Two months ago I’d never heard of this. Now I’m a bit of a fan. For me it’s generally a drop-in for 5 minutes when I need a break from what I’m doing, or to reset my body or mind or creative thinking. I now know that 5 minutes becomes a whole lot longer!
What is it?
For me, it’s a creative meditation. It’s a meditation practice, but it’s a life one. No eyes closed, no cushion, no no thinking. It’s breath, it’s an internally still being, but it adds movement and sensing and visual imagery and flow to the mix. It can bring me pretty quickly to that mindful flow state.
So what is it? For me, it’s using simple materials: a black artline pen and smallish pieces of paper at its simplest. I sometimes add some watercolour to them later. The reason for the smallish pieces of paper is so it’s not overwhelming, or too time consuming. It also lets you move on, and on, to new starts, so no one piece gets too precious. Less fear, less pride, less judgement. It’s easier to throw one in the bin that just didn’t look pleasing to you when you’re done with it.
It’s slow. Every line or mark or squiggle is done slowly, very slowly, and carefully. And it’s repetitive, so you don’t have to think about what to do – your mind gets a holiday. Your eyes follow the pen, your hand is finely tuned to the line being drawn. After a little while, a unique pattern forms that you have created without thinking or trying. And you want more of this quiet, stilling, creative experience.
If you’d like to try it, hop over to Mindful Art Studio. This is where I first discovered it and Amy has so much to offer on her site.
Happy slow drawing!