I have always thought of drawing as a form of meditation or mindfulness.  It is a process which not only involves hand, mind, and heart but also it is essential to stop thinking and to and live in the moment, in fact, to go beyond thinking.

That sounds very arty-farty, I know, but everyone knows how to get into their own particular, special zone.  The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “You never exist quite so much as when you are not thinking.” and that guy knew a thing or two.  So why not grab a pencil or better still a big piece of charcoal, slip the brain into neutral and get down and dirty with a bit of sketching.  But, don’t expect perfection because it ain’t out there.

Above are of two of my recent drawings, pencil on paper.  Whilst the act of drawing involves a non-thinking mode, there is a certain thought process behind the images.

They represent the journey of life and how we should live our lives, in other words, my favourite hobby horse.   Is the journey of life just a case of getting through, going along with the crowd and joining the club or should we commit to our lives?  Should we take hold of our own life, manifest our talents and become the person that we really are?  The first drawing shows a moment in time and a moment in life on the Antrim Road, Belfast near the Waterworks Park, a very familiar location to me.  The second shows an endless stream of people walking through the centre of Belfast, passing Tesco Metro and the Reform Club.  There is a musician who, daily, scratches out a tune near this location.  He plays an unusual instrument called a Stroh violin or phonofiddle.  Here, in this drawing, he is providing the background music to this march of humanity through their lives.