How My Child-Like Drawing Keeps Me Grounded

Have you tried figuring out what activity works for you whenever you want to release any thoughts, strong emotions, or pressure in your body? The kind of activity that will relieve your sadness, anxiety, or anger. I asked the same question when I was in high school, and I figured out that “drawing” is the most effective outlet for me whenever I hit rock bottom or whenever I feel immense pressure.

Art is so wonderful, obviously, but most of us really don’t know how to use it. While some already have a surface idea and description of art, there are many who still don’t realize how effective it is as an emotional outlet. As its definition says, art is a form of expression; hence, through art, we express the thoughts and feelings we cannot express directly for some reasons. It is through art that we learn the power of creative expression.

I have been fond of art since high school, but until now I still draw figures in the ugliest way. I guess I just learned how to love it but never learned how to perfectly draw. But the mindset of drawing perfectly didn’t last long in my mind, as more of the positive side of it dominated my way of thinking. The pressure of drawing perfectly was replaced by the idea of rightly expressing things without being afraid of someone’s criticism of your art. The goal, or my goal, is to always feel it all and put these emotions and thoughts through relaxing figures. It was when I realized I have to be authentic and free in drawing that I learned how to enjoy it in the most enjoyable way.

Today, I prepared my coloring materials and sketch pad on my study table and opened my sketch pad with a heavy feeling in my heart. I will not go into the very details, but I’ll say I needed to draw today to release it healthily. Aside from journaling, drawing is another way of dealing with things for me. So I cleaned the table, put every material I have, and drew what I found on Pinterest for inspo, then used a bit of my imagination to add some part of me to the drawings.

If you were to ask what my favorite animal is, I would answer silence. I love all animals, and I would never trade one for another and would never answer this question. Every animal in the animal kingdom has its own space in my heart, so today, I tried to figure out which one reflected my mood. I was a bit blue, so I decided to draw blue whales and other blue sea creatures so it would feel real and satisfying.

I started drawing the blue whale, then proceeded to draw a sea turtle, then a shipwreck, then a flower I supposed to be at sea, and then a blue heart. I was just in the flow of my drawing activity. I didn’t care what I was drawing, as long as it reflected my inner state. The blue shades made it peaceful, and upon looking at and drawing these figures, I felt recharged and seen.

On the other side of the sketch pad, making sense of its blank pages, I drew the opposite mood. I drew flowers in different kinds of species, but to be honest, I don’t know what kind of flowers they are. I just found inspo on Pinterest. Color choices would really matter to me at first, but when I experience the state of flow, I just pick colors I think would best reflect me and use them randomly. That’s how I always end up with colorful drawings.

If you noticed, I draw in a child-like style. It is because that is how I see myself in art: a child who draws whatever he thinks of without thinking of the people around him, nor the past, neither the future. He draws without expectation and without limitation. I know that art shouldn’t be perfect, unless you are competing in a contest, but for this, like some kind of hobby, it should make sense primarily, not be perfect. So I draw like a child because that is how it gives me the peace and relaxation I need. I am always a fan of child-like art, as well as literature for children like fairytales and songs for children.

In the end, drawing becomes my quiet space, where feelings are allowed to exist without explanation. In those simple lines and colors, I find relief, honesty, and a version of myself that feels safe enough to breathe.