I was drawing the other day, and a friend of mine asked me, why do you think people like drawing? I gave him my reasons, and most of them were very personal. But it kept me thinking, so I wanted to research more about it.
As I asked friends and teachers, studied what science said about it, and read people’s opinions over the internet, I found that many people gave similar reasons why they like drawing, so I took the most frequent ones and put them below. Of all of them, #9 is my favorite one!
1. Relaxes the mind
Artists couldn’t agree more with this one. Apart from the satisfaction of a finished piece of art, people like drawing because of what they experience doing it. Generally described as peace, happiness, and a way to release emotions, many people -I included- feel drawing gives them freedom.
Although it may sound magical, this is something almost anyone could experience. In fact, there is a full career for it in psychology: art therapy. It is proven to be very useful in cultivating emotional resilience, boosting self-esteem, reducing distress, and many other benefits.
Grab a pencil, a sheet of paper, and give it a try! You may be surprised.
2. Boosts creative thinking
One of the things I like a lot about drawing is how it helps me think of solutions to problems.
Have you ever woken up, and right after, the solution to a problem that seemed unsolvable comes to mind? When drawing, moments like that one are very common to many artists. I would describe it as a feeling of taking all your thoughts and stopping them to then focus on them one by one, except that this is happening unconsciously.
Apart from the love and care I have for drawing naturally, the fact that it helps me think better is just another reason I like drawing.
3. Enhances Observation
People like drawing because it teaches them to rewire how they process the information of objects around them, not only when drawing. The more advanced you become at drawing, the better you will see objects in real life.
Our brains and eyes were not designed for drawing, but to quickly understand our surroundings. We don’t have to see every detail to understand what’s in front of us, but we have to pay attention to those details when drawing.
Let’s say, for example, that you invest a hundred hours studying and drawing human expressions. The obvious result is that you got better at drawing human expressions, but the not-so-obvious consequence is that you now identify them better. And the next time you talk to people, you will continuously perceive what their faces are expressing to you at all times. Who knows, maybe detectives are very good at drawing liar’s facial expressions!
You can apply this example to any drawing skill you study in-depth. If you give perspective the same amount of hours, it will be inevitable to see vanishing points and lines everywhere.
4. Activates the reward system of the brain
As you may know, dopamine is one of the main reasons why people do anything. Drawing activates this same system, so there is a big chance that the more you draw, the more you’d want to draw again. You can read more about this study from the University of Drexel.
I can see how this happens. When you draw, every time you stroke a line, you immediately see progress, and that progress will motivate you to do the next stroke repeatedly. There’s nothing like the feeling of a finished drawing.
However, and this is important, don’t focus on the result! Results and improvements come with time; you just need to keep drawing and enjoy the process.
If you’re reading this blog because you want to see if drawing is something you’d like to do, take note that your brain will like to do it, and you’re your brain! Do it; drawing is the best that can happen to anyone!
5. It is a primal human expression
Even in the most profound ages of time, people had always found drawing interesting. We cannot ask our oldest ancestors why they liked drawing, but they sure did draw a lot. Drawing is in our genes.
Our ancestors transferred knowledge through their drawings, and we now use them to do the same and express many other things, like emotions, dangers, and ideas. If there’s anything inside you telling you to draw, maybe it is because of this. Don’t ignore your instincts; draw!
6. Explains things words cannot
Like almost any form of art, drawing allows one to express feelings and emotions that words can’t describe. People love drawing because they can create a representation of what is inside them without barriers and, in some cases, even understand themselves.
Analyzing one’s or other’s drawings is also a form of looking at your mind. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If you try to understand why the artist drew the illustration below, what would be your best guess?
Is it a person crying that can’t get in contact with others?
Is it a person that feels judged by others?
Is it a person that that was crying, wiped her tears away, and put a barrier to stop people from damaging her?
Is it a god that everyone follows?
Is the drawing trying to say you should stop looking at others and start looking at yourself?
Only the artist knows, but it can be anything an outsider wants it to be as well. Why wouldn’t people like to draw if it allows them to be so close to one’s or people’s souls?
7. Drawing Is In Your Genetics
If we take this to our first ancestors, we can see they were already drawing without influence or someone telling them to do it. Some people are just born to draw, so they like to draw because it is in their DNA.
People I talked about this told me that they’ve always remembered drawing all the time and that they enjoyed it a lot. Some said that their parents, family, and friends played an important role in making them like drawing. However, we all agreed that there are cases where everyone in the family is a lawyer, but the newborn won’t necessarily grow to be one as well. And the same applies to drawing. Although it helped them discover they like it, many of them feel they just clicked with it.
8. Lets you bring ideas to life
We’ve talked about this in some manner. People like drawing because it allows you to take what’s in your mind to the physical world. But this has many levels.
With drawing being such an essential aspect of my life, I’ve met many different types of artists, and it is just amazing what you can create with a pencil and a sheet of paper. From realistic and abstract artists to architectural and engineer artists, they all agree drawing allows them to change the world, stroke by stroke. An architect will draw impressive infrastructures and buildings, and an artist expert in realism will create the perfect scenario for a movie or draw an ageless portrait.
They like drawing because it allows them to create something new.
9. Boosts activity on the right side of your brain
This one is my favorite one. I love how sometimes drawing transports me to a different me. It’s like my logical, numerical, and most conscious thoughts shut down, and a more intuitive and unconscious mind takes over. I could be having the worst day, but enough time sketching can improve my mood by a lot.
Boosting activity on the right side of the brain is typical for artists of any kind. Mostly musicians. The left brain is in charge of analytical thinking, and the right brain is in charge of intuitive and creative thinking, and by getting in touch with the right side while you draw, you may experience many positive feelings.
An excellent book to get more information on this subject, apply it, and help you draw better is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. Truly a book that may make you see objects differently, not only when drawing.
Maybe this point is more special for me because I’ve always been a very analytic type of person, but it may be very different from you if you’re from the creative type!
10. Makes communication easier
This one is interesting. Have you ever noticed that most of your happy or sad thoughts aren’t words but images in your mind? Well, this is because our brain prefers images rather than imagining a book to remember things.
Think about it; if you go outside, that’s why you see so many symbols everywhere. Traffic signals, the male and female figures in restrooms,
recycling icons in bins, danger signs, hospitals, and many more!
Based on how natural it is for our brains to do that, it is also natural for people to try to draw at some point in their lives. One thing is describing the physical appearance of a human, creature, or something using words, but there’s nothing like a drawing of what your mind sees.
Why Do YOU Like Drawing?
So, after so many reasons, it isn’t that weird for people to like drawing. These are just ten, but almost every person has their reason to draw. What’s yours? Share it in the comments, I’d love to see why you like to draw!
