Mindfulness in Drawing Students Practice the Art of Slowing Down

The day’s activity is for students to tune in to their surroundings while filling a sheet in their sketchbooks. Initial chatter gives way as students’ attention turns to their task. A peek at pages in progress reveals small nature studies, like sketches of leaves and shells, but also writing—their teacher, visual arts faculty member Jeff Nisbet, has prompted them to note sights and sounds in words, too. Toward the end of class, when the group gathers to share observations, Nisbet reminds them that external forces don’t have to control their experience of silence—they can find silence for themselves within their surroundings, just like they did in class. 

Outdoor class sessions are key to Nisbet’s curriculum, which he first developed in fall 2024 with the aim of using drawing as an entry point into practicing mindfulness, helping students manage stress. He’s excited that Rivers’ new strategic plan includes the charge to “cultivate an ecosystem of connection, well-being, and belonging,” reflecting wellness as an institutional priority.

Mindfulness in Drawing is open to intermediate-level visual arts students and counts toward students’ required interdisciplinary studies credits for graduation. The course is divided into three parts, focusing on different themes: silence, compassion, and a third theme to be determined by the flow of the semester. By the end of the course, the goal is for students to have established a small mindfulness practice, which Nisbet acknowledges can look different for each of them. 

“I think being told to be quiet in a school context is so connected to disciplinary action, and I don’t want it to be seen that way,” says Nisbet. “This silence is not punitive. We’re not being quiet because you are in trouble and you’re not allowed to talk. I want you to be quiet because I want you to be more aware within—to be more attuned to what’s going on inside of you.” 

It’s a lesson that resonates with students. Will Pratt ’27 enrolled in the class because he was intrigued by the idea of using drawing to become more intentional about breathing and creating a sense of calm. “I feel like that can help me out in a lot of other places, like sports and homework and trying to be less stressed overall,” he says. Pratt has taken drawing classes before, but this is his first experience with practicing mindfulness. “It’s something new and unique to Rivers—not many students get to take a class like this,” he says. 

Students began the semester by sewing their own pencil cases. “Each stitch was a breath, reminding them to be fully present in the moment,” Nisbet says. Recently, class sessions have centered on silent sketchbook time. Students receive an open-ended drawing and writing prompt at the start of each class and have the rest of the period to respond. They are required to use at least three different drawing materials and to fill a whole page of their sketchbook. Whenever possible, the group moves outside to work. 

Other activities in the silence unit so far include considering juxtaposition while building small rock cairns and practicing slowing down through mindful eating. For one class session, students spent 10 minutes studying and drawing a piece of fruit. Then, they took a bite, savored it, and repeated the process. 

Later in the semester, students will complete an abstraction project, and the course will end with a landscape project. Students will carry lessons learned through the abstraction project into the landscape project, taking the time and care to capture the essence of a place, rather than a literal depiction. 

“I’m always trying to slow myself down. It’s easy to say, and it’s hard to do, because there’s just so much in our day. That’s something I’ve been learning, and getting to learn it alongside the students has been really fun,” says Nisbet. “Like I tell the kids, stress doesn’t go away. It’s just how you learn to manage. In the spaces we occupy outside and inside, are students slowing down? Are they listening to themselves? Are they listening to each other?”

Pratt says the course has already helped him accept silence and recognize the importance of integrating it into his everyday life. “You don’t always have to be doing something or talking. You can sometimes just take the time to be quiet and in your own thoughts,” he reflects. It’s not always easy—Pratt says the biggest challenge for him has been not talking to his friends during the class period. “It’s very hard to stay silent, but it’s definitely good to do it when you can,” he says.