Automatic life drawing: unlearning expectation for creative expression

Meeting on the full moon, this session of Esoteric Etchings will combine life drawing with surrealist exercises that have their origins in occult practice, to unlock creative expression.

Automatic drawing was first developed by Austin Osman Spare, an English Artist and occultist who worked with chaos magical practice to unlearn the constraints placed on us by society to unlock the untapped power of our unconscious minds. Automatic drawing was part of this practice, letting the hand draw before the conscious minds limitations, fears and negative beliefs could restrict expression. He believed, through such practices, we could connect to ancestral memory and spiritual intelligence hidden within the psyche. Automatic drawing was later adopted by the surrealists, who understood the practice as a way to connect to the subconscious and its hidden desires. Different methods, such as speed drawing, non-dominant hand drawing and drawing in the dark or with paper hidden from view, are used to connect to artistic intuition without perfectionism or other restrictions interfering.

In this session, we will break down the barriers to our intuition and connect to our inner world through automatism. We will try different methods to explore the practice, working from a life model as our inspiration. The goal of the session will not be technical reproduction, but creative expression - using the form to play with shape, tone and colour and experiment with different styles and ideas.

This session will be untutored by life model and occult enthusiast, Rebecca Collins-Thompson. While it is a facilitated session with exercises and prompts, it is untutored by design, allowing your practice to be self-led and focusing on unlearning expectations around how you should approach your art practice to find pure creative expression.

A slice of Lost Souls Pizza and a slush are included in your ticket price to be enjoyed in the break. Tickets are £22 and can be purchased via our eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/automatic-life-drawing-unlearning-expectation-for-creative-expression-tickets-1992952648019

Basic drawing materials (paper and graphite pencils), will be provided. Please feel free to bring a sketchbook if you prefer, and any more exciting materials you'd like to experiment with.

If you have any questions please email esoteric.etchings@gmail.com.

i: @esoteric.etchings @rebecca.collins.thompson @lostsoulspizza