MPOW #7 - Draw a Focus Object

Artistic endeavors exercise the creative part of your brain. Utilizing it through drawing often calms the thinking-thinking-always-thinking part of your brain, which just lets you guide the creation of your art.

This week, see if you can harness this aspect of the brain to practice mindfulness, find peace, learn more about yourself, and improve you artistic skills.

The Practice - Drawing a Focus Object
Start by picking a target to draw. Choose an object, a photo, or concept. Anything that inspires you and makes you feel comfortable to draw it. If you don't feel comfortable in your artistic abilities, it could be as simple as a group of stick figures. I encourage there to be at least some complexity or nuance, something that can open up the mind for a period of time as you try to capture its essence.

Each day this week, draw your chosen target. As you draw, see what you notice. Are you judging yourself? Perhaps you think your work is good or bad. Do you notice the feel of the pen, pencil, crayon, stick, etc.? Perhaps you are gripping it too tight. Do you think that you're improving? Does your mind wander as you do this or are you able to concentrate completely on the drawing? Just notice what you notice. I encourage you to have a notebook on hand to jot these insights down.

This post is dedicated to Mrs. Berna, my middle school art teacher. Thank you for encouraging us to all believe in our artistic abilities and for rewarding creativity and effort.

Request for comments - Please share!

• Do you have any art or doodle to share?
• What did you notice during this practice?
• Did this practice work for you?