The Great Belonging Project: Day 10
“[John] Ruskin didn’t think drawing was dependent on talent. Rather, he thought drawing was vital because ‘it could teach us to see–that is, to notice rather than merely look.’ As we draw what is in front of us, we gain a more informed understanding of how it is truly formed, and that leads to sharpened memories of it. Ruskin believed drawing was more important than writing and that more emphasis should be placed on drawing instruction. He told a royal commission on drawing in 1857, ‘My efforts are directed not to making a carpenter an artist, but to making him happier as a carpenter.’” - The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other
One great way to belong to your home or another place is to establish a drawing practice.
For The Great Belonging Project: Day 10, sit down with paper and pencil and draw something in your line of sight.
Establish a drawing practice. Sketch a doorway, a candlestick, a corner of a tug. Draw more to see more to belong more.
Don’t worry about making it look good. Focus on seeing differently, seeing more, seeing what you need to see to render a more accurate representation.
When we experience loneliness in our relationships or a sense of disconnection from the self or God, we can mitigate the negative effects of feeling lonely by broadening our belongings to our places.
I wrote more about drawing to belong in chapter 33 of The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other.
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, if you like!
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