Rococo

Surprising Yourself: Hand-drawing Decorative Frames

There's something about being surprised that draws me to making things. 

Remember your first time, as a child, feeling the magic of cutting tiny pieces out of a folded white paper square and unfolding it to discover the surprising design of your beautiful little paper snowflake?

About four years ago, I found myself drawing frames made of flowers and rococo-inspired forms, but I rarely wanted to close the shapes.

Something about only drawing half a frame allowed space for my imagination to play along with my hands - to jump ahead of my fingers and predict what it would look like reflected symmetrically.

Drawing symmetrical decorative frames by Laura Dreyer.

Making space for that element of surprise gave me such delight when I did reflect my drawings to create what I couldn't fully predict! Like pulling your new "experimental" recipe cookies from the oven, there were frames that didn't seem right - something was poking out too far or just "tasted weird," but there were also new notes and flavors that I loved!

I believe allowing yourself to be delighted - or even disappointed - by what comes out of your hands when you sit down to make something is valuable, because it represents opening to something outside yourself.

It represents risking disappointment for the opportunity of delight, and trusting that the future, though hidden, can be your friend in ways you won't see until it arrives.

And that is how I want to live my life!

See more of my frames here.