Michele Karlsson Art

Drawing as a Spiritual Practice – 10 minutes a day

By the end of our four week course aspiring, emerging, and established artists will have built a daily routine that is the foundation of every successful artisan’s creative practice.

Not a “creative”? That’s not a reason to say no to this idea. Consider this a self-care practice that requires no special tools, no technology, no special talent and has few rules aside from showing up, while the benefits will support your entire day.

Keep it simple

A simple pencil and paper is all you need. IF (big if) you want to use higher quality tools for your practice you certainly can but don’t put off starting until you have the right supplies or the right space to practice in.

Show up

99% of any practice isn’t the practice at all, it’s simply showing up for it. Typically the million reasons we can list for not doing something are often self-imposed roadblocks to justify not showing up. Just showing up is a success.

Consistent time and place

It’s easier to show up for your practice when you make a regular space, both time and place, for this activity. Remember to keep it simple; for example at your kitchen table right before breakfast with a #2 pencil and loose leaf paper is all you need to build a self-care practice. Our mind is a muscle, and just like a physical muscle our mind is strengthened when it’s exercised regularly.

That being said, this is a practice that can travel and accommodate change so don’t let a busy lifestyle or vacation plans stop you from claiming your space and calming your mind.

Commit/community

Committing is scary, no question about that. Too often our new year’s resolutions don’t even make it out of the second week of January, not even when we pay for a membership or buy the perfect tool to change our lives. Sometimes going it alone just doesn’t inspire us the way we had hoped, and the time involved seems too much. We want share our journey but not feel like someone is over our shoulders all the time.

You’ll have access to a private Facebook community where sharing is encouraged but not required, and where you can participate in conversation, encouragement and advice with other women on their own journey of self-care.

Perfection isn’t the goal

This isn’t an art class. There are very clear goals for this course and creating epic works of art every day isn’t one of them. This small daily practice isn’t a replacement for more robust studio work. This practice is meant to act as a warm up for your day, moving your hands but also limbering up your mind and eyes to see and do more than you thought possible just yesterday.

Daily guidance

This isn’t a challenge or prompt course. Simple is always the goal with this time we spend with our paper and pencil. Every day you’ll put a mark on a blank page: it can be a scribble, a random shape or a series of lines. Look at the mark you’ve made and find something in it to draw out. It can be animal, vegetable or mineral. It can be real or fantastical. It can be a thing or a pattern like a Zentangle.

In the beginning it’s less important what your page ends up looking like than the fact that you sat down and put something down on the paper. Over time you’ll find that your eyes become better at discovering shapes and patterns hidden in your mark and your hands become skilled at drawing out what your eyes see.

Every Monday a new module drops with inspiration and goals. On Thursdays I’ll host a Q&A session (I’ll also take questions via email) and every day is feedback day. We’ll also stay connected on Facebook where we can share our drawings and/or thoughts, challenges and inspirations in a private group.

The transformation

At the end of our four weeks together you will have created a self care habit that has the power to change the way you see and think about the world around you but you will have also found deep inside yourself a well of energy and creativity that enriches your every day.