Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.
Drawing 101
By Joan Martine Murphy
Introduction
Most people would love to be able to draw what they see. Many people find enormous pleasure in the art of self-expression. Sadly the idea of learning to draw skillfully is quite daunting for a high percentage of people of the Western World. This is sometimes due to negative experiences that have come from early child hood.
Drawing is a form of communication, which can allow us to express ourselves when words will not suffice. This simple art form affords us the opportunity to express our emotions in a safe and pleasurable manner. Many people for example find that the simple exercise of drawing negative emotions which are then ceremoniously torn to shreds or burnt away - is a useful, safe way to deal with them. The exercise allows the artist to move on to a more relaxed and harmonious and peaceful happiness state.
Maps, symbols, colours, expressions and many other elements of design convey meaning and help us to construct a world of illusion. They help us re-present our reality. This can be useful, informative, recreational and healing.
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From the Zombie Safety Guide
Zombie Scenario # 7 You find yourself holed up in an abandoned building in the middle of the night. You were forced to take shelter because there are Zombies crawling all around the street. You hear a peculiar banging coming from deeper within the abandoned building. You're armed with a handgun, and only 12 rounds of ammunition left, What do you do? Do you investigate the sound, and chance being infected or attracting more by using your gun? Or do you ignore it and sleep the night away
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What would you do?
I'd create sound in some other area (away from myself) so that anything creating sound would be drawn there, away from me. Then I'd hide in a closet until daylight.
I'm writing a post about postcards on HubPages. I found a couple of links where someone had written about writing postcards. A nice idea. So here are a collection of tips for writing postcards.
Write about how you got there, the journey so far. Are you going by bus, driving yourself or did you fly in?
What was the first thing you did when you got into town (the city, etc.)?
Did you find a great place for coffee, a burger, breakfast..?
What are you doing right now. Literally, right at this moment?
Write about something that really stood out. A really funny, bad, silly, delicious, spontaneous event along your travels.
If you don't want to write at all, draw something. Illustrate your adventures. Use stick figures, draw cartoon characters, or an all out great masterpiece.
Finish off with the traditional "Wish you were here" or something far more stylish and personal.
From Slouching Somewhere:
- First, pick a postcard. Pick one that's unexpected--from the shape to the image.
- When you write about the place, write beyond what's on the photo.
- Write about the food you ate.
- Throw a little bit of humor in it if you can.
- Write about a place the postcard recipient knows little of. Add details.
via How to write a postcard « slouching somewhere.
Condensing your idea into a few words has a way of giving you focus. So if you #TweetyourThesis on Twitter, with its limit of 140 characters (including spaces), should show you what you really are trying to write your thesis about.
If it works for a thesis, why not any non-fiction you are working on? If you can't pin down your focus or if you have wandered away from it, get back on track by putting your idea into a Twitter post. Put your idea in a few words, get your focus back and then expand on it again. Develop your points with the focus on your end goal. You can even use your Twitter post as your conclusion to wrap it all up.
Resources:
Today is the last day of the A - Z Blogging Challenge. Today, Z is for zeal.
A long time ago I was a volunteer for a web directory called Zeal, they called the people who worked for them zealots. They gave us badges instead of actual pay. It was different from the Open Directory, where I also worked. But, Zeal closed down years ago. Now I work for BOTW, Best of the Web. Sometimes, I wish I was putting in more time there. I do like finding sites to list and tidying up existing listings.
Anyway, zeal is my word for the day of zed because zeal is about having passion and finding something you really enjoy and care about. Zeal is an action word. What are some things you have zeal (persistent, fervent, devotion to a cause) for? Do you have some of these things in your life each day? How can you find time or space to fit in at least a little of something you feel zealous about into each day?