Creating stuff makes you feel good

And might help you to figure out who you are. Come and create with me. Inspired by Grayson Perry.

It can be difficult to give yourself permission to do something just because. But. I’ll let you into a secret. Once you start giving yourself this kind of permission, it gets much easier.

On Saturday we went to the Grayson Perry exhibition at The Wallace Collection in London. The exhibition is Perry’s response to the museum’s collection. It is outlandish, fun, bold and extremely thought provoking. I left wanting to rush home and pick up a pen and draw.

I don’t have any artistic training, but I enjoy drawing. And so, on Sunday afternoon I sat in the chair which looks out over my garden with the patio doors wide open. I had a perfect view of my little pond, and I had an A4 sketch book and some pens and pencils around me. I just drew.

The first thing I drew was the pond. Of course. And then I started drawing flowers and leaves in my garden, including a leaf of an acer. I really started to notice the very precise details of this form; the way the delicate edges spiked up and down and the gradual colour change of the stem.

Later I tried an exercise to draw something with my non-dominant hand (for me, my right hand). I decided to draw the houseplant – a donkey’s tail in a glass terrarium – which was next to where I was sitting. The idea behind an exercise like this is that you (probably) can’t capture the same amount of detail that you would get with your dominant hand and so you have to instead focus on an impression. It was hard, but I also enjoyed it and found myself working in a way that I wouldn’t otherwise.

The final thing I went on to draw was a Grayson Perry inspired doodle of all sorts of random things. I’m not sure I could explain it, but I particularly enjoyed making patterns and choosing colours for it. I’ve included a gallery of these doodlings below to prove how random and imperfect they are.

I’m telling you this because I think we should all have the opportunity to have a go at making something. Even if we think we’re not very good at it, it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to draw or write or paint to show anyone. You do it for your own pleasure and to learn things about yourself.

I truly believe we should all have something we can immerse ourselves in creatively. Something we do to help us forget our worries or anxieties for a short while. Something we do to clear our mind and feel calm, even if only for a few minutes.

I posted a note on Substack about my hour or so of drawing on Sunday afternoon, complete with a video of a goldfinch drinking from my tiny pond.

I was able to notice the little bird because I was in a focused mode, yet I had a comment from someone which simply read ‘Nice life’.

There are many things I might read into that comment, but in that moment I was happy that I had prioritised time for creating and noticing in my life right now. I am lucky to be able to do that, yes, but equally it was Sunday afternoon and that was what I had chosen to do.

If you’d like to have a reason to create something without any pressure to show it, and in the company of some lovely people, do come along to our Create Ensemble session which is taking place this coming Monday (19th May).

It’s online and starts at 7pm (UK time) for an hour.

We have a brief chat to begin, and then get on with our creative projects with our cameras on and sound muted. The time always flies and by 8pm you will have made something and you will feel calmer and more grounded for it.

To join, simply register by following the link accessible below the paywall. You will also find a gallery of my Sunday afternoon, Grayson Perry inspired drawing session. Something I plan to continue with on Monday evening. See you there!