A Special Note for The Grown-Ups Table

Pardon the mess, my heart exploded.

Hey GUT Fam.

This one is late today. You’re getting me in real time, GUT friends. I flew home to Oakland from a family trip yesterday that was both meaningful and challenging. I needed a big old rest. Maybe you do, too? A vacation to recover from the vacation.

Every day this busy holiday week we took time to draw our gratitude. Whether you drew one day or for seven (or none! None is fine, too!) it matters not. What matters is that we know this practice is here for us when we need it. That we can buoy our own hearts by pausing, putting our attention on gratitude, and expressing that gratitude it through creativity. That we can FLIP our way out of an Either/Or mindset and into a place of Both/And. To grow our sense of abundance. And in turn, respect and hold space for one another in an increasingly fractured world.

In day 7 of our 7 days of gratitude, we reflected on the power of chosen community, with a special focus on our creative community here in the GUT. A special someone pointed something out to me: while I talk a ton about how important the GUT community is to me, I never say exactly HOW you and the GUT impact my life.

When I drew and interviewed my sweet mom for a GUT assignment a couple weeks ago, her wise advice to me was to “tell the people you love them that you love them.”

See that last line at the bottom of the page? Love you, mama. Also, I realize I painted this on the tray table during another plane flight I took several weeks ago. Maybe I should do a future post on drawing and painting on the go!

So, heeding them both, today’s “end of the week go Gratitude dispatch” features THREE things:

Part 1. My heart-explosion AKA gratitude for you.

Part 2. A Heart Growing Doodle Drawing Assignment

Part 3. Your Gratutidues for the GUT, so you can see how much you all mean to one another.

So without further ado, Grown-Ups Table, let the heart-spiraling gratitude begin.

Part 1. Eight Reasons I, Wendy, am Grateful for YOU

Honestly, I’ve never seen, let along been part of, anything like the GUT. I am floored by the relationships - online and off - that have begun and flourished here. I’ve seen countless members share they are struggling and watched other members jump to support. I’ve watched people who live near one another self-organzine and create ongoing meetups. When members express fear and anxiety around drawing, I watch you all rush in with encouragement and cheers. THIS IS ALL YOU, GUT PEEPS. You are unlike any other. Y’all make me cry.

FYI my experience at art school was the opposite of the GUT, and while I loved part of my education, other parts I’d never wish on anyone. We are doing something different here. Because making art can be scary. Especially if we haven’t done it in a long time or we’re newbies. When I started the GUT, I was out of my practice of drawing and needed some structure to get back into the habit. I wanted to take it seriously and learn, but also hold it lightly. Not feel any pressure or judgment. And you all seemed to want that, too. I am grateful to you for being so encouraging and loving and nonjudgmental so that I can take creative risks and try new things every week. True, I am teaching you all to let go of perfectionism - and I’m learning right along with you.

Speaking of learning to let go of perfectionism… all these lessons I share with you eery week? The visiting artists, The Drawing 101 reviews, The weird questions I ask and and the deep dives I get to do… These are lessons for me, too! This whole thing is a way for me to learn along side you. (I guess we could also call this whole endeavor LearnTogether. But that sounds way less but the DrawTogether. ;)

Writing the GUT lessons and assignments every week helps me pause and reflect on my own experiences with drawing, art and life. This weekly teaching/facilitating gives me a real sense of how hard I’ve worked, how far I’ve come and how my experience can be helpful to others. (I hope you feel the same every time you do an assignment!)

As someone who famously hates to plan, I sure do love a good deadline. Being accountable to you every week has created a quasi-routine I am grateful for. Even when some days I’m late, like TODAY. (WendyMac: winning “Most Human” since 1975.)

When I went through the hardest time of my life, keeping in conversation with you at the GUT was key to my daily survival. It was a place I could focus on creativity, on making something, and on processing my big feelings through drawings - but without having to talk about them, just being able to BE in community with you all - was better than any expensive therapy. You all and the GUT CHAT saved my life. Thank you. I hope the GUT can be that for you should you ever need it, too.

The GUT is showing me that a new, creative economic model may be possible: if I work hard and put my resources into creating something that you value, you will put your resources into making sure that it continues. (And if someone doesn’t have the resources to cover it, we will ALL support them together.) It seems to be working. While it’s not enough to be my fulltime job yet, and pay editors, guests, etc like I’d like to, make no doubt about it, the GUT makes up a big chunk of my income. Without paying subscribers, the GUT (and DrawTogether for kids!) simply would not exist. So thank you for valuing it, and me.

GUT members have been saying it for a long time: we’re onto to something big. There’s a huge need for what we’re doing every week in the GUT. I have big ideas on how the GUT can continue to help us grow our creativity and community in new ways - to deepen and expand - to make a positive impact on the world from the inside out. And I look forward to exploring it with all of you. We are on this journey together.

One and half years in and you’ve changed my life in a million small ways, and 8 super big ones.

I am grateful for you.

Alright my GUT friends. I love you. Now let’s get on to the drawing.

Part 2. Drawing as a Grounding Practice: The DT Classic Heart Spiral

If you’ve been at the GUT longer than 6 months or did any kids DrawTogether classes, this will be familiar to you. Inspired by Lynda Barry’s spiral drawings and my own thousands of spiral phone doodles, this is one of my favorite meditative drawing practices. In just 60 seconds it can lower your heart rate, focus your attention, and calm your breathing (and anxiety.) Or it least it does mine.

It’s call the Heart Spiral.

A little more on spirals:

Louise Bourgeois said “I love the spiral. It represents control and freedom.” Louise believed the direction in which you draw a spiral changes how you feel: when you draw outside in, you feel in control. Draw inside out, you feel a sense of freedom. Try drawing heart spirals outside to in and inside to out, slowly and methodically and if you notice a difference in how they feel. And don’t forget to breathe. Want more Spirals? I got a whole drawtogether podcast episode on Spirals for ya.

How to draw a heart spiral? Draw a little heart and then slowly, carefully draw an ever enlarging spiral around it, from the inside out. Get as close as you can to the line inside, but try not to touch it. I like to follow to rule of calligraphy breathing as I was taught it: breathe in on the upstroke and out on the down stroke. But definitely take slow breaths, and keep your pen moving until 60 seconds is up.

Your assignment: draw a heart spiral for at least 60 seconds. Pay attention to how you feel before and after. In your body, your heart and your mind. And then, if you find it helpful and want to do more, do it a few more times in the week when you’re stressed or in a moment of transition. Use it as a centering practice. We all could use more of those this season. At least I know I can. :)

Part 3. YOUR GUT GRATITUDES.

I think you all should see how important you all are to one another. So your Day 7 Gratitude Drawings are below. I am moved and humbled by the kind words for my own role in the GUT. And while I’m honored to be steering the boat, we ain’t going anywhere without the whole crew, drawing and singing and dancing together.

Love you, chosen GUT family.

And I’ll see you next week.

xoxo,

w

Daisy’s Daily Doodles

Michele I have chosen to do just one drawing this week. It’s in my journal which I have been regularly doing since 2019. It doesn’t lend itself well to watercolor or some other mediums but it does to a fountain pen that I love. My sketchbook doesn’t lend itself well to my fountain pen, so I’ve been a bit indecisive about some GUT assignments. It’s the season for me to go quiet and dark. I feel I’ve been looking at the drawings of others more than looking at my own. I don’t like my brain on social media and myself always looking at my phone. So even though I think DT and GUT is important, I’m going to not renew my subscription- maybe only for a while. I want to say thank you for all the wonderful drawings and stories shared here.

Eszti (Stela) Bee Heart spirals I learnt from you during COVID while I'm recovering from COVID for the third time. So much gratitude for you, Wendy. You're the best teacher. Open, kind, encouraging, I feel the love you send out with every single carefully worded post. I'm Hungarian we don't have Thanksgiving, however I do write a gratitude journal every single day and you are mentioned several times. Thank you so much, you're the best. ❤️

Hermione (she/her) To the only reason I have this app (my only social media). To the amazing and kind community here that always welcomes me with open arms and art talks. I send love to you all 🥰 and thank you for always making me feel so welcome, even (and especially) when I think my art sucks and I’ve been away or ignoring drawing. Thanks for reminding me how wrong I am and how creative I am 🖼️ GUT 4EVER! ✍️

Corrie Wright Sending this hummingbird to Wendy and all the GUT members may we all flap wildly through life ❣️

Tammerie Oh, grown-up table… You have outgrown my ability to keep up with your global perspectives, but I am so grateful to you all anyway. Your drawings inspire and teach me, and your words and struggles and joy let me know I am not ever alone. And wow, I’ll try anything! Though faces are still my nemesis… Perfectionism though is vanquished at least in my GUT journal world! Thank you, Wendy, and thank you GUT!

Trading Places: A Dr’s Memoir I am so thankful I found GUT, one of my new families. My son got married in September, so I have a daughter-in-law. I’m still finding family and community. I love my daughter-in-law and her family. But I also have a comedy family and my friends that have become family. I’m so glad I’m drawing again! These are rough sketches but I’m finding my way.

Jill Jones Grateful for each of you ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Jude I’m coming up for a year of GUT (started with the New Years exercise) and it’s been such a rich experience. A sketchbook filled with colour and memory and observation and emotional exploration. And a gorgeous community of people there to cheer everyone on with each new post anyone makes. I am grateful on many levels - for the mental quiet that it brings, free of the screen (which is a reason I began back in Jan) and for the continuous place to return to through what has been a year of big change. Thankyou Wendy and the GUT community for bringing your fullest, best selves to this place.

Anne Kenny My favorite GUT mantras.

Anne Kenny And some reflections. Thank you @Wendy MacNaughton for creating and fostering this special community we have.

Kari Luna This was my first time doing GUT because I'm a writer, and most of my challenges are writing challenges, but I loved this one so I subscribed. I'm so glad I did! I love to draw, and love lettering, and it's been such a joy to draw in the evenings after revising most of the days this week. Thank you for being such a warm, welcoming community and for @Wendy MacNaughton for leading the awesome charge! Everything IS better when you draw together. :)

Kathryn Van Aernum I can’t say enough how this 7 days impacted me. I have loved all the posts and the open-hearted sharing. I stuck with it! Thank you @Wendy MacNaughton I got out of my way and just “flipped it.”

Marianne O, CFA This is my first week of drawing with the GUT community and I feel so much love and support already. Drawing is magical. Thanks so much to Wendy and fellow members!!

Emily Dear GUT community - Thank you!! You inspire me and encourage me and give me great Joy! We make flowers and circles together. I am so glad to be here with everyone. **** from Mary Oliver: “Don’t Hesitate” If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb. ***** Thank you everyone- for the Plenty!!

Bronwyn This is my “Grown Ups Table”. It’s a little desk in the corner of the dining room, just for drawing. Just for me. To me it symbolises a space in the house that is all mine. It’s so cliched, but after getting married and having a baby I kind of forgot who I was and what I liked a bit. Two things helped to change that: reading a book called “This is not a book about Benedict Cumberpatch” - an amazing little book (highly recommend!) about finding your *thing* and loving it like your life depends on it (because it does!). And the second thing was joining the GUT, and realising that drawing is my ‘thing’. A little while ago Wendy posed the question “As we get older and things can start to feel narrower, how do we continue to create the life we want for ourselves? In the midst of change and hard times, how do we let go of stuff we no longer want, and how do we create habits of those we do?” - such an insightful question, and exactly what this community has helped me to do! So grateful for all of you! 🙏🙏🙏

Nicola I am so grateful for this opportunity to participate in GUT and to enjoy everyone’s sharing. Today I am grateful for the morning conversation through the kitchen window with the old barn and the birch tree. It happens underneath language. It is nourishing and delightful and I don’t really know what it is. And that’s ok. Thank you barn. Thank you light. Thank you all.

Janet Grateful for this wonderful community and weekly inspiration from Wendy. Lovely to explore more emotional depth in art - rather than just drawing a thing without meaning. Also the joy of creating and being in the moment😊 Thank you! 🤗

Jackie Younker Thank you Wendy for this fantastic ‘drawing gratitude’ week! This is my first time here and I’ve really enjoyed all of the prompts, attempting to make some art myself, and most of all the beautiful posts and comments from a lovely community! This has given me the boost I need to set up a little creative space and keep it going! 🙏🏻😃

cjobindavis A big thank you for inviting us in so well. Drawing together at the grown ups table and sharing in this community is truly a pleasure!

Alexandra Cedrino GUT = Wendy Mac and the GUT family = The ship I set sail on ... = Glorious Adventure Supportive community Non-competitive community I am allowed to make mistakes. Is there really such a thing as mistakes? The glory of getting out of my own head and connecting with the world and this community. I am learning to understand how I see the world (and how the world responds).

Ryan Johnson Love, gratitude and a BIG bear hug for the Grown-Ups Table community — and Wendy, for making it all happen. I joined the group in August 2023. I was looking for inspiration and motivation to draw regularly. What I found was so much more. I’m amazed by the talent, vulnerability, generosity and support you all offer. And I’m delighted to connect and share a few smiles with you fun-loving oddballs from across the globe. This is no small thing happening here. Thank you, Wendy!

Cindy Michaud I did all 7 days! As an early GUT-er I have enjoyed growing, finding that even a little bit on a page was a good thing. And I got a pen-pal out of the deal which has been a real good thing. Here is to acceptance (of ourselves, our efforts and of others and of course, those things we cannot change....) in the season and beyond.

Yana Thank you so much, GUT community!

Sharyn Inzunza So grateful to be part of this wonderful community. Thank you, Wendy, for all you do. The GUT is where I experience absolute joy and great hope for a kinder world.

Valeska So true! GUT-Friends, I‘m grateful for all of your shared drawings and stories. This community helped me to start drawing and keep going. I feel save with you and encouraged. We are loving out loud. I think, that’s what the world needs in abundance. I’m glad, Wendy, you started the GUT. You are so motivating, heartfelt, caring and a cool teacher. It’s lovely to be a part of this community! Everything is better when we draw together ❤️