Online MSW student Ariana Giampietro was recently featured as a finalist for FSU’s 2022 Graduate Student Excellence in Visual Arts Award. Her painting “Psychedelic Newts (For Aaron),” inspired by Florida’s Big Shoals State Park, was featured in an exhibit of participating students’ work in the Honors, Scholars and Fellows House at Florida State University’s main campus.

“Much of my inspiration comes from Florida’s various landscapes with kaleidoscopic and whimsical twists,” she wrote. “Being in nature has inspired me to start incorporating elements of Florida’s scenery into the paint on canvas.” Ariana’s brightly colored and playful paintings include a unique texture from the sand or dirt she puts into her pieces, giving them texture and elements of the natural settings they are inspired by.

From Gainesville, Florida, Ariana has explored her creativity through different artistic modes of expression for as long as she can remember. “I’ve always enjoyed practicing art but grew a more particular interest in acrylic painting when I was twelve years old,” she wrote in her essay for the arts award application. “I first began painting from home as a form of meditation. I realized that painting was naturally a healing hobby.”

For her, art is not only a personal form of expression but is a means to connect with others. Her interest in joining with and helping others also inevitably influenced her academic pursuits. She completed her associate’s degree while dual-enrolled in high school at Santa Fe College and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Florida (UF).

While at UF, she was able to study abroad in Galway, Ireland, for a service-learning experience. Ariana worked with intellectually disabled adults and taught art classes in Cois Na Coille and the Snipe Resource Centre. The experience greatly influenced her interest in using art as a tool to help others. This experience “taught me about the therapeutic qualities of art practice,” she explained. “I hope to now work in the field of mental health counseling and to incorporate art.”

Teaching art classes also boosted her confidence in her artistic abilities, taking on commissioned artwork for sale. Teaching also led to Ariana entering her artwork in local art festivals and volunteering on local art projects, including a mural sponsored by the Center for Disease Control. The mural for UF’s Infection Research Disease Team honors World Chagas Disease Day (April 14), bringing awareness to a disease known as “silent or silenced disease” that affects primarily the economically disadvantaged without access to healthcare.

After earning her bachelor’s degree, Ariana worked at a local art studio, Corks and Colors. She continued to learn more about applying artistic practices within therapeutic environments and art therapy. The convenience of the clinically-focused Online MSW Program, a part-time program at Florida State University, seemed a good fit for Ariana once she decided to pursue a career in counseling.

She hopes to work with youths who have experienced sexual assault or sex trafficking, using art as a tool for healing. “I think creating art helps break down emotional, cognitive and mental barriers,” she expressed. “It helps with self-regulation, meditation and self-reflection. It also provides a sense of purpose and relief, and allows people to create something tangible to express their emotions when words fall short.”

Ariana enters her field placement in spring 2023 and has set her sights on obtaining her social work licensure. She also hopes to provide art therapy and counseling to children and adolescents. “It’s my dream to open my private practice and art studio,” she shared, hoping the space can also be a shared space for other art therapists and collaboration.

Follow Ariana's art on Instagram at @artwithari.