Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Location: Beach
Supplies: Large boards, board clips, charcoal, graphite, large drawing paper
The perfect activity for a small group and can allow people to explore breath, movement and creativity through the act of drawing.

Humans are designed to draw from a perceptual, neurological, muscular and kinesthetic perspective. However, from a young age, we are taught that being able to draw is an essential talent that either exists or does not exist in most people. We're held back by assumptions about how drawings come about and paralyzed by subjective notions of good and bad drawings. As a result, many are discouraged and end up abandoning their drawing practice.

This workshop will encourage us to suspend our preconceptions about drawing so each student can experiment freely without fear of failure. Through the course of the session, we will call on Japanese methods of Shodo (calligraphy) to focus on the experience of drawing versus the exercise of drawing.

Sho means to write, draw or paint while Do means "the way." Describing any human activity as a Do elevates it beyond its basic purpose and converts it to a principle or way of life. In Shodo, the most important principle is developing the harmony of the body and mind.

Through a quick series of meditations and liberating drawing exercises, we will create a framework for the experience of drawing that emphasizes attention, focus, peacefulness, relaxation and willpower.

We will continue the workshop with a short self-portraiture exercise on the beach, resulting in a series of potentially astonishing portraits that we will be able to share and keep. What will emerge will be bold and surprising works, proving that through quiet contemplation, deep resolve, and total abandonment, we can release our creative energy.

Shodo, Japanese for calligraphy, is a drawing technique that combines breathing and meditation with the physical mark. We employ zen techniques as we begin to notice and then record our surroundings.

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