Drawing as Therapy

Know Yourself Through Art

by The School of Life
edited by Alain de Botton

​​Drawing as a therapeutic practice – for any level – including 80 guided drawing exercises as an aid to self-understanding and fulfillment.

When we’re young, all of us draw.

As we grow older, most of us stop. We come to see drawing not as a type of play, but as a craft or skill – one that we can do either well or not.

But to see drawing in this way is to deny ourselves one of life’s great pleasures, one with profound psychological benefits. By allowing us to express ourselves creatively, and capture our thoughts and ideas on paper, drawing can be a form of therapy.

Drawing as Therapy is a collection of playful, creative prompts and exercises that introduce us to the curative powers of drawing. Divided into eight chapters, they invite us to reflect on different aspects of our life and psyche – our personality, moods, memories and passions – by attempting to render them through art. Through art, you can discover hidden byways of our minds, find new perspectives on our difficulties, summon a state of calm, and begin a process of self-recovery and healing.

The exercises won’t teach you how to draw. Instead, they will teach you an entirely new way of thinking about drawing, where there is no such thing as failure or success, only self-discovery and, in the best sense, play.

• INSPIRATIONAL this inspirational guide prompts us to express ourselves creatively and use artistic expression as a form of emotional release.
• NO ONE IS WATCHING the point is not to draw well, but to draw with authenticity, no matter your level of artistic ability.
• 80 DRAWING EXERCISES surprising, innovative, like SARK but with a British soul…
• 8 UNIQUE THEMES Self, Mood, Memory, Play, Love, Calm, Perspective & Re-enchantment.
• DRAWING AS THERAPY draws from psychological theories by Adrian Hill, Edward Adamson and Donald Winnicott.
• GIFT beautifully produced, premium gift format.
• SOLVE PROBLEMS AS YOU DRAW with research-backed therapeutic prompts.

Hardcover | 144 pages | The School of Life | 2021

The School of Life is a London-based organisation built to help us find calm, self-understanding, resilience and connection – especially during troubled times. The School of Life Press was established to condense their learning into a collection of wise and considered texts. The titles are designed to entertain, educate, console and transform.