CHALLENGE YOUR LEFT BRAIN
Vase/Faces Exercise
Reap the benefits of strengthening the right side of your brain by challenging the left.
- Objective:
- To draw two faces in profile
- You will need:
- A piece of paper and a lead pencil
If you are right handed draw the face on the left first. If you are left-handed, draw the one on the right first.
- Draw the first face: As you draw the first face allow your left brain to do what it is good at — that is to name the parts — (words are stored in the left side of your brain) so, forehead, nose, lips, chin and neck. That was easy, yeah?
- Now, mirror that face: This time turn off that voice and just say, “how far down do I go before I have to turn”? Definitely, do not name the parts. You are now using the right side of your brain (the creative, visual side).
- Once you have finished: Put a line at the top and a line at the bottom to make it look like a vase.
The harder it is to do the second face, only means, the more dominant your left brain.
In our society, most people are more dominated by the left side of their brain and it can be quite a challenge for the right side of your brain to do what it is good at (to really see). But once you learn how to do it, there are many benefits including:
- Less stress
- Improved sleep
- Increased confidence
- Plus so much more
Upside Down Exercise
Can you read this?
It is much harder for our brain to understand something when it is upside down.
Draw this line-drawing upside down.
Tips to drawing upside down
- It is even easier if you cover the majority of the picture, only leaving the smallest amount of information
- Simply draw what you see
- If you hear yourself naming things, simply ask: what shape is it?
- When we start naming things our left brain jumps in with a symbol and you end up drawing something completely different to what you see