Prompt #35 - A Sketch Full of Awe

Which is very different than an aweful sketch

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Some special announcements before we get started:

1. OMG I published the first issue of The Stress Less Pencil Magazine. As existing subscribers, you get full access to each issue. So just click anywhere on this text to check it out.

2. Yippie, there's a new Painting for Stress Relief online workshop coming up on Sunday 19 February. There are still some spots left, so come join us.

Onwards…

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As you know, the positive emotions in our lives massively improve our mental health. In a recent Prompt, we already identified the many different positive emotions we can find in our day to day - because there’s a lot more than happiness and fun.

Today, I want us to dive a bit deeper into one specific emotion, that I personally don’t consciously think about very often, but that is just as important and powerful as the others - awe.

Merriam-Webster defines awe as:

an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime

I say “awesome” more than I would like to admit, but the word has totally lost any connotation with dread or wonder. However, that’s the part which makes the feeling of awe so powerful.

In his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Dacher Keltner argues that it’s exactly this humbling feeling, that we’re in the presence of something bigger and more powerful than ourselves, that makes us appreciate ourselves, others, and the world we live in so much more.

So today, we will go out and find ourselves some awe. Awesome!

The Activity: Sketch what inspires Awe

Step 1: Find the Awe

I’m typing the word awe an aweful lot here. So what is it that inspires this emotion in you? That feeling of wonder, mixed with a bit of dread or even fear? What humbles you and at the same time makes you feel like you’re part of something much bigger than yourself?

Can you find this now, in real life, somewhere close to you? Maybe it is the vastness of the sky, the ocean, an old building, a religious image?

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash

Step 2: Sketch it

Grab a few pens and some paper and go look at it. Go outside for a walk if you need to. Look closely, note how the feeling of awe shows up in your body. And then start sketching it. Go for simple lines and shapes. Add colour only if you feel like it. The sketching helps us to stay more present, to keep our mind on the subject instead of wandering off to think about what we’re making for dinner. So make a few sketches and don’t worry too much about how it looks. Just enjoy the feeling.

Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

Step 3: Keep your eye on it

Hang up your sketches, or a photo of your subject, somewhere you can see it, so you're reminded to seek out pure awe from time to time.

My Example

There are two top “awe-inspiring” contenders in my life - the mountains and the ocean. I used to live close to the mountains, now I live by the ocean and it's such a privilege. But I must admit, that I do miss the mountains, so that's what I chose as my sketch subject today. I was stuck indoors unfortunately, so I sketched imaginary mountains in colourful pre-sunset light.

I hope that you enjoyed this exercise, and that you're weekend is filled with awe!

See you soon my creative friends.

Love, Lorena