Shawna Tavsky is an interdisciplinary artist, art psychotherapist, and consultant whose work bridges artistic expression, perceptual inquiry, and the psychology of human experience. She works at the intersection of inner life, relational dynamics, and creative process. Her artistic and therapeutic practice is grounded in attention, emotional clarity, and an ongoing exploration of how we sense, interpret, and make meaning.
Art Process
Shawna’s work is process-based, grounded in attentive spontaneity. Meaning emerges through the act of making, through intuitive, responsive dialogue with the work as it forms, whether through photography, portraiture, mixed-media drawing, or writing. Her photographs and video pieces transmit intimacy in stillness and movement, her mixed-media drawings give form to intangible inner states, and her writing extends the poetic language present in her visual work into words.
Lived Experience & Perspective
Shawna’s late diagnosis of AuDHD, along with decades of masking and identity fragmentation, cultivated a heightened sensitivity to internal states and the subtle relational dynamics that shape human experience. It also informs the clarity and compassion she brings to her work. These lived realities shape both her art and her psychotherapeutic practice, grounding her approach in sensory intelligence, relational depth, and a nuanced, trauma-informed understanding of complexity. Recurring themes in her work such as nuance, isolation, fragmentation, and the honesty of inner states, reflect her personal journey.
Professional Background
Originally from Canada, Shawna relocated from Montreal to Mexico City in 2011, where she co-founded a contemporary arts and circus center and spent a decade developing arts and creative education programs. She completed postgraduate studies in Body Psychology and Body Psychotherapy (MSc, University of East London) as well as advanced clinical training in Art Psychotherapy with the Canadian International Institute for Art Therapy. She has taught at CiiAT (2022) and presented at UNAM’s Art and Mental Health Symposium (2024).
Current Work & Practice
Shawna offers online therapy grounded in trauma-informed, somatic, and neurodivergent-affirming principles while continuing to develop an evolving body of photographic and mixed-media work, as well as creative writing. She also provides creativity consulting for individuals seeking deeper engagement with their creative process and a more perceptive, attentive approach to making.
Arte Soma
Launching in 2026, Arte Soma brings together Shawna’s experience in art, health, and education to offer courses and creative tools rooted in the artistic creative process. Through Arte Soma, she provides guided learning, reflective practices, and creative resources that support artistic exploration, self-awareness, and meaningful connection.