Drawing As A Sacred Activity

In the tradition of such successful books on creativity as Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and The Artist's Way, artist and teacher Heather Williams presents a step-by-step approach to personal development — and artistic satisfaction. Many people — including Heather Williams — were never encouraged to embrace their creative side, and this shutting down of part of their inner life can create conflict. This book is an invitation into each person's creative instincts and is designed to lead gently toward developing both artistic and spiritual qualities. The book is divided into three sections: Pencils & Perception (observing and drawing what you see in the physical world); Crayons & Consciousness (drawing the interior landscape of memories, emotions, dreams, and patterns); and Ink & Intuition (drawing on the intuitive wisdom within yourself). This book is not intended to make everyone a commercial artist, but it will help readers to see and be in their world more fully.

"Heather Williams has written a comprehensive guide to the three doorways into art-making: seeing, feeling, intuiting. She brings a deep spiritual sensibility and years of work as a teacher using art for healing. The activities presented guide the reader into the secret of all art: personal, hands-on experience. Join Heather on the journey into your Creative Self. Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D., A.T.R., author of Living with Feeling "Mystics and artists throughout time have appreciated how practical and spiritual worlds meet and shape one another through the act of drawing - Spirit is given tangible and particular forms as the material world is simultaneously inspirited by the perceptions and intimate gestures of a person. Let your hand lead the way and reveal sacred realms through the imagery and feelings that will emerge when you commit yourself to the practice of drawing - using this wisely crafted book as a spiritual and artistic guide." Shaun McNiff, author of Art as Medicine and Trust the Process. "Heather Williams guides her readers into the world of line and shadow, inner and outer landscape, and every corner of the natural world and the human heart, providing exercises and a helping hand to anyone with a hunger to draw and, more importantly, to feel and to see." Eric Maisel, Ph.D., author of Fearless Creating and The Van Gogh Blues While technology brings extraordinary promise - it also brings extraordinary risk. Exposure to unrestrained levels of digital technology can have serious long term consequences, impacting how people think, feel, and act. It is very important today for us each to consciously take charge of our attention. Attention is our most valuable asset. Step away from the computer! Connect with nature and draw out your uniquely creative point of view. BENEFITS YOU WILL GAIN FROM THIS BOOK: You will develop greater hand-eye coordination. You will center yourself using both the left and right hemispheres You will see in a new way as you connect with nature and with your Creative Inner Being.

Art is often viewed as being inherently spiritual. But what does it mean to describe an experience of art or beauty as "spiritual"? Is there a relationship between the spiritual experience a person has in the presence of a work of art and the Holy Spirit of Christian faith? Skilled theologian, musician, and educator Steven Guthrie examines areas of overlap between spirituality, human creativity, and the arts with the goal of sharpening and refining how we speak and think about the Holy Spirit. By exploring various connections between art and spirituality, he helps Christians better understand the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and offers a clear, engaging theology of the arts. The book includes a foreword by renowned theologian and musician Jeremy Begbie.

The Little Book of Sketching will help aspiring artists sketch their way through life with just a pencil and some paper.

In this meditation/how-to guide on drawing as an ethnographic method, Andrew Causey offers insights, inspiration, practical techniques, and encouragement for social scientists interested in exploring drawing as a way of translating what they "see" during their research.

The book is a guide for students and teachers to understand the need for, the role of and the methods and techniques of freehand analytical sketching in architecture. The presentation focuses on drawing as an approach to and phase of architectural design. The conceptual goal of this approach is to use drawing not as illustration or depiction, but exploration. The first part of the book discusses underlying concepts of freehand sketching in design education and practice as a compliment to digital technologies. The main component is a series of chapters that constitute a typology of fundamental issues in architecture and urban design; for instance, issues of “façade” are illustrated with sketch diagrams that show how façades can be explored and sketched through a series of specific questions and step-by-step procedures. This book is especially timely in an age in which the false conflict between "traditional vs. digital" gives way to multiple design tools, including sketching. It fosters understanding of the essential human ability to investigate the designed and natural world through freehand drawing. The author, Eric Jenkins has received several teaching awards and design awards. He is Associate Professor at Catholic University of America's School of Architecture and Planning where he teaches design, theory and analytical sketching. He earned a Masters in Design Studies from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, and has previously published “To Scale: One Hundred Urban Plans”.

Expressive Therapies Continuum is distinctive in its application as a foundational theory in the field of art therapy. This book demonstrates how the Expressive Therapies Continuum provides a framework for the organization of assessment information, the formulation of treatment goals, and the planning of art therapy interventions.

Art Lessons is a book seeking to inspire creatives and creative problem-solvers. Inside are twelve lessons from a lifetime of creating art that can serve as useful pointers in how to live a full life. Included are simple exercises that can help you to examine your life, develop strategies to move out of creative blocks, and open up to new possibilities you may not normally try. This book is a practical resource for artists, writers, counsellors and anyone who is interested in creative approaches to self-development.