The Daily Create//A Drawing Using Only One Shape
The circle has meaning across the many cultures of the world. For some, the circle represents wholeness, centering, and unity. Others see the circle as a symbol of revolution, nuturing, and cycles. Overall, the circle has a universal connotation of infinity and inclusion. In celebration of these themes, I chose to use the circle in my first ever The Daily Create through DS106. If you are unfamiliar with DS106, have a look at the open course on digital storytelling (more like a movement!) and find a way to engage.
The process of making this drawing connects to several of my art making and habitual practices. In my art making, I am drawn to geometric forms. I frequently draw/design mandalas (the word mandala comes from the Sanskrit word for circle). The process of creating a mandala is repetitive and meditative, and I focus on taking deep breaths throughout. Working my way around the design, I intuitively explore how the shapes interact to create new shapes. After only a few moments, a pattern emerges and the mandala begins to take on a theme. For this mandala, I chose four colors and as I worked through the design I found ways to use the colors in a particular order. Each circle directed the placement and color of the next, and the process of creation became a system in which I could make sense of the order.
As I dive into my Summer course through UC Denver on Digital Storytelling, I am learning new systems and processes to create and relate. I see myself both as an individual shape within the mandala, working within the system, and also as the creator and curator of the mandala as a whole. In my professional and academic work, I see myself and my relationship with my peers in the same way. My own work plays a part in the greater design, and through the connections and relations I make in the process, the design continues to grow and change.
