What It’s Like to Begin
Image by Kelly Sikkema
The creative process often involves setting an intention without knowing the exact outcome. We might know that we want to make a drawing (or a painting, a photograph, a poem, a piece of music, or something else), but we’re not sure exactly what it will look like, feel like, or sound like when it’s finished. We can begin with an idea, a color, a shape, or a rhythm, and see where it takes us.
Possibilities Are Waiting
In order to make something new, we must be willing to take an unfamiliar path.
Drawing can be a process of improvisation, where accidental lines and marks can open up new opportunities. We can take on a beginner’s mind (shoshin in Japanese) ~ an attitude of openness, eagerness, and freedom from preconceptions ~ when approaching our creative work.
‘If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.’
— Shunryū Suzuki
Moment of Reflection
In your sketchbook or journal, reflect on these questions:
What ideas about drawing am I holding onto? Where did these ideas come from?
When have I held myself back from taking a creative risk out of the fear of making a mistake or being judged?
What would it feel like to let go of these ideas and fears?
Last Call
A beautiful circle is forming and you are welcome to join us. Experimental Drawing is a 4-week course exploring unconventional approaches to mark-making. Learn more and sign up.
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