I Can’t Draw

Reflections on drawing and the role of uncertainty and loss as deliberate methodologies to foster creative thinking skills.

Abstract

In examining the relationship between drawing as mark making and creative thinking, ‘I can’t draw’ is often cited by students in the Foundation Studies drawing classes we conduct at the University of South Australia. This is perceived as a lack of confidence in undertaking what is seen as a talent activity, the domain of only a privileged few. The same is often said for creativity, thus creating a challenge for academics in how they can assist students to overcome their lack of ability. In building a creative dimension into the drawing experience of students, this lack of confidence and uncertainty reflects a narrow view of drawing as a skill in realistic representation, rather than as a process of thinking and idea generation that utilises speculative exploratory processes that rely on uncertainty and what can be described as a lost state.