marie j.engelsvold

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Let your feelings be your guide.

You have probably experienced a lot of times where you got stuck in your drawing process. You begin to think about if you like your drawing, and if it would fit into the livingroom. Suddenly you start censoring yourself, judging yourself and you might stop the whole project. Another drawing is ending it's life in the bin. ( see my post: Wait before you throw your drawing in the bin)

In our society and in the schoolsystem, we often learn to use our analytical skills more. We are told to lisen't to the authorities, and so vi gradually lose contact with our own feelings, and the way we see things. (see my blogpost: "Why it's important to unlearn). Of course of that, many of us have difficulties in living creatively, and expressing ourselves in a unique way. When we are creative, and only uses our mind, it's difficult. The mind wants to have full control, to draw things that it knows, and can explain, and generally have a quick result without too much effort. 

Most children loves to draw, and do it quite intuitively. Children don't draw what they see, more how they feel it. These drawings have an irresistible radiation. Because they don't censor themselves and they don't censor their feelings. But at a certain age, we want to make drawings that are naturalistic and "correct". When we fail, many of us drop to draw. We think we don't have the skill. We want to be able to draw what we see. In school we don't learn to draw, like we learn to read.

If you want to be abel to draw naturalistic, I can recommend  the book ”Drawing of the right side of the brain” of Betty Edwards.

But I'am more concerned about the fact, that we loose our ability to draw what we feel. A lot of people have difficulties with feelings. We don't have a proper language for feelings, because they many times are wordless. But through drawing or creating we can be connected with parts of ourselves, which might have been buried for a long time. 

When we have contact with our feelings, our drawings will be more authentic and playfull. We are not afraid to dwell in the process. Connecting different things to create something new. You have to give your feelings a chance to lead the process, without the mind interferring all the time. In the beginning it might be a good idea to be more focused on connecting with your body and feelings. Gradually you can incooperate your analyzing skills. The result is to be abel to create without judging your creative process. To flow and be intuitive, when you decide you want to connect with your feelings. And being abel to decide when you will stop the process, and work more mind based and analytical.

Creating is actually a balance between the mind and the feelings. But letting your feelings be the guide, so your artwork will be brave and authentic. Try it!

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