How to practise mindful drawing

Words & images by Harriet Adkin

When you think of mindfulness, what do you think of? What is the first thing that appears in your mind? 

It might be yoga or meditation; breath work or going on a nature walk. These are all ways of practising mindfulness, but have you ever tried drawing? And yes, doodling counts!

Often, anything art related can be a bit daunting for those who don’t practise art in their everyday life. But the great thing about mindful drawing is that it isn’t asking you to be “good” at it. It isn’t about creating a framed masterpiece at the end. All it is asking is for you to be present in the process and to enjoy the journey. So, let’s begin.

Get comfortable

Mindfulness is about finding your calm, your centre. Therefore, it helps if you’re comfortable. Start with some deep breaths to ground yourself. Close your eyes and breathe in for 5 seconds then breathe out for 5, then increase this to 8 seconds.

If any thoughts come in (which they will and that’s ok), simply acknowledge them, like clouds in a blue sky and let them pass by. 

Tune in

Being mindful means letting go of judgement, especially towards yourself. It’s time to let go of any stories you tell yourself about not being creative. The goal of mindful drawing is to be present in the process, rather than focusing on the outcome.

• Make space for emotions: how are you feeling in this moment?

• Become aware of your environment: what can you hear, smell, feel?

• When thoughts and emotions come in, acknowledge them and then let them go

• Be gentle and be proud of yourself for trying something new

Once you feel calm, grab some paper and a pen or pencil and something to lean on.

Make marks 

By focusing our attention on the pen we are holding, the marks we are making, we are in the present. Here are two simple exercises you can try today. 

Exercise 1: Circles

Start by drawing circles on your page, these can be different in shape and size but each time you draw a circle you have to close it. If you’d like to take this a step further, you can follow your breath. As you naturally inhale, start drawing the circle, and as you exhale start to close the circle – try not to force your breath. 

As you start to fill your page with circles, notice how the pen feels between your fingers. Notice how it feels and sounds as the pen marks the paper. Be aware of every action you are taking. 

Exercise 2: Objects

Find a plant or an object near to you.

• Observe its shape and form

• Look at the way light hits it, are there shadows?

• Notice any marks, lines and texture

Spend at least 10 minutes drawing what you see, let your eyes flit from the object back to your page. Relax your hand, let go of any expectation on the final outcome, and refrain from grabbing a rubber!

These are two simple mindful drawing exercises you can do, at any time of day, for as long as you have time for - all you need is something to draw on and something to draw with! I hope they help you feel present, centred and calm, you deserve to give this time to yourself.

Harriet Adkin is a London based sustainable artist specialising in nature illustration. She seeks to show the beauty, intricacy and resilience of nature and it's necessity; believing that when we connect with the earth, we can truly heal and grow. Find her at www.harrietadkin.com. 

Vareniki: Eastern European dumplings

Katia Wlodarczak from Gourmant Pixels chose this recipe for heiter because it is a wonderful way to bring people together. The act of making food with family and sometimes even friends is a mindful process that creates a feeling of togetherness. It brings up conversations, unites and is therefore, a very heiter activity. Katia previously shared her Vareniki recipe as part of the #CookforUkraine initiative that was organised by Ukrainian chef and activist Olia Hercules and Russian origin chef Alissa Timoshkina. Read more about the initiative and how you can support it under this post.

Vareniki dumplings can be filled with a variety of ingredients, below are some of Katia’s favourites.

10 servings - total qty of 200

Prep time: 1 h (when done by a small group of people)

Resting time: 30 min

For the water dough you will need:

• 700 g typo 00 flour or plain white, plus extra for dusting

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 200 ml water

• 1 tsp salt

Fillings:

COTTAGE CHEESE (as previously shown in our e-zine: sign up for our newsletter to receive all e-zines for free)

• 300 g cottage cheese, ideally Twarog (can be bought from any Eastern European shop, tends to be drier than English cottage cheese, which makes the difference)

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

to serve:

• a good knob of butter

• soured cream or thick Greek yogurt

• berry compote, shop bought or home made

MASH POTATO AND CARAMELISED ONION

• 400 g potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• 3 medium to big chopped onions

to serve:

• a good knob of unsalted butter

• a handful of chopped dill or other herbs

• soured cream or thick Greek yogurt

• freshly ground black pepper

CABBAGE - SAUERKRAUT

• 400g home made or quality shop bought sauerkraut

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

to serve:

• a good knob of unsalted butter

• a handful of chopped dill or other herbs

• soured cream or thick Greek yogurt

• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1) To make the dough, sift the flour into a medium size bowl. Make a well in the middle, add the eggs and mix everything in the well. Gradually add water until well combined and ready for kneading.

2) Knead the dough on a well-floured surface until it stops sticking to your hands. You are looking to get a firm and elastic dough. This might take on average 10-15 min. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 min.

3) In the meantime, prepare the fillings:

a - FOR COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING - mix the twarog and egg, add salt and pepper to your taste

b - FOR POTATO AND CARAMELISED ONION FiLLING - boil and mash potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the caramelised onions by frying them in a little bit of sunflower oil, then reduce the heat and leave them to sweat until soft and start to brown. When the mash is ready, mix with the onions and cool the mixture before handling.

c - FOR SAUERKRAUT FILLING - fry sauerkraut in a little bit of sunflower oil, adding black pepper to taste. Cool to handle.

4) When ready, take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into 3 pieces. Flour the work surface and roll out the first portion of dough (for best results use a pasta machine) to get a thickness of about 1.5 mm. Using a small glass or round cookie cutter, cut out discs (about 6 cm diameter). Pop 1 heaped tea spoon of filling into the middle of each circle and seal by folding in half creating half moon dumpling. Pinch the edges together so that the filling cannot come out. Place each dumpling on a well floured surface (tray, chopping board) and make sure they don’t touch each other.

5) Repeat the process with the other two portions of dough.

6) If eaten immediately, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the vareniki in batches. Boil them for a couple of minutes, or until they float to the surface. Use a sloted spoon to laddle the vareniki into a big bowl, add the knob of unsalted butter and serve in the middle of the table to share. Serve with the toppings mentioned above.

7) We tend to make a bigger batch of vareniki to be able to freeze some for later. Pop them into the freezer (still on a tray). Once frozen they can be transferred into freezer bags. When desired, just add them to boiling water and cook according to above instructions (no need to defrost).

8) The modern version of vareniki can be seasonal and contain any sort of filling including Halloween leftover pumpkins and/or similar. Don’t shy away of getting creative with your dumplings!

Katia Wlodarczak is a Russian food and product photographer living in the UK. She has recently shared several Eastern European recipes to join #CookForUkraine and show solidarity for the Ukrainian people. Find out more about her work on Instagram @gourmandpixels and her website www.gourmandpixels.com.

#CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis the world faces right now, as well as raise the funds needed to aid children & families in Ukraine who have been displaced by the current situation. 

Since its inception, hundreds of people from different backgrounds and nationalities have reached out and shown their solidarity by joining this initiative – including top chefs, award-winning food writers, restaurant owners and home cooks – cooking, baking and sharing Ukrainian and Eastern European inspired dishes at their restaurants with their guests, at home with their friends and across social media with their family and followers. 

You can donate directly here or host a supper club or bake sale to raise funds for #CookforUkraine. Or if you are unable to donate, simply share the news of this initiative by sharing the Just Giving link on your social channels and hashtagging  #CookforUkraine.