Have you ever wondered why drawing helps us relax?
Think about it. Every act of drawing helps make us calmer to some degree. It doesn’t even have to be some big painting or sculpture. Everyone doodles if there’s some free paper put in front of them, and that makes them feel a little better. I do it at least, and more than that though I’m not so good at it. So why?
Well that’s simple; it comes from the heart. And the mind, to some degree. When it comes to producing art, drawing or other, you put your emotions into it. It’s a bit impossible not to, unless you’re particularly dedicated. That’s why any amount of art will have an emotional response.
If you’re really going for it though, then it’s cathartic. At that point you can’t help but release your emotions at once. At other times though it allows us to take a little bit of what’s stressing us out and put it on a page. That’s what makes drawing so important.
It’s a bit like meditation if you think about it.
So… why are we talking about this?
Because at Hawkwood we’ve been introduced to the concept of Mindful Drawing. A fascinating concept that everyone should learn eventually. According to Anna Black, the resident expert, Mindful Drawing is a time to pay attention to us. What we’re saying in our head, heart and body without us knowing, in a non judgemental way. It’s fascinating.
If we relax and let ourselves produce art without restriction, we engage with ourselves in a new way. We let our emotions out, taking a fragment of ourselves and making it physical. Then we can see our emotion in whatever form it takes in a way that we before weren’t able to.
And now that we have it on the page, we can think about it objectively. We can change our perspective and look at it from different angles. Literally, if we wanted. No matter what’s happening, it’s always important to consider every direction. Every cause and outcome. Otherwise we’ll always get caught up with the small stuff, and never the bigger picture.
There’s always a bigger picture.
What are the benefits?
I’m glad you asked.
Peace of mind is the most obvious one. A better way to get rid of those little stresses that build up over time. A creative outlet is another one, because everyone needs that time to be creative whether we like it or not. I could keep listing the benefits for hours, but these two are the ones that stand out the most to me.
See I’ve never been fond of meditation, but I’ve always been into drawing. For me I like to be moving, doing things, and meditation is a bit lacking in distractions. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it did leave me thinking about if there was an alternative. Now there is, and it works.
So why not try it out? There’s no harm in it, and you can do it anywhere. What’s not to like?
For more information on mindful drawing, click here.
Will Tuckett studied writing at Bath Spa University. During that time he explored writing for a range of platforms and forms of interaction. Following that he went to Stockholm University to study Teaching and Literature. While starting in script, he moved to write for digital media and specialises in long-form. Will is now part of Hawkwood’s Marketing Department!
