Ying-Fang Shen
After coming across an article about Norway considering gifting Finland with a mountain in celebration of the centennial of their independence, I was inspired to draw. In this activity, you will find a true story that will connect you with something happening in this world outside of yourself, and use it as inspiration for a drawing. Allow the process of drawing to be a meditative one, free of judgment of the end result of what you see on the page.
Choose one of these true stories from National Geographic.
Or find your own true story in the news that you consider touching. Read it through by yourself, do not discuss it with others, and then respond to it with a drawing. The drawing can be any type – from representational to completely abstract. Try to conceptualize your thoughts with color, shapes, and even movements. Create this drawing in ten minutes. Later (may be 3 days or a week after), revisit the drawing. As you may not remember every detail of the story and why you made the drawing the way it is, respond to what you drew with a more current perspective and memory of the story – creating another drawing in ten minutes.
Repeat the process for three times. Then, organize your thoughts by reading the article again. Next, edit your three drawings according to your thoughts at the moment.
This activity can also be done with a group of friends. After drawing together on a large sheet of paper, respond to the story orally, and then edit the visuals together according to the conversation.
If you want to share an image of your drawing, please submit a photo here by clicking on participate.
You may move on to the wrap up video and concluding breathing exercise of the session by clicking on continue.
CONTINUE
