I made this drawing for my Attention Reclamation class at the University of Washington. For one of my assignments, I was tasked with creating an Attentional Practice, with is a method or technique that helps a person intentionally focus their attention on something specific for a certain amount of time. Here is mine:

Find a comfortable spot to sit in, with an interesting view. You could choose to be indoors or outdoors, as long as you find whatever you are facing visually interesting.

Get out your art supplies and take a deep breath. Sit with yourself for a minute, and internalize your goal before you begin drawing: The end goal is not to create a perfect replica of the view, but to capture your attention by focusing on the view through art. You will do this by rapidly drawing what you see, and by giving up any hold you have of perfectionism, you are able to bypass hesitation and “art block”. While you draw, try not to erase and redraw things, but instead go with the flow, regardless of whether it looks exactly like your view. With this in mind, you are ready to begin.

Spend some time drawing what you see in front of you. Try to draw loosely, focusing on broad colors and shapes rather than specific details. Slowly but surely fill up the canvas. The duration of the practice is determined by how long it takes you to fill your canvas. This could take ten minutes, or two hours.

Once you are finished, take a moment to admire your masterpiece! Reflect on how you felt creating it, and how focused you were. Did you reach a state of flow? Did your drawing of the environment make you notice new things about the view in front of you?

This piece is my test run of my attentional practice. I sat at the edge of a grassy field, along a path leading towards the HUB. Throughout my time drawing, I noticed that I was very focused on visually noting down what I saw in front of me. I did not hesitate when drawing, as I knew that beauty and perfectionism was not my goal. The purpose was the act of drawing itself, as a tool to make me focus. While I drew, I focused on the different colors and shapes of the trees. I also noticed the details of nature, such as a robin that landed in the grass 10 feet away. I was aware of the students walking along the path, and how some would lean their heads to see what I was doing. Overall, I felt very focused throughout my practice. I did not check my phone, nor did I feel the impulse to! When I checked my timer at the end, I noted that I had been drawing constantly for 40 minutes. That proved to me that my method had worked, as I had not thought once about how long my drawing was taking, or about how I had other work to do. I was simply in the moment.