Drawing Paths For Presence & Focus⁣

Erica Hart, 2014

I started this practice in high school as a way to to pass the time on my way to and from school. I like doing blind contour drawings (drawing your subject without looking at the page), and as an extension of that I started to map out the paths of people around me. I’m not sure if I had seen this instructional based drawing anywhere.. I must have. ⁣
Anyway, I’d start with a person nearby, drawing the path they were walking in. Once they left my field of view I’d move onto another person. Sometimes I’d try to map out multiple pathways at once. The pages would be simple and empty or filled with zig zagged patterns and messiness. I remember doing this while sitting outside on a patio in New York once. The busy street was the perfect muse.
⁣
I’ve spent the last couple weeks in a creative slump, and this really helped to satisfy the desire to do something creative, without forcing or putting pressure on myself to ‘make something good’. ⁣
⁣
Now that I’m revisiting this practice, I’m noticing how the practice of mindfulness and presence is at the root of it. A creative and physical way to bring yourself into awareness while directly focusing on what is happening around you. If you feel moved to, give it a try.