Drawing to Improve Your Life

Why You Should Draw and Paint Even If You Think You Are Hopeless
By Alessandra Viero

Children love freehand drawing. So do people such as most painters, illustrators, creative designers. There are also some people who are not professional artists, but like it as a hobby.

But, for probably the greatest part of people in the Western World, being obliged to draw something, even quite simple, would be at least puzzling, annoying, irritating, when not painful.

Many people, sometimes because of negative experiences and useless criticism in early age, believe they are "washouts" at it and that it would make no sense to spend any time sketching more than a couple of lines and a circle, or some nervous scribbles while on the phone.

Are you one of them? Well, this self-limiting belief can prevent you from getting the precious benefits drawing can offer.

And you don't need to be any Michelangelo or Van Gogh. I'm talking about freehand, relaxed, even childish and totally unrealistic drawing.

- Drawing we can sometimes "think better". As I said in a previous article, we think in pictures, thus communicating through images is potentially very easy for us. Our brain loves images.

- Once overcome the initial bias, drawing is often a much more immediate and effective form of language compared to words. Sometimes it helps bring up and release suppressed negative emotions. Psychological support and therapy for children uses drawing very often, taking advantage of their natural tendency to visual expression.

- It facilitates getting in touch with your inner-child. Many issues in adult life are linked to early traumas or negative experiences. Letting the hurt child in you express his/her feelings may improve how you feel now. I don't mean you will solve any life-long problem just thanks to your new hobby, of course. Especially in case of delicate situations, you could even need professional help. Though, "visual art" support may definitely be much more useful than you think.

- Needless to say: it stimulates creativity. And no, I'm not referring only to artistic skills. Creativity means problem solving in any field.

- Unless you prefer drawing just in black and white, it requires use of colors, which may have healing properties per se.

Start with something basic, very simple sketches, so that you feel more at ease. It can be something you like or remember, something you would like to do, have or eat now, your favorite animal or even the representation of something abstract, such as joy, rage, sleepiness. Whatever you feel or see (even just in your mind) now. Whatever you feel like "throwing out".

Don't feel any obligation to represent reality faithfully: some of the greatest figurative artists in the world are famous for their own interpretation of the world. This drawing has to express your mind, or your feelings, or your physical sensations, or all of this together. Certainly it is not meant to illustrate a scientific or technical manual.

You don't even need to appear at a gallery or win any award, thus don't judge yourself.

Use whatever you want and feel at ease with: pencils, pens, paintbrushes, your fingers dipped in color like children do. Do it on paper, glass, fabric, wood. There are the right tools for any of these.

You can for instance do it on a big journal or a scratch book, which you can keep secret and use whenever you want.

You may have to force yourself in the first period, but don't give up, and drawing can easily become a pleasant habit. Maybe it will become your favorite way to unwind after a tough day. Even 20 minutes on a daily basis can do wonders little by little.

Later on, you could discover you have magically become really good at it. In any case you will find it much more pleasant, and definitely you will have been benefiting from it much more than you expected, which is the real magic.

Alessandra Viero - Alessandra invites you to have a look at her simple method to improve your life, in which drawing plays a main role http://stores.lulu.com/pimmy