I used to create a lot of visual art when I was a teenager. I drew, painted and sketched non-stop. Art was a shelter that I could run to in order to escape to my own world, away from the stresses and disappointments of real life. Art was a type of therapy for me well before I knew about art therapy as a discipline. I was lucky to have had a very encouraging art teacher when I was a high school student. He patiently critiqued my work, gave me free rein over the art supplies that were technically meant for the whole class, and told me all about various famous artists. The biggest thing I learned from him was that art can be whatever you want it to be. There is no wrong way to be creative.
However, after his sudden passing, I found myself unable and unwilling to create art. It didn't help that my beloved, open-minded, and the encouraging teacher was replaced by a rather conventionally minded teacher who focused on teaching photo-realism (no surprise that she majored in photography). Her insistence that I create likenesses of things in the "real" ( I now prefer to say the observable world) stamped out my creative fire.
I stopped drawing and painting, choosing instead to channel my creativity into writing. I hadn't drawn or painted in years but in recent months I have rediscovered the joy of drawing. I began to draw mandalas as they seemed to be rather easy to do. I believe anyone can draw these without following any pre-set artistic conventions. There are many videos online that you can use as a guide. Also, there are a lot of pictures on Instagram if you need extra inspiration. I absolutely love the sensation of letting my creativity run free. Let me know if you have ever created art? Was there a teacher who inspired you?
