Meditation & drawing

For me personally, Zen drawing also proved to be a powerful meditation technique. In fact, becoming Mindful was one of the reasons why I started to use this technique in the first place. I started to make sketches and drawings in quiet parks and bustling inner cities, in busy waiting rooms full of people, in quiet restaurants and in crowded public transport. I drew animals, trees, plants, flowers and people in all kind of poses and circumstances and even combined drawing with other techniques. The more I practiced with this drawing technique, the easier it became to reach the right state of mind.

Zen drawing also helped me to become more aware of myself. It confronted me with the fact that I wanted to control the result of every sketch and every drawing I made, moreover it even made me aware that I had a need to control life itself. Accepting this 'urge' felt like riding a rollercoaster without a seatbelt, but when I finally surrendered and let go, I noticed that little by little my drawings started to improve. This not only felt quite liberating, but it also made me realize that learning can be fun and effortless.
Self reflection
The advantage of using Zen drawing as a meditation technique, is that every drawing can be used as a mirror of your own state of mind. Let's say you were distracted by something while you were drawing: you will no doubt notice that the contour line you were drawing most likely will be out of shape. Do not worry about this 'mistake' on your paper, just ask yourself  "what distracted me and why did this just happen"?

In my workshops it is not uncommon to see that most people still have the urge to have a quick look at their paper, since they can't believe they are able to draw without looking at their drawing. This opinion alone can be distracting, and the actual peeking at their drawing can cause their drawing-reflex to stop working. Another frequent phenomenon, is when our lazy mind takes over and instead of concentrating and seeing every detail, our mind decides to draw by approximation. For instance when drawing a serrated leaf you start skipping every single notch you see, but draw a 'saw shape' instead. The challenge is to resume and start all over again with the highest attention for detail.

In my book 'The miracle of Zen drawing' (part of the Zen drawing Pack) I introduce two kinds of personal styles when it comes to drawing: beavers & raccoons. Serious and slow drawing 'beavers' will get stuck in detailing and need to learn to loosen up a bit. Sloppy and fast drawing 'raccoons' need to learn how to focus more on details and slow down a bit.
Opening your heart
As soon as you start with Zen drawing, you also practice Zen seeing, as Frederick Franck used to call it. In fact 'seeing' becomes more important than drawing and if you want, you can even decide to stop drawing and enjoy the moment. When drawing this way, you may even experience a moment of connection with your subject as if everything around you falls away and time stands still. When you allow this experience to open your heart -which can be a challenge- you may become connected to things that were first irrelevant to you.  It is as if your heart is speaking to the heart of whatever you are looking at. Even a simple leaf or flower can take your breath away and the things you draw and see will never be the same again once you have seen them through your own heart.
Magical moments
Over the past few years I had numerous amazing moments of joy while drawing and painting. More than once I had butterflies sitting motionless until my brush touched the paper for the last time. That was so miraculous even people around me noticed what just happened.  I saw flowers changing their colors while I was drawing. I had friends coming to see me being late or held up in traffic, that rang the doorbell the moment I finished my drawing. I spoke to all kinds of wonderful people who -when they saw me drawing and painting- started to talk to me about whatever was on their mind at that time. On all these occasions it was as if time adjusted itself to my drawing needs and the universe was saying: go on, do not worry, while you are drawing I will arrange everything else. On moments like these I realize that I am indeed connected to everything else around me.
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