When I tell people I'm an artist, I often get the response, "That's so great! I wish I could draw." Drawing has become a talent that feels unattainable for most of the population, but I know from personal experience that's just not the case.
Years ago I started challenging this false belief that having artistic talent is purely genetic. I offered my pencil-challenged friends (lawyers, doctors, judges) a one hour discussion in which they would draw a portrait from a photo while I mostly asked them questions.
Questions, you say? Yes, questions. I helped them learn to see, not just look. Once they were asked questions, they paused and assessed their answer.
"Is the ear really as close to the eye as you drew it?"
"Is the left eye exactly aligned to the right eye, or is it a little higher?"
"You drew the upper lip bigger than the lower lip. Is it really bigger in the photo?"
Each question helps the person drawing pay more attention to what they're looking at, and what they're drawing. Instead of drawing what they think it looks like, they look more carefully and adjust.
This process results in a portrait drawing that actually resembles the subject. Imagine that! In only an hour of asking questions, giving drawing tips, and laughing a lot along the way, my friends realize they do have the ability to draw. And they are always astounded.
"I showed the drawing to my wife," one Sales Vice President told me. "She insists you must have drawn it yourself!" His wife called me minutes later. "Did he really draw that himself? I've known him 30 years—he can't draw!"
Even more importantly, I can see in their eyes the realization that if they can learn to make such a great drawing so quickly, they can accomplish other things in their lives that they thought were impossible.
I gave a lunchtime presentation at a major non-profit to more than 100 researchers and office staff. I got the usual "I can't draw" warnings before my presentation, and urged them to trust me. By the end of the hour, these same employees rushed up to me with their drawings in hand. "Look what I drew! I can't believe it!" Big smiles on their faces.
I can't wait to see their next drawing!
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