As adults, we're often afraid to make mistakes or to be judged for our creative expressions. But drawing can reconnect us with the fearless artists we once were as children. Remember, when expressing yourself through art there are no mistakes, just unique creations.
So get creative and connect to your inner child. Drawing and coloring can be a fun and often quite cathartic way to work through experiences and hidden issues. It’s also a way to bring a bit of childish play into your day by focusing on bringing joy and laughter into your life.
You don't need to be an artist to start. You can just sit down with a notebook or a piece of paper, pick whatever drawing or coloring tools you like, and begin. The key is to enjoy the process of drawing and creating without worrying about the outcome. Whether it's coloring in a coloring book, sketching nature, or free-drawing emotions, each act of drawing can bring you closer to your inner child.
Here I’ve collected 20 fun, mindful, and creative ways you can use drawing to explore yourself and maybe let go of logical structured thinking and let yourself express your thoughts and feelings in a free and unconscious way.
Here are 20 ways to get in touch with your creative side.
1. What are you struggling with right now? See if you can identify which chakra you might be experiencing some tension or limitation in. Once identified, draw something using only shades of this color. (by looking at the colors associated with the chakras).
2. Draw an image of something that makes you smile.
3. Draw a picture of somebody in your life that supports you (pets included 😊)
4. What are you grateful for right now? Even in difficult times, you can probably identify something that you are grateful for, and draw a picture of it.
5. Close your eyes and draw the first thing that comes to mind. What might this image be trying to tell you?
6. What are you passionate about right now? Draw it?
7. Draw something using your favorite colors. How does the image make you feel?
8. Draw something using your least favorite colors. What did you draw and how did the finished image make you feel? Now try recreating the image, using only your favorite colors.
9. Put on your favorite song and take inspiration from it to draw something.
10. Look outside, what is the weather like? Draw something that you associate with this weather.
11. Close your eyes and try to ground yourself by using deep belly breathing and connecting with the ground. Sit and observe the sensation of centering and ground. Draw the first thought that popped into your head.
12. Pick a book, open it to a random page, let your finger run down over the page, and stop at a word. Now draw this word (even if it is not a noun, draw the experience of that word)
13. Plan a holiday break in your head and draw out one or several pictures like snapshots you will bring back from this holiday.
14. Draw something that reminds you of your childhood home. Take a moment to contemplate why you decided to draw just that.
15. Draw the most beautiful, fantasy flower, using bright and light colors.
16. Draw an image using only black and white.
17. Draw snowflakes, making intricate and mesmerizing patterns. Create as many variations in size and pattern as you can possibly dream up.
18. Close your eyes, and place your hands on your heart. Now take a few breaths and try to connect with your body. Look for whatever sensation or feeling that pops up first. Now draw that.
19. If you had a spirit animal, what would it be? Draw it, and contemplate what qualities associated with this animal you would like to embody.
20. Make a drawing using a single black pen, moving the pen in a continuous unbroken line on the paper. Once finished lift the pen and color in the shapes your drawing has made.
We can often forget the simple joys that once made our hearts leap as children. The act of drawing and coloring, though seemingly elementary, can hold the key to unlocking your connection with your inner child and rediscovering the magic of uninhibited creativity and joy.
Drawing and coloring are not just artistic activities; they are gateways to reconnecting with yourself on a deeper unconscious level. To explore your inner world from a different perspective.
So, don’t be afraid to pick up that pencil, and let your inner child guide your hand. You might just be surprised at the joy and liberation that follows.
You can also see 10 journaling actions to spark creativity
