Did you know that October is the month of The Big Draw 2015? This fascinating festival is now in it’s 16th year, and it has grown from a single day festival in 2000, to a whole month of planned events across the country in 2015.

So just what is The Big Draw? Well, it’s the world’s biggest drawing festival, and it connects together millions of people across the world who enjoy drawing. There are free events, museum activities, loads of information and ideas on The Big Draw 2015 blog, as well as an online gallery to share your drawings and a thriving social media hub to share tips and inspiration with other artists.

Image by Olga Shevchenko on freeimages.com

Think  you can’t draw? Well that doesn’t matter either! The Big Draw 2015 is for anyone who loves a scribble and a doodle, as well as the serious artists among us. And did you know that drawing, doodling and scribbling can be immensely therapeutic for adults, and kids alike?

• Drawing can be a great way to relieve stress – something that many of us suffer from in today’s busy modern world.
• Drawing gives you a sense of achievement – finishing a sketch or creating a great doodle evokes a hugely satisfying sense of accomplishment.
• Drawing sparks your imagination – most of us don’t have creative jobs and many of us don’t use our imaginations in our daily lives. Drawing and art re-addresses this balance and teaches us how to set our imaginations free again.
• Drawing can be a catharsis and a release for daily tension and stress, but also for serious psychological problems like depression and schizophrenia, as well as physical illnesses like cancer.
• Drawing can help you think creatively – unlocking your creative side can help you to solve problems in different ways.
• Drawing and art helps to strengthen the whole brain – it encourages focus and attention skills which means your brain will work more efficiently for other tasks too.
• Drawing supports emotional intelligence – it helps you to express complex ideas about yourself and the world around you, in free-flowing forms that are often easier to communicate than words are.

So, what are you waiting for? P-p-p-p-p-pick up that pencil and get scribbling….. For more information about The Big Draw and events near to you then check out the website at www.thebigdraw.org

Image by Therese Branton on freeimages.com