Ana Hedenstrom

they/them

Seattle, U.S.

Performance title: Embodied Travel
Photo credit Ana Hedonstrom

I am a therapist, energy worker and creator making artwork regarding history, the nervous system, metaphysics and the physical body. I graduated from Antioch University Seattle with a masters degree in art therapy, mental health counseling and somatic therapy in 2022. I graduated from School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an undergraduate degree in art education and interdisciplinary fine arts in 2014. I have a history as a DIY organizer and curator. I worked in Chicago Public Schools as an art teacher for years, and other organizations as a teaching artist. I now work at Soleil Psychotherapy as an individual and couples therapist using somatic, art-related and sex therapy techniques. I have shown artwork in cities around the world. My work explores the intersections of queerness, ancestry, folk magic, earth-based spirituality, environmentalism, psychology and the body using a variety of mediums: textiles, photo, video, essay writing, poetry, performance, zines and drawing. Due to years of working with children, my art-making process is informed by attachment theory and play. A holistic approach to working with therapy clients influences my artwork. I believe our individual physical, energetic and psychological experiences of time influences everything else around us.