If you ask most people "Are you good at drawing?" more than 9 out of 10 will say they aren't.

If you then ask them "Would you like to be better at drawing?" 9 out of 10 say that they would.

So what is stopping most of us from doing something about it?   Probably because we are all busy with day to day life and learning how to draw doesn't get to the top of the list. 

What if learning to draw could have a positive impact on other areas of your life? Maybe it would come up closer to the top of your list. Here is a list of benefits of learning how to draw.

Maybe one of them will help to motivate you to get out that pencil and paper!

Skills in visual communications in the workplace have been steadily growing in importance over the last decade.

The whole world seems to be obsessed with looking younger.  Everywhere you turn images of beautiful, youthful people are used to entice you into buying something.  And no self respecting supermarket magazine would hit the stands without a picuture of a 50 something celebrities aspring to look like a Gen "Y"er.

Not that I've got a problem with people wanting to look younger than they really are. If it motivates you to exercise and eat healthily then that's superb.

But what about keeping a youthful and inquistive outlook on life?  
What about keeping your brain sharp and nimble?  
That's an important part of a balanced mix in staying young too.

And as you might have guessed ... drawing and painting can play an important part in keeping you young in mind and spirit ...

Cog­ni­tive abil­i­ties are the brain-based skills and thinking processes that you use to carry out any task — from the sim­plest to the most com­plex.

Have you ever thought to yourself "I can't draw" or "I'm not good at drawing"?  And have you ever wondered why that is?  If you are like most people there are some common reasons why that is the case.  And the good news is there are simple steps you can take to do something about it.

By the way don't feel bad.  On a regular basis we see some very accomplished students in painting (and dare I say some professional artists) struggle with the notion that they cannot draw or draw well. This mindset often constrains them in achieving more in their broader of artistic achievements than what they could otherwise accomplish.

There are no magic wands here  but it all boils down to mindset, knowledge and practice ...

We recently had the privilege to be sponsors of an art competition run in association with the Tet Festival 2014.  This is the most important annual cultural and festival event of the Vietnamese Communities in Australia and NSW. and attractos over 50,000 people during the 3 days of festival activities.

Our experience at the festival reminded us of the importance of art (in all its forms) in sustaining  and developing the fabric of a culture and promoting a multicultural Australia.

Below is an extract from an acknowledgement made at the awards presentation. Although the audience in this instance was the Vietnamese community - the message applies equally well regardless of race or cultrure.

We hope you enjoy it and let us know if you agree or disagree ...