Welcome to ‘Draw What You Love’, everybody, and what a fantastic start. We’ve had submissions from around the world already, from Chicago in the US, and from Birmingham, York and Holmfirth both here in the UK. Thank you for these fantastic, mindful drawings that you all took time out to do last week. I hope you enjoyed your time drawing! Did it help you to take time to slow down, to breathe and to observe something wonderful around you? One person reported it felt a bit like meditating. Someone else said they noticed thoughts telling them they couldn't draw, but they did it anyway! Well done! This project is about using drawing as a way to focus on what we love, on what is good in our lives. If you are viewing the images on a mobile phone, you may need to click the little white dot in the bottom right corner of each picture to view information about the artwork.
Would you like to draw what you love? Would you like to have a fun weekly practice that reminds you to be in the present moment? Then come and join us. We are using drawing as a way to support living mindfully, seeing the gifts and wonders that are available in every moment that we might not otherwise see. Sharing our pictures with others provides support to keep going! The commitment is one drawing or painting a week, using any medium you like. At the end of each week send me your artwork.
You do not need to have any experience in drawing, the project simply uses drawing as a way to connect to ourselves and the world around us. The act of drawing can help us to be present to the good things in our lives.
Carrying a small sketchbook around with you will help you to take mini mindful drawing moments. Take five to thirty minutes to make a sketch. What is in your life right now that you think is beautiful, that makes you feel joy, love or gratitude? Slowly, mindfully, draw that thing. It might be one glorious petal on a flower. A few delicate veins on a leaf. A few lines of a serene view. A steaming cup of tea. Or the amazing smile of a good friend. It may be an imaginative image that comes to you in response to what you love. ‘The daily small painting, a small resource and time commitment, is an exercise in absolute focus for that time period. It's like a meditation, really.’ - Gaye Adams
This project will raise funds for The Africa Vulnerable Children Project in Zambia, Africa. The recommended donation for this project is £2 a month (you can of course donate any amount).
‘Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.’
By Mary Oliver, excerpt from the poem ‘Sometimes’.
Please contact me using my contact page if you would like to take part in this project - I look forward to hearing from you. Please also contact me if you are interested in a Draw What You Love workshop. * Click on the images for information about each drawing, or click on the little dot in the bottom right corner of your screen if viewing on a mobile device. ** Many of the art quotes in the blogs below come from: http://www.art-quotes.com
