Everyone Can Draw

Everybody can draw. It is the vernacular communication. Long before we learn to read and write, we draw to communicate our ideas and feelings. Today this avenue is used in some therapies. Depending on our abilities and ambitions, some will take this talent to soaring heights, whereas for others it will be a pleasant pastime- it doesn't matter. Learning how to draw in a representative way is not the prerogative domain of artists. We can all do it! It involves learning some technique, discipline and keen observation. You would be surprised at your own abilities if you have an inherent interest. Often this has lain dormant for a long time. Most of us stopped drawing and painting somewhere in our early teens or even earlier. Generally speaking, our educational system favours academic development ahead of artistic endeavours, as a result of marketplace employment demands. Hence our artistic sides become under-developed and before long we forget about them altogether, believing we have none! How much richer would life be if we could really see and express ourselves in different, more creative ways! As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." This is where "right-brain” functioning comes in, i.e. our creative side, which we all have. It is this side of the brain that allows us to get lost in that what we are doing at the time- or a totally uninhibited involvement in our action.

Thus learning how to draw and paint not only involves this technical dimension of your life, it goes well beyond that. You become far more aware of your surroundings, whether it be a beautiful sunset, the light reflection off the water or the explosion of colours in a summer garden. The fascinating aspects of mundane subjects become an inspiration which we ordinarily overlook. Beauty is suddenly all around us. Choose the right subject and draw it. All the hard work you put into it is fully rewarded; you feel buoyed by it because you created something that touched your soul. This will be the impetus to repeat that experience. The process is, just like mastering any art, to strive for improvement. At times you may feel it is not going all that well, however it is often the foundation for the next step. We greatly learn from our mistakes after all. Progress seldom occurs in an ever smooth upward trend. It's more like falling and getting up.

I tell students to keep their so-called bad work. NEVER throw it out! Instead, date it; make notes where you think you went wrong and where you could improve it. In other words, be your own critic. Keep all these "rejects" in one folder, which over time becomes an important document of your own progress. Be at any time constructive in your criticism. A huge red cross through your work won't tell you a whole lot - in effect it's quite useless. This compilation of trials and errors forms a chronicle of your development. An empty reject file does not reveal a lot in terms of the improvements you strive for. So if you feel embarrassed by your initial attempts, just think how well would read and write if you were kept illiterate for 30 or 40 years?

There is an artistic side to all of us. It's displayed in various ways, from the person who loves to cook, to the avid gardener, to the Sunday painter. Love for life is an attitude. It is at the core of it all. An angry, frustrated attitude blocks creativity. So if you have this zest for life and are a visually oriented person, drawing and painting may well be your "thousand words”.