One Way to Take It Back

Last week, I urged you to take art back, and one way to do that is by learning to see differently.

A student in my class recently shared her previous approach to viewing art. She believed that if she saw a painting of a pencil, the artist's sole intention was to depict the pencil accurately. The viewer's appreciation was then based on how well this was achieved.

Certainly, for those who identify as artists and invest time in mastering the technical aspects of their craft, capturing a pencil in a recognizable way can be a part of the process.

But the deeper question and the deeper purpose of art can often be discovered by asking, “Why?”

Why the pencil? Why is it half-used? Why is it dull? Why is it that color? Why is it placed near another object? Why is it that size?

Now we get to the true essence of art and why it belongs to all of us. Art can convey profound meanings that may not be as effectively expressed in other forms. Visual art is a valuable tool that every human should have alongside words, music, dance, and more.

For those who may be missing this tool, cultivating your Visual Literacy skills may help you to reclaim it! Visual Literacy is “the ability to recognize and comprehend ideas communicated through visible actions or images (such as pictures),” as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

You can cultivate those skills by looking at a doodle differently than you might have previously. Let’s look at the doodle below with the following tips:

✅ Be curious about the meaning instead of judging the skill/talent.

✅ Nothing is “good” or “bad.” It’s simply an idea or information.

✅ Notice any objects. What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?

✅ Notice any colors. What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?

✅ Notice any lines. What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?

✅ Notice any textures. What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?

✅ Be open to the image having more than one interpretation. It may mean different things to different people. Or it could mean different things to you at different times in your life.

If it’s SOMEONE ELSE’S Doodle:

🖊 What you see in it could be meaningful for you! It doesn’t make what you shared wrong if the doodler does not resonate with what you shared.

🖊 Be curious and offer ideas or questions.

🖊 Try not to comment on the skill/talent.

If it’s YOUR Doodle:

✏ Try to forget what you were thinking about when you made it. Look at it as if you have never seen it before.

✏ Assume it is full of meaningful insights and ideas for you.

✏ Other people’s interpretations may or may not resonate with you. Be open to listening, but be ok with discerning what is true for you.

With these things in mind, we can free ourselves from the notion that art must be "good" to have value. We can release the idea that one must be a dedicated "artist" to create art.

We can simply enjoy the process and discover profound new significance in the outcomes!

➡ Creative Challenge: Hit reply and let me know what you saw in the doodle! Want an extra challenge? Create your own doodle and share it and your observations!