Like any skill worth attaining in life, learning how to draw can be challenging, especially for self-critical beginner artists like myself.
After a long break from drawing, I decided to learn how to draw again one year ago and looking back; I can safely say this has been one of the best decisions that has profoundly impacted my life. Here are 6 of the most important benefits I have personally experienced by learning to draw over the past year.
1. Drawing helps to slow down the pace of life.
The most significant change I have noticed after trading the time I used to spend aimlessly on social media with learning to draw for about one year is the feeling of being more present in the moment.
Drawing consistently has meant I have less time available for social media, and it is only after doing this for a while I have realized how accustomed I had become to getting drowned in the endless stream of digital content that is always fighting for my attention.
I find the analog process of creating a drawing truly meditative and relaxing, and I think it is the perfect detox for excessive social media consumption.
2. Learning to draw helps us become more creative and focused.
It is well-researched thatdrawing improves our brains’ cognitive functionsand reduces stress and anxiety.
From my own experience, learning to draw has allowed me to think about something new, and I feel that this exposure to fresh ideas has helped me become more creative at solving problems across different aspects of my life.
And as someone who is easily distracted, I have found drawing to be profoundly fascinating and something I can quickly lose myself in, which is slowly building my focus muscles.
3. Learning to draw helps us to see the world from a different perspective.
Drawing regularly and studying art can inspire us to new ways of looking at the world around us and helps us to think more visually.
Once you start interpreting everything around you in terms of shapes, colors, values, and patterns, it is like you unlock a different dimension of seeing the world, making life much more enjoyable.
4. Learning how to draw is the gateway to continuous learning.
Drawing is the ultimate tool for learning or exploring anything you are curious about, whether that is people, machines, history, culture, fashion, design, architecture, nature, or fiction.
Anything that can be seen or imagined can be drawn, and drawing is the perfect hobby for anyone who wants to learn new things all the time.
I am a very visual person who has struggled to learn things by reading throughout my life. This past year, learning how to draw and studying art is helping me expand my knowledge about things I have always wanted to learn but never got around to doing so, such as art history.
5. Learning to draw can help you to connect with others.
Learning to draw can be a great way to connect with other people who are also creatively inclined. For about one year, I have been practicing drawing during office breaks, and during this time, I have been able to know and even become friends with some of my co-workers just because they saw me drawing.
As an extremely shy introvert, I could never imagine approaching these people and starting a conversation on my own, so learning how to draw has helped me grow my admittedly tiny social circle.
There are some great art communities on the web, liker/learntodraw, where you can share your sketches and get feedback irrespective of your drawing skills. From my experience, the online art community is generally quite accepting and supportive, and the sense of belonging to a tribemakes learning drawing really funas well.
6. Learning to draw offers some guilt-free fun.
The process of drawing and learning about it can be an incredibly rewarding hobby, especially when you get past your initial struggling phase and actually start to notice an improvement in your drawing skills.
Bringing things to life on a blank sheet of paper brings me immense happiness, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment that I have yet to experience while doing anything else.
