Many years ago I heard someone talking about Art Therapy in the treatment of people with depression. I didn't understand it then, but I'm not one who draws. Then, a few years back, not long after I was fist diagnosed with this chronic condition, I decided to try paint by numbers because some of the adult ones are so very good, incredibly intricate, you could almost believe you were doing a "proper" painting. And that's when I realised what Art Therapy was about. It's about focus, about slowing down, about pausing - because if you don't focus, don't slow down and pause sometimes what you end up with is a mess. But if you do focus, slow down and pause what you come away with is something quite beautiful.
It was something I'd do at 4 or 5 in the morning, in winter, because it was quiet and it was productive. Then next door's security light started to malfunction and it would blink on and off during all the hours of darkness so I gave up.
Now I doing pencil drawings, or rather I colour them in. I still don't think I could compose a picture of my own - apart from a house or a glaciated valley - because I've never convinced myself to keep trying, to keep attempting the perspective required. But, even using pencils, it's still enough to slow me down when life gets on top of me. Plus it's easier to carry around than a paint by number kit :)
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