Explore Deep Looking Drawing

This week I'd like to share with you one of my absolute FAVORITE books for finding your Creative Voice and letting go of anxiety around drawing. The Drawing Mind by Deborah Putnoi is full of short exercises that can help you silence your Inner Critic and explore who you are and how you draw. Even if you haven't drawn in a long time or don't consider yourself an artist, this book will guide you in your journey.

Deborah has one exercise that she calls "Deep Looking Drawing". If anyone has done contour drawing before you will recognize this way of seeing and drawing. The guidance is to look at an object and describe it with your pencil without looking at your paper. Try to connect deeply with the essence of that object . Keep your eyes on the object and draw every detail you see with a continuous, loose line and without lifting your pen or pencil off of your paper or looking at your page. As Deborah says, "Trust your eyes, trust your hand". The results can be very interesting. 

This exercise is not about drawing something perfectly, it's about letting go and exploring. Here are some things that deep looking / contour drawing can do:

• It trains your brain and our hand to work together
• It's a practice in SEEING. We often are so busy with our day to day lives that we don't take time to see and notice all of the incredible details of a plant or our hand. But there are so many interesting things to discover when we take the time.
• It can help you if you are feeling like you are in a rut, to get out of your thinking mind and explore something new.
• Help to loosen you up before any creative endeavor.
• Connect to a deeper part of the world or yourself.
• It could spark a new idea. Who knows what new path this kind of drawing will lead to. One of my artist friends Jude Buffum creates these kinds of drawings everyday and they've become more and more detailed and developed over time.

The results can be unexpected but also, more expressive than anything that we can try to create when we are holding our pencil very tightly and trying to get every detail just right. This allows us a certain freedom that we sometimes lack in our other work.

In the book, Deborah uses the Deep Looking technique along with other techniques to help you explore the world around you and inside of you. She builds on each technique and has you use them in a variety of exercises.

These images are from a friend who had just undergone surgery to remove a tumor from her pituitary gland. As long as I've known her she has suffered from a variety of ailments and had gone to a myriad of doctors and specialists, no one could figure out what was wrong. Recently, someone suggested that she might have something called Acromegaly, which is when a tumor on the gland causes the growth hormones in your body to increase. She was recovering from her surgery and I gave her this book to pass the time. 

I was floored by the images that came out of her. There is a prompt in the book that asks you to close your eyes and draw your face. My friend said she said she just drew what she saw, sometimes with her eyes closed and sometimes with them open. When I look at these drawings, they feel so powerful to me. They might not be the way my friend normally draws, but there is something very freeing and relatable in the movement of the drawing. It's as if she is sharing a bit of her soul with us.

This way of drawing could lead to a whole new way of seeing and interacting with the world! I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Drawing Mind or just begin Deep Looking drawing or Contour Drawing for yourself. Drop me a line and let me know how it works for you!

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NEW SEATTLE OCTOBER WORKSHOP!!

I'm happy to share that on October 21st I'll be hosting my Finding your Creative Voice Workshop, 10 AM - 5:30 PM at Seattle Re:Creative! If you've been waiting to take this super fun course, now is the time! Take a little time for yourself and go on an exciting journey that will help you to meet that Inner Artist that you might not have known before. If you are living in the Seattle area, I hope you can make it! It's also a great thing to do with friends or family, so why not invite them to come along?

THIS WEEK ONLY I am offering 20% OFF my Finding your Creative Voice Workshop - use the code FALLCREATE18 at checkout. 

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Finding a balance between doing and being

Finding Balance

Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to regain some balance in my life. Sometimes I get so focussed and overwhelmed by my to do list that it feels like I am constantly in my logical mind. This gives my authentic, intuitive, creative side very little space to enjoy life and be present. It's a constant journey for me to find that magical balance between doing and being.

What does finding balance look like for me?

• Pulling back from social media a bit to reconsider what I am posting and why.
• Taking time to listen to what I need first, instead of going directly to the to-do list in a manic need to get everything done.
• Thinking about what is essential in my life and what I most need to do. What are the things that I feel like I need to do but I can really cut back on?
• Re-filling my creative well by finding other creative people who can speak to what I'm going through.

 

Are you dealing with similar issues? 

I thought it might be helpful to share with you some of the things that I'm reading and listening to that have helped me restore balance. Here are a few of my favorites: 

Brene Brown on the Being Boss podcast, sharing about vulnerability for creatives
Lisa Congdon talks freely on her blog about how she is recovering from burnout.
At Left Brain turn Right -  Anthony Meindl's book on how to live a more creative life
The Creative Life podcast - James Taylor's podcast in which he interviews creative entrepreneurs
Gather the People - A book by Sarah J. Bray where she shares a simple, honest approach to creating work
I am not hustling and I am not crushing it - Kerry-Anne Gilowey talks about how to deal with chronic physical issues or other things in life that challenge our idea of perfectionism

Stepping back a bit has given me some time to come up with new ideas for classes and projects. Stay tuned in the coming weeks, when I will have some exciting things to share with you!

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Finding freedom in your art is a process. We are all growing and learning every day. I truly believe that I can help you to step outside of your negative thoughts and embrace your natural way of creating.

Are you ready to get started? 

In my Finding your Creative Voice E-Course you can:

• Let go of self-judgement and learn strategies for authentic creative expression

• Experiment with various mediums and styles such as watercolor pencils, pens and collage

• Create an entire project from inspiration to completion 

• Using your sketchbook as a guide, you will begin to see your own style emerge through observing what naturally draws you to creative flow

• Gain confidence to keep a creative practice that will enrich your life

• Get encouragement from others who are on their own journey and experience a warm and accepting community

No art experience necessary! Open to beginners or advanced students. 

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Do you have creative tips, tricks or questions?

I would love to include any ideas that you have on how to jump start your creativity or take it to the next level. What have you found that's worked for you? Or do you have questions that I can answer in my next newsletter? Email me at esther@estherloopstra.com and let's create a creative community!