​My approach to drawing is informed by a lifetime working with drawing in many different contexts​

I am far more interested in drawings that carry rather than capture. This outlook is radical and also contrary to the common aspiration to pin and to scrutinise. Fundamentally, I believe this involves a different and far more generous approach to the work.​

I advocate for the creative power unleashed through the act of drawing. I've come to realise the fundamental shifts in approach that become possible through the simple act of drawing.

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In externalising and focussing our thoughts and energy into marks on the page, we are able to communicate in different ways that do not depend on words or machines. To many innately creative people, drawing is a vital vehicle to reach their core and develop ideas that are unique to them. Vitally, as a process, it encourages curiosity.

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Drawing is a visible movement of the imagination.

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Drawing is a language in itself that can break down stubborn barriers (within ourselves and to the wider world). It is a means of relation.

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Drawing is an act of 'listening'.

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Drawing is free.

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Actively drawing is very much about finding out for yourself––it's a fantastic tool for working things out that feel difficult.​Through drawing, we can map things out.

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In drawing, we can utilise our senses and form new connections.

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Drawing links us across time and cultures.

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Drawing is about paying attention, getting involved and turning away from unhelpful distractions.

 

Additionally, I see something else happens when we draw alongside each other in a focussed session. It is here that ideas are exchanged, inspiration is found and encouragement to develop is underpinned. Review of our work as a group is an important part of every workshop I run. Here we evidence the different ways we answer the same 'brief'; we come away with an understanding that each one of us has our own way of seeing and, crucially, every one of those ways in valuable and necessary. Within a relatively short workshop, people can undergo seismic shifts in their outlook and their confidence. 

 

For any creative discipline, drawing is a foundational and portable tool that nurtures capacity to imagine and to innovate.

I also suggest it is a tool of exploration, accessible to all, that can help us understand ourselves, our world and each other. ​​​