Fernando Jin - Why I Enjoy Drawing

Why I Enjoy Drawing

Fernando Jin

A lot of people like drawing, no matter it is kind of professional like the sketch class I am taking now, or it is just some random doodles we draw on our textbooks. So why do I love drawing? Is it something like an instinct, or is it something I have unconsciously developed as I am growing up?

I would say it involves both.

On the one hand, it is something like a human’s instinct. As we all know, before words came into being, one way ancient people record things and communicate with each other is through hieroglyph. Although nowadays we have very developed oral and written languages, drawing is still an interesting way to communicate with each other. And also, say, when an American, a Swedish, and a Pacific Islander meet, drawing can be a very efficient way for them to communicate with each other, while apparently they cannot do this without translators.

Also, it has something to do with our physical structure, especially our brain. As we all know, human brain mainly has two areas: left brain and right brain. Left brain mainly handles logic, while right brain mainly handles abstract things. As a result, human beings naturally like drawing as there is a need for our left brain to develop. Through drawing, we can develop our creativity, and drawing is always a great source of inspiration.

However, a phenomenon that we all probably can notice that most kids love drawing, while only a very small portion of adults like drawing. This leads to an obvious fact – one’s instinct is not sufficient to sustain one’s interest in drawing. So what is the other necessary part?

I would say it is goals. Some people worship those great artists and hope they can be as good as them sometime in the future. Some people draw because drawing is there work and they way they make a living.

For me, I enjoy drawing because of pure interest. To me, drawing is really beautiful and I really revel in this kind of beauty. I can get a lot of joys out of drawing. Drawing is relaxing and full of inspiration. At the same time, I also want to be better skilled at drawing, so I can better capture the beauty of life.

That’s why I love drawing.