Somatic Drawing Exercise
I invite you to begin our Creative Inquiry Journey using simple drawing techniques that are not at all about an end product. Instead they are about feeling the sensations of your arms pushing the crayon or pastel around the paper. Feel free to try any drawing medium you have available, these are just a few examples. Experiment with keeping your eyes open and closed and notice the difference. Explore mark making for its own sake, including variations like short and staccato or long and fluid. Try angular and circular, soft and firm pressure.
As you do the process, notice what you are sensing in your body. Don't be dismayed if you feel a bit silly or critical of the experience, after all, most of us were told that what we made had to look like something good or it wasn't praised and encouraged. But children know instinctively what to do with a crayon and paper when they are shown and have a natural affinity for just exploring the process without concern for the outcome. After you have made some marks or filled up the page, pause and check in once again. Open your eyes and look at the page with the curiosity of a child. If the critic arises then it is a good time to have a nice chat, because this is the time that we begin to give ourselves permission to have our own experience without having to worry about what others will think. In this process there are people of many different levels of skill, yet all are being encouraged to explore this very simple exercise and reach a new level of freedom in their creative expression. |