Stuck in Rut? Drawing as therapy. Reflections

From time to time we all get stuck in a rut. We might get bored with some repetitive tasks at work or home. Can we set some time for ourselves? I don’t have a TV set, so in my spare time I often look for new things to explore.

Some of us might have that itch at the back of the mind to try drawing or painting (actually I painted plenty of walls myself). Some of us wanted to do it for a long time to stimulate our minds with something new.

Part of us feels reluctant to try. But why? Fear from embarrassing ourselves by trying and failing was the usual for me.

This kind of thinking built a barrier that stopped me from exploring new possibilities. We all fall for this trick that our minds conjure. Okay, sometimes we might get discouraged from external sources as well. For example, one person mockingly called me “Rembrandt” when I expressed my interest in drawing, and another said, “stick with technology and stop dreaming.”

I was always interested in drawing, writing and painting, but I feared that I would make a fool of myself when I tried.

Of course, when we set off into the unknown for the first time, we rarely become masters of the craft straight away - it takes years of patience and perseverance. However, by taking our first baby steps and just getting comfortable with our new skills, we might learn to appreciate its intrinsic beauty - that is the process of the creation.

For me drawing was never the end goal. However, I just wanted to pick some simple drawing skills so that I could be able to express simple ideas other than writing or with the spoken word. Incidentally, I started to develop curiosity in psychology and how our mind works that is a by-product of pursuing this endeavour.

Why should we re-learn to draw as adults?*

- to appreciate the intricacies of how our visual system works and couples with other parts of our nervous system and muscles; 
- improve your visual memory;
- to get comfortable with our creative core - everyone has it;
- to relax, exploit something new and have fun;
- to learn how to express ideas beyond verbal and written communication;
- to appreciate the arts;
- inspire your kids;
- to draw caricatures of some politicians that might get under our skin - I am not encouraging this, but it is a possibility I sometimes have at the back of my mind;
- there are infinite possibilities;

* anyone can try. The choice is yours entirely.

Where should I start?

Before you set yourself to get your first pencil case, you can get yourself a book “Drawing for the Artistically Undiscovered” Quentin Blake and John Cassidy. It is not intended for adults but if you think you can be creative you won’t mind to wake that curious young artist within you check the following:

Hobby doesn’t have to be expensive. A basic set of drawing pencils and a decent drawing pad is all you need:

You don’t need to commit to hours of practice unless you want to become a professional to develop a skill to earn some money on the side. If you set yourself at least 20 minutes twice a week as part of your “meditation”, you might get the basics in few years.

I also highly recommend video courses at Udemy. My favorites can be found here and here

Please don’t rely on courses themselves, and set yourself a side project as a challenge once you feel confident.

I have been practising at least once or twice a week for a year now. I am not a “Rembrandt.” Nevertheless, this low impact hobby makes my mind calm, made me happy and more confident in trying new things.

Samples from my attempts

I started with Blake and Cassidy’s book a couple of years ago:

As I progressed through the book, I slowly built my confidence and begun the Udemy courses since 2019:

I am still going through the fundamentals, but in a few years, I hope to get to a level where I can dabble with pastels and transfer my interests to the digital realm (TBD).

Thanks for reading, good luck, and have fun learning something new.