is so fulfilling to provide a safe, judgement-free space for people to explore their creativity and themselves. My goal is to guide people to harness the power of art to better understand themselves, heal, and live a more meaningful life. I genuinely believe in the therapeutic benefits of creative expression and want to make a positive difference in my clients’ lives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art work exists in a space between light and dark, finding beauty in both the sunshine and hidden beauty of the shadows. I am drawn to tell stories through found objects, carefully curating and arranging discarded trinkets, weathered treasures, and forgotten relics into altars that seem to hum with hidden meaning. A broken doll, a rusted toy – castoffs transformed into something quietly poetic, imbued with new life. This act of resurrection through creative repurposing speaks to my soul. Beyond constructed altars, I also practice a personal form of photography, my own type of photovoice, capturing striking images that express that which words cannot convey. My photos give voice to ineffable emotions, fleeting moments that would otherwise go unheard. Like my altars assembled from society’s debris, these images find significance in the marginal, the disregarded, the half-hidden. My art reminds us that beauty can emerge from ruin, that there are stories waiting to be told in the shadows if you know how to look. I am most fully myself when channeling ephemera into meaning. My soul comes alive when creating beauty from brokenness, when I use my gifts to illuminate the grace notes hidden in life’s overlooked moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As summer approaches, definitely taking a stroll through Downtown Loveland. Vibrant murals adorn sides of buildings. A den of live music fills the air from the Foundry Plaza and breweries. Laughter spilling from restaurant patios. The aroma of mouthwatering food.
It’s definitely a feast for the senses.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am filled with gratitude for all of the meaningful souls, teachers, and resources that have lit the way forward for me.

I have been blessed to encounter many beautiful souls who have profoundly influenced and inspired me. From mentors who nurtured my growth to friends who lifted my spirits during trying times, I am grateful for the light these individuals brought into my world. Their wisdom, compassion, and courage to follow their hearts’ calling have been a guiding force, helping shape me into the person I am today.

Another source of inspiration has been the book Life, Paint and Passion by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley. As an artist and creative soul myself, this book spoke deeply to me, affirming that creating is so much more than a hobby or pastime – it is a vital channel for self-expression, healing, and connecting to something greater than ourselves.

Website: https://julesgillenhealingarts.com

Instagram: @julesgillen

Image Credits
All photos taken by myself