Personal Coat of Arms
A classic coat of arms activity for exploring identity: design a four-quadrant shield showing your strengths, what you're proud of, who and what you protect, and what you're working toward, finished with a personal motto.
A shield that says who you are
For centuries, families and knights carried a coat of arms: a shield painted with symbols that announced, at a glance, who they were and what they stood for. Long before most people could read, a lion meant courage and a bridge meant connection. In this activity you will design your own. It is a chance to answer a big question - who am I? - with images instead of essays, which often slips past the inner editor and gets closer to the truth.
How to make yours
Grab a sheet of paper and something to draw with. Draw a large shield, divide it into four quadrants, and add a banner beneath it for your motto. No art skill is required - stick figures, simple shapes, colors, and cut-out pictures all count. A wobbly symbol you chose honestly beats a beautiful one you didn't. Work through the four prompts below one quadrant at a time, going with your first instincts. Use the writing spaces to plan what each quadrant will hold, or to describe what you drew.
Spot your strengths first
Quadrant one asks for strengths, and most people go blank when asked directly. Warm up by checking what rings true, then pick your top two or three.
Quadrant one: my strengths
Choose two or three strengths and give each one a symbol - an animal, an object, weather, anything. Draw them in the first quadrant, and use this space to note what you chose and why.
Quadrant two: what I'm proud of
Fill the second quadrant with what you are proud of - achievements, hard seasons survived, private victories nobody clapped for. What symbol captures each one?
Quadrant three: who and what I protect
The third quadrant is for what you stand guard over: people, animals, values, causes, or a part of yourself you have learned to defend. Choose symbols that show what is under your protection.
Quadrant four: what I'm working toward
Fill the last quadrant with where you are headed - a hope, a change already underway, the person you are becoming. Pick symbols that have some pull to them.
Your motto
Beneath the shield goes your motto: a short phrase you would want to live under. Borrow words that have carried you, or invent your own.
Step back and look
Set the finished shield at arm's length and take it in as one picture of you.
More in Art & expressive
Fewer clicks. More care.
One place for your team, your clients, and every clinical workflow, so nothing quietly slips through the cracks.
Free for practices with up to 20 clinicians.