"The pleasent, creative pastime of putting pen to paper helps the mind to relax and thereby reduces stress and anixeity."
Perfectionism is not welcome. Fun, open mindedness, and relaxation are permitted.
free-style drawing
Others may read before going to bed but sometime I practice put pen to paper. I have my visual diary and drawing pens in my bedside table and I literally sit in bed and draw. I don't try and copy a photo or draw a specific object but let my imagination be free. This practice helps settle my mind after a busy day and gives me that "I've done something creative," feeling. How often creativity gets pushed aside by daily tasks and responsibilities? My inspiration for this habit came after reading the book mentioned below - Fascination Drawing by Ingeborg Zotz. (available by contacting www.ingeborg-zotz.eu) There are no photos of my work to show you - it's just for me.
Fascination Drawing Photos of Ingeborg Zotz signing her book "Fascination Drawing" at an art exhibition in January 2017. She'd just won first prize for section 1 at that exhibition for one of her two oil paintings hanging behind her/us. (perfect examples of her drawing ideas from her book.)
zentangle
" A Tangle" is an abstract drawing realized from repetitive patterns. "Zen" referes to the relaxation element involved. It may just be doodling with a new name but it's also an excellent form of active meditation.
My experience started while wandering around a hugh city book shop where I discovered a work book on the subject. Of course I purchased and enjoyed working through the book. Then I continued to build up my tangle skills in diverse ways. I found the web helpful to research other pen strokes.