Day 29. The Power of Imagination
... to create the world you want to see. Also, to make some silly, spontaneous, ridiculous, wonderful chance drawings that you never could've imagined in a million years
My dear DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table drawing friends… It’s day 29.
DAY 29.
Can you believe it?? The penultimate day of our 30-Days of Drawing. Wow. (I already miss our daily chats.)
Before we dive into our 29th lesson and assigment, I wanted to answer a few questions y’all have been asking.
“WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE 30 DAYS?”
So glad you asked. The 30 days may be ending, but your membership to this amazing creative community is just beginning. After the 30 Days, I will continue to share weekly drawing lessons, visiting artist interviews, guest workshops, artist spolights, field trips and more every Sunday. Subscribers will continue to get weekly drawing prompts and access to the community, just like the past 30 days. In 2025 we have some live meetups and lessons online (can’t wait to see your faces!) Subscribers will be the first to hear *big news announcements* (yes good news is coming!) Stick with me. It’s gonna be fun.❤️
“I want to meet and draw IN PERSON with GUT members. Does anyone live near me so we can meet up and draw together?” and, “How can I keep in touch with people?”
I am delighted so many people want to meet up IRL and Draw Together, and I would love to support any mini-GUT group meet-ups in 2025. We’re going to need the in-person community. Creative community, especially. To get us started, I’m starting a specific a subscriber only chat today where we can all share our locations, and let folks know if you’re interested in meeting up IRL to draw. If you are looking to connect with others in your area, scroll the list and feel free to DM each other to be in touch and plan. While we leave the organizing to you, we are happy to help faciliate. If you do gather as a groups, maybe we can even figure out some fun swag to send you. :) Leave a note for Art Auntie Kathleen and myself if you need help. ✏️
Also! On Sunday I will send you a short survey. Please please take a few minutes to fill it out and tell me what you got out of the 30 Days of Drawing. I’d love to hear how the lessons and the act of dailyy drawing impacted you, and just hear your general feedback on your experience of drawing together in general. Who knows, maybe your responses could end up in a book someday. ;) ❤️
“Do we have a VERY special commencement speaker for our 30 Days of Drawing Graduation tomorrow?” YES WE DO!!
“Who is it??” I’m not telling.
Alright, any other questions? Let’s keep talking in the comments.
Woot woot. Okay, now let’s get on to the penultimate day!! And I don’t know about you, but i could use a little fun right now. A little silly make-stuff-up kind of drawing day. Let’s get silly.
The Doodle Game
Over the past 30 days of drawing, I have shared with you a lot of my favorite drawing practices, all designed to help you focus your attention on what’s important, and embrace an ethos of Good Enough on and off the page. But I saved the best for last. My FAVORITE drawing game of all time is called….The Doodle Game, and it’s one of the best ways i know to get the creative juices flowing AND have a good silly time alone or with a friend (of any age.)
I learned this game in art school from my friend Jason and/or maybe his roommate (who shaved half his body as an art project?) I can’t remember which. Anyway, we were actually quiet serious about our art (and ourselves, shocker) and would use this game to loosen our brains before getting to work. I remember it being particularly effective when played at an all-night coffee shop, fueled by a mixture of coffee, tea and condensed milk. (Ah, to be young.)
The Doodle Game similar to a game the surrealists played called Decalcomania. In Decalcomania, an artists uses CHANCE to create a print image and then turns the result into an unexpected image. You can see in the image below how the artist turned an abstract squish into a lion bicycle. As you do.
It’s also similar to to an analysis technique used by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott - the same guy behind the theory of transitional objects (like blankets and stuffies) and the “good enough” mother. He used a version of the doodle game with young children to help them communicate ideas and feelings. But he called it "The Squiggle Game.” Cool, right?
Okay, so anyone can play this game, age 4-104. You can do this with another person, or on your own. All you need is paper and a pen, an open mind and wide open eyes, and your imagination. And a sense of humor also helps.
It is also the perfect game to play when the world hands you challenging news every five minutes. When we feel overwhelmed or anxious or fearful, instead of despairing, MAKE SOMETHING. More, make something with your hands that you are uncertain of the outcome. When we can make something out of nothing and surprise ourselves, we remind ourselevs of the power of creativity. It is the antidote to depression. It is the opposite of paralysis. Creativity - drawing - is power.
Okay, ready? Last day of doodles, y’all. Let’s play.