Drawing socially
My latest work for my Filipino Food Art project comes from a simple event called a “Drawing Social”. It’s a “bi-monthly, informal drawing network” where people from all walks of life just… draw. Before that I also attended “41 drawings”, another event where people came together to draw. Who knew drawing with other people could be so fruitful. Oh, and possible, for a solo freelance artist like me.
The Drawing Social
The event is quite simple, and is basically a free avenue for creatives to create what they want surrounded by people doing the same. I decided to draw banana ketchup. On the label is the late Filipino chemist Maria Orosa, who formally introduced banana ketchup along with many other innovations to the Philippines before World War II. I did this because her birthday was falling on the same week, and drawing Filipino food is just something I like to do on my spare time (see the final animation from the art here).
The “Drawing Social” took me back to grade school, where the teacher would ask us to stay inside during recess due to inclement weather. Back then being outside was more fun to do, but I remember drawing and just being in the moment with classmates when we had to stay inside. As an adult, I often prefer being inside now, but lack the opportunity to sit and draw with other people for no other reason but to pass the time.
There I met a fellow graphic designer and illustrator, and we talked shop. He shared how he tended to draw places while I touched upon why I drew children’s art. Someone told me how therapeutic it was to watch me color. Another vented about the challenges of freelance work, while the rest of us nodded in exasperated agreement.
41 drawings
Last month I attended a “41 drawings” event. This event was also free, informal, and open, and involved being handed a 41-page note pad, graphite, and an interesting venue to draw in. In this case, the amazing Design Museum in London!
For the first time in my life I drew 41 artworks in 2 hours, most of the time while standing up. Obviously these weren’t finished and in full color, but it was nice to put into practice the almost literal spilling-out-of-thoughts and ideas out from our heads. During the drawing social, someone mentioned the terror of the “blank canvas,” or page. Essentially the sketcher’s or painter’s equivalent to writer’s block. Drawing just for the sake of drawing, or allowing an open flow of creativity from mind to paper, is a great exercise in combatting that.
A child approached us and asked what we were doing. We could tell they wanted to join in. I don’t remember now, but their mom was nearby and we had a nice moment of conversation. Complete strangers in a museum talking about drawing.
Drawing myself (and ourselves) out of our shells
Being a freelance artist can be a lonely, and scary, profession. You don’t have a set income, and you don’t have co-workers or colleagues to grow and vent with. I started freelancing in Manila during the pandemic, two years after my mom had passed away. Both are continuing factors in the challenge of freelance for me. The pandemic had made me a “shut-in”, which is defined in the dictionary as someone “confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity.” And the ripples of my mother’s passing still continue to ebb and flow.
Drawing in some ways has been a life-saver for me. Transitioning to being a freelance illustrator, despite the challenges, has also been rewarding. My illustration clients have grown a bit, and I’ve done a few hundred illustrations for my Philippine Wildlife and Filipino Food art projects. But even after a few years of doing that, working alone has had its adverse and daunting effects on my mental health.
Drawing with people for the first time since I was a child has helped me in a way drawing alone never could. It reminded me that I wasn’t alone in the world, or even in my home. I forgot how sociable I could be, how friendly strangers in person could be, verses strangers online.
As a child, we’re told not to talk to strangers for good reason. As adults, despite the increased capacity to take care of ourselves and each other (if fortunate to have it), we don’t seem to encourage connecting with strangers enough.
“Drawing socially” is one way creatives like me (or anyone really) can tackle the challenges of the online-isolating, climate change, war-ridden, pandemic-struggling world we live in. Maybe it’s one of the many ways we can save ourselves and each other. By getting together once in a while. To imagine, create, exchange, and be. Maybe it’s a way for us to imagine and create a better world with strangers, or better yet, with our communities living in a strange world.
Join local community events
Here in the UK, I use Eventbrite to find free, art-related events. Drawing Social is held by Metal Liverpool, and 41 drawings is held by organizers based in London. You can find them below:
- Drawing Social by Metal UK
- 41 Drawings on Eventbrite, and Instagram
In Manila, fine arts organizations in universities, as well as grassroots drawing groups continue to hold various events throughout the year. To a certain extent, large cities in other provinces will tend to have organizations in or involving universities.
- University of the Philippines Fine Arts Gallery Facebook
- Ateneo Art Gallery Facebook and website
- Urban sketchers Manila Facebook group and Instagram
I forgot to mention I have often “drawn socially” with my pagumangkids or nieces and nephews. It’s just as fun if you don’t have access to regularly scheduled art events to connect with people. Children can be just as informative as adults can be.
But when it comes to drawing with fellow adult creatives, I recommend reaching out to a local art group, organization, or college department to see how a social drawing event can be put together. Being with artists closer to our age and experience exposes us to even more ideas, coming from people we would have otherwise never met.