Although it may seem like a typical task that one is asked to do and experiment in either middle school or high school art classes, it was the first time someone had officially directed me to try using my left hand to draw something. Since it was my first time, I really wanted to take the time to put in more effort and consideration in what might’ve been a simple trial yet a considerable undertaking because of its challenge.
With my left hand, I tried to sketch a still life of a water bottle that was placed in front of me on my desk. Behind the water bottle, part of the back mantle of a small T.V. could be seen as well as a wire that lay limply between the two objects. When I started drawing the water bottle, I thought about how I normally approached and drew objects, both considering the shape and direction of the lines that existed and made up the object and how I controlled my hand movement while drawing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy and even though I was thinking the same way and trying to take my time to sketch it carefully, in the end it was still my less dominant hand. It felt strange realizing all the feelings that came to me when I was struggling. For instance, my hand really felt weak and almost numb and for the first time, it felt really useless in a unfamiliar way. Although I had used both of my hands together for many other tasks, I had never felt this need for so much demand in using just a single hand. It also made me wonder why and how the brain works that way.
In the end, the picture seemed like it had undergone some struggle, but it actually turned out better than I expected and it was a fun experience.