6 Essential Reasons to Sketch Everyday

We don't learn to draw to become artists. We learn to draw so we can see.

It turns out, sketching out the ladybug crawling up the marigold stalk or the dog sleeping under the tree is an excellent way to improve brain power, become more creative, and learn how to think.

Austen Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work showcased an interesting article in his newsletter about the benefits of drawing and why it might be a great idea to put down the camera- at least for a while.

The author of the article shares how 20th century John Ruskin was highly concerned about the use of photography. People, this was back in the early 1900's and yet, John was concerned . He was concerned because the more people relied on photographs, the less they sketched. The less they sketched, the less they were developing their thinking, learning how to observe, and observe what was going on around them.

Why was this so important to Ruskin?

Because: the point of drawing and sketching is not to become an artist. The point of sketching is to see.

The person who spends time sketching is  utilizing the parts of their brain, different parts of their brain, than when we take a picture.

Studies have been done on this. People who sketch tend to be more observant and aware of their surroundings than people who don't sketch. I'm not talking about photographers who have spent 10,000 (if not more) hours learning their art and their tools. They have spent the time observing, learning, noticing.

This is for the rest of us whose phones are filled with hundreds of pictures we don't even remember taking.

Would you consider putting down your camera for a day (that includes your phone) and pick up a sketchbook.

For all of you who are objecting (or clicking away), I'm addressing your resistance to drawing!  Read on (and pull out the sketch pad!) It's going to be fun!

6 Objections to Drawing (and why to draw anyways!)

Taking pictures is easier.

Absolutely! And faster and they might be prettier. But the point of sketching is to see differently, to strengthen the muscle of our right brain so we can learn to see the possibilities and opportunities in all of life.

Sketching takes too much time.

One of the benefits of sketching (or drawbacks) is the time it takes. However, researchers note the importance of slowing down is integral to becoming more observant. Rarely do we make profound observations in a rush.

Sketching/Drawing feels awkward.

Yes, just like learning a foreign language, it feels clunky and awkward.

Your flabby right brain is resisting- just like when we learn anything that is new and hard.

Anything that doesn't come naturally is going to feel weird but the more we do it, the feeling will go away. In this case, our left brain is screaming because we are making her uncomfortable. She wants to be fast, precise, exact and we are telling her to "Be quiet! We've got work to do! We ARE going to learn this new skill and build some more gray cells!

I'm not good at drawing!

You will get better. I will get better. Check out Betty Edwards's Drawing for the Right Side of the Brain  or

No, seriously. My people look like aliens.

Again, the point of the this is not create pictures to hang on your living room wall. This is more of a brain exercise than anything else.

Challenge: I'm putting down my camera for two weeks. I'm a fairly avid photographer so this is going to hurt a bit. Oh, and that goes for my phone camera too. I may take pictures of art work but I won't be t

There's a lot of stuff I'd rather not draw.....like the lines around eyes and nostrils.

Try this:  start drawing upside down.

Take the picture you want to draw and flip it so it is upside down.

Take another piece of paper (preferably a solid color so it doesn't distract the eyes) and cover all but the top of the page.

Draw only what you see.

When you're done, move the covering page down an inch or so.  Continue to draw.

Here are a few of my upside down drawings.  They're a little awful but remember, the point is not create pretty pictures. The point is to learn to observe and see the lines and nuances of what we are seeing.  My brain didn't know to avoid the lines of the eyes and the curve of the tie because my brain wasn't computing what I was looking at.

I have to address the stuff I usually try to move around when I draw upside down. I don't /can't avoid it.  This makes me think- what am I afraid of in real life that I move around so I don't have to address it?

Would you like to get out of a personal and creative "stuck?"  Sign up for my e-newsletter and receive 10 creative exercises to get your creative flow going again (plus, why we get stuck and how to get out of it).