Enjoying Conversation Through Drawing

Naoko Miyaji, a psychiatrist and specially appointed professor at Hitotsubashi University, contributed a column titled "Conversation Through Drawing" to Iwanami Shoten's monthly magazine, Sekai.

"Conversation through drawing" involves several people exchanging pictures and adding something to them, enjoying conversation through that process. You can start a new drawing if you get bored, and it can be done with two people or three or more. You can use any art materials, such as paints, crayons, clay, or leaves. The goal is to enjoy the process of drawing together and to converse through the pictures.

According to Miyaji, many people are initially hesitant to draw. They resist by saying things like, "I'm bad at drawing" or "I'm not good at it." Therefore, she tells them, "You don't have to be good at drawing. In fact, it's easier if it's a bit sloppy or amateurish." She also adds, "It's enough to just play with colors or enjoy the lines."

Then, although there is a sense of tension at first, she says that many people become absorbed once they start drawing. Conversations also flow, with comments like, "I wonder how many years it's been since I last drew something" or "The smell of paint is nice, isn't it?"

Furthermore, when you pass a drawing you've made to someone else and they add something to it, shapes or colors you never imagined are added, and the impression of the picture changes completely. Miyaji says that this is the real thrill. There is a sense of surprise at "I didn't know you could do that!" and a realization of one's own preconceptions.

On the other hand, there is a sense of tension in adding to someone else's drawing. However, she says that if you take a photo of it, even if you ruin it, you can just have them draw on it again based on that photo at another time.

Even for people who haven't drawn since art class in school, the pictures they create are often surprisingly good. Moreover, everyone seems to be having fun. That is why Miyaji thinks, "What a waste, it's a shame." It seems a waste that they have such expressive power but don't use it in their daily lives.

Expressing and creating are fun in themselves, but when you add to each other's drawings, you can interact through a channel that is a little different from usual, which increases the fun. While it can deepen understanding, you don't necessarily have to think about deepening understanding; you can just enjoy the process while chatting, drinking tea, eating snacks, laughing, and looking at the pictures in between.

Miyaji wonders, "Why is the hurdle for drawing so high?" She points out the negative effects of art education in schools. Some children lose confidence when they are told to "draw freely as you like," and then receive a low grade when they do. It makes one think about the nature of art education.

Finally, Miyaji says, "Art should enrich life. It's fine to appreciate famous paintings at a museum, but instead of being passive, why not try some 'doodling'—or 'joyful drawing'—with someone else in a playful spirit?"

It might also be fun to try it with small children.