Sketching and drawing boosts brain flexibility
If you draw manually, you don’t need to purchase any brain flexibility and memory boosting supplements and medications. Manual drawing as an activity is far more superior to writing, reading, solving crosswords or simply memorizing words. Lots of research has been done in this area to date, and it’s important to point people in this direction, but I didn’t need any research to be sure about how much manual drawing increases memory, focus, decision making and any type of activity where engagement of the brain is required.
Just get started
From the first days at school, I couldn’t help but notice how easy it was for me to recall and remember things without any effort. I had only excellent and the best grades in all school subjects from elementary school, to high school to University, especially in math, chemistry, history, biology, geography and foreign languages (Russian and German), although I spent very little time studying. I lived in a very different environment back then. We had no nursery schools, kindergartens or similar available in early 1960 in Soviet Latvia. Both parents worked, my grandmother was always busy, I was practically on my own. I started to draw very early. I was drawing anything which was around and since I didn’t have a special drawing paper I was using wrapping paper or any paper which had space for my potential drawing.
Practice is the mother of skill
During all school years, including high school, I drew every single day and read a book a day. We didn’t have internet, computers or even TV back then. Photos were taken on exceptional occasions, like wedding or big anniversary. My drawing was always based on my own visual perception and ability to recreate what I saw. Nobody ever taught me or explained how to draw, but I experienced almost daily discoveries in recreating volume, dimension, getting good shadows and so forth. I studied available books going systematically through art history from ancient Egyptians to French impressionists, to Russian and West European classic art and Latvian artists. I illustrated every single book I read. I drew death masks of Egyptian princesses, Nefertiti’s head, Roman citizens, renaissance buildings, book characters. Nobody paints in my family and never did, so, it was a complete self-development.
I was right
After I started teaching, I noticed very quickly that my German language groups which also did drawing course with me, succeeded much faster than the others in languages also. Later in life, I paid special attention to how well somebody’s memory was depending on whether they loved drawing or not. When internet became available, I could see that my guess was 100% correct. Other people had also noticed the mental and memory advantages which were apparent in people who loved drawing just about anything.
Research backs me up
Research has proven the superiority of manual drawing over other similar activities. You can check out Canadian University of Waterloo research pages which show why manual drawing works so well in boosting memory. Nowadays, people do not have to write or draw a lot because devices can do all of that. It works best when you do not focus on the result, but on the drawing process. Research also finds that improvement of brain activity and brain cell longevity does not depend on quality of drawing. It’s the process and the way we handle the image mentally and recreate it using vision and manual drawing. Even when you’d describe the drawing as bad or poor, it still has done so much good for the brain. Result matters if you are entering an art competition, but it doesn’t if you are doing exercises for the brain and your memory.
No need for perfection
People also want everything to be perfect nowadays, and to get that result immediately, therefore, they’d trace or project photos, print off outlines or the entire image and so forth. Well, that is the part of drawing which won’t give the necessary boost to the brain because, like I mentioned before, the key is the image processing and active recreation of it. You will still learn new things, and that is always advantageous, but to a lesser level.
Engage in manual drawing, develop a habit
I had to write this because I’m seeing how many ads ask you to purchase all kinds of supplements, medications and use treatments to improve memory and brain flexibility. Why not to enjoy a wonderful meditation-like state of mind and achieve a great memory naturally? Drawing also doesn’t require many art supplies, just decent paper and sharp pencil. Try using no eraser and that will allow you advancing much faster. Once somebody has gotten started with drawing, they’ll soon feel that it turns into habit, as you might know developing a habit takes approximately 90 days. You will get blocks of drawing paper, possibly a sketchbook and carry them around wherever you go because it is simply fantastic.
My new art classes
Please, enjoy the beautiful watercolor wash and black pen line art. I decided to share the overview since pen and watercolor art will be the subject of my first online downloadable art instruction classes.
Drawing and sketching with pen and watercolor wash is an excellent way to familiarize with painting techniques, color mixing, composition and watercolor as such.
For my art prints, please check out FAA:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Beautiful artwork!
I wish you much success with your online course, Inese. I agree, it is progress and not perfection with all forms of art.
Many Blessings, Lisa
Thanks Lisa!
I’m in a high risk group, therefore, I cannot restart real art classes, although, there have been so many requests. I will start with downloads and go from there.
at the moment, the biggest problem is renovation. Landlord cannot put it off because the adjustments somebody has done to this place are in violation of fire code, so, it’s going to be a few tough weeks, and I’m not sure yet whether the dust and noise will prevent me from doing anything meaningful.
I certainly hope, it won’t be too bad and I can paint and draw somewhere without being disturbed too much, but that’s not for sure.
Have a good weekend!
Inese,
This pandemic has been difficult for us all. I am unable to teach in person also. I especially miss teaching creative writing at the senior center.
I am developing an online course on a different topic, although it is a lot of work. The downloads is a good idea for you to get started. If you have the audience, go for it!
Sounds like a good idea to do your work elsewhere, while the renovations take place. Take Care and enjoy your weekend as well.
Many Blessings, Lisa
I miss live classes also. I’ve been teaching for many years, decades, in fact, and it’s very clear that online cannot replace the direct live contact. Online is just a patch and requires a very devoted person who won’t give up after the first attempt.
I know that any course is so much work.
I hope your online course turns out well.
The only place other than my studio which wall will be removed and placed back is outdoors in the backyard. So far, the weather is nice, but who knows.
I can spend some time there, but serious work won’t happen most likely.
Enjoy the weekend!
An on-line course!!! This is exciting news, Inese and I look forward to finding out more details. Your article on brain function and memory is brilliant and one that I will be thinking about in the coming days. I appreciate your dedication to creativity and your encouragement of others to pursue an artistic journey. All the best, Rebecca
Thanks very much!
I’ve seen for many decades how this works, it really does.
I have been trying to figure out why people are quite reluctant to the idea.
I’m very worried about all kids who cannot even write manually any longer, and managing a pencil would replace that skill to some extent.
We must replace anything we lose, and we’re losing a lot thanks to AI. AI progresses extremely swiftly, humans are already behind. We have to make use of a brain exercise every single day. Why not do it with pencil, pen and some watercolor? It’s difficult to get art supplies at the moment , but such painting really doesn’t require much.
I’d jump straight on the downloadable class, but, unfortunately, I first have to survive renovation while staying in this place. Landlord cannot put it off, and that’s going to be a big test and slow me down. I hope for the best, but renovation doesn’t happen without, dust, dirts, noise and disturbance.
Have a good weekend!
I agree wholeheartedly – we must keep our minds and fingers working. I have even gone back to cursive writing this year. All the best through he renovations. Take care of yourself.
I really hope it will be tolerable!
Stay safe and enjoy the long weekend!
Fall and how beautiful it is in your performance
Thanks! We are getting there, yes, the first leaves falling, but flowers still in bloom.
It’s not that I’m very excited about the summer ending, but that’s just the natural cycle of nature.
You are right, I fully agree with you
Have a nice weekend!
For you too
Thanks!
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Beautiful works, Inese. Drawing like any activity involving fingertips is very beneficial for the brain. Great to hear about your online classes. Best of luck!
Thanks very much Inese! Long time no see, LOL.
While I have started to create everything, this silly renovation will be big and annoying disturbance. I hope to work around it, but we’ll see.
I hope you’re doing fine, it looks like you are not going back to Latvia.
I haven’t been since mom’s funeral in Feb 2019.
Who knows, maybe we are fine next year around this time.
Have a good weekend!
No Inese, it is almost a decade since I went to Latvia last time. I remember you wrote about your mother’s passing, but I wasn’t too active on WordPress since last spring. It was a challenging year, and it still is.
Have a nice Sunday you too. Hope you are well.
Oh, I see!
I hope challenges are not health-related.
I talk with my sister and daughter regularly, they are doing fine over there.
I am, too, on and off, such times when it’s hard to know what we will have to do next.
Have a nice Sunday also!
Thank you!
great encouragement! too often we think we must excel at everything 🙂
Thanks! That’s the problem: most people want to be perfect right from the get-go. It simply cannot happen and so they give up the new thing before they have started.
Great article! I just shared into a Group I started on Facebook earlier in the year, ‘Art Expressions.” 🙂
Thanks! I appreciate that.
I have a Facebook page and profile, but I’ve been very busy recently, and we had to go through a live-in renovation and that has set me back so much that I didn’t get a chance to post anything anywhere. I intent to very soon, maybe today.
Have a good Sunday!