Transform Your Drawing Practice: 4 Reflection Steps to Shift from Head to Heart

In my NeuroGraphica Courses, I often talk about the four points of reflection. BUT today I want to share a little twist.

I’ve adjusted this process for myself over time to suit how I personally reflect during a drawing session and I want to share it with you.  

I use it as if it’s a conversation with myself.  And you’re welcome to use it in your own drawing, painting or any other art practice to bring deeper meaning and transformation to your creative process.

Here’s how I do it - and why it works.

🌿 1. Start with the Body

I always begin with tuning into my physical sensations.
Why? Because everything starts in the body.

We live in a world that teaches us to stay in our heads.  We think the answers are always in our thoughts.  But the truth is: the body speaks first.  The body holds wisdom, memory, experiences and emotion - long before the mind puts words to it.

When we ignore the body, we miss the very signals that could guide us.

That’s why, in my drawing practice, I start by asking:

What am I feeling in my body right now?  

In what part of my body:  shoulders, feet, arms?  

Is there movement or stillness? 

What sensations are speaking to me? 

This simple check-in brings us back home to ourselves. Back to presence. Back to body wisdom.

💫 2. Emotions are born in the body

Emotions aren’t just thoughts with feelings - they are physical.
They are born in the body.

The word emotion comes from Latin emovere - to move out. Emotions are energy in motion. Neuroscience confirms this:  emotions arise from interplay of physiological responses - changes in our nervous system, breath, heart rate, muscle tension and hormones.  These sensations provide the raw data for emotional experience.  In turn, our emotions also trigger physical sensations in the body. 

So when I draw, I don’t chase emotions - I let them rise and note them.

I ask myself: 

What am I feeling emotionally?

What’s moving inside me? 

By creating space for emotions, we allow them to move and transform instead of staying stuck.

🧠 3. Thoughts and personal meaning

Once the body and emotions have “spoken”, I tune into my thoughts and interpretations.

Thoughts don’t just drop from the sky. They often arise in response to physical and emotional states, even if we’re unaware of it.  We feel a tight chest, a fluttering belly, a wave of emotion and our brain starts to create meaning.

I ask: What am I thinking? 

What does this drawing represent for me right now? 

What story or belief is being activated? 

Reflection helps us connect the dots. It’s where healing begins.

👁 4. See the thoughts — literally

Finally, I turn to my inner vision.

Most people don’t realise this, but we are visual beings.

Even when we try to think in words, our brains often generate images alongside our inner dialogue.  A Harvard study confirmed that visual imagery often intrudes on verbal thinking - even when people aren’t asked to visualise anything. The researchers found that our minds naturally default to images, showing how deeply visual we truly are.

Read the study here

Also engaging with your inner visual world can help connect with your soul purpose.

So when I reflect, I ask:
What do I see if I close my eyes? 

What do my thoughts look like? 

Does it align with my soul purpose?

When we draw, we give our inner world form. We turn the invisible into the visible. That’s the real power of visual art - it helps us see.

Why This Matters

Most people live disconnected from their bodies. They think everything comes from their mind. But real change, real creativity, and real healing start when we reconnect with the body, emotions, mind and soul.  And the Arts help us do just that!   

This four-point reflection process gently guides you back to your embodied self.

So the next time you draw or paint, try it:

1.  Tune into your body. 
2.  Let your emotions rise and acknowledge them.
3.  Reflect on your thoughts and meanings. 
4.  Notice the images that appear in your mind

This is how art becomes transformational.
This is how it becomes deeply YOU.

Try this the next time you paint or draw - and let me know what you discover in the comments.

With love,
Anna