How do you express a feeling when you are feeling the opposite of that feeling? That’s exactly what happened to me this week. I thought that it would be easy to draw something like joyful, but it wasn’t. And I almost quit the whole thing. Then I reminded myself that the point was to stick to it, isn’t that why we draw for 5 days? So here is what I found.

The drawings go in order, Days 1-5. Click on the first drawing and you can click through them all.

Day 1: MUST draw joy. This means a happy or content person. Am I joyful today? No, I have many things in my head. But if I did feel joy maybe it would feel like this.

Day 2: I really don’t want to draw this. My drawing comes out like a crazy person. I hope this changes tomorrow.

Day 3: Joyful feels free, right? I still can’t tap into how it feels. I feel like I’m in a free fall but am happy about it. I guess.

Day 4: I hate this project and I have no idea why I started it. I think that I only know how to draw irritated people and since I've just begun I think its a great time to quit.

Day 5: I am on the couch working on my crochet blanket feeling stressed and am avoiding my feelings drawing. My husband comes to chat and I start crying because I am overwhelmed this week and can’t seem to find the right space to process. He hugs me and that helps. I feel grounded, like I don’t have to solve anything. I sit there for a while. I realise that for me, Joyful is closely tied to connection. I write about this, I know this, but in that moment, I actually Feel it.

This is the Draw Your Feelings Project.
Next Feeling: Sad

Will you join me? This is a year long project, dedicated to connecting to our feelings and ourselves through our art. Send me your drawings, I’d love to see them!