Journalists find drawing eases stress and boosts creativity. Janet Roberts

The first drawing class! Reuters journalists in New York show their work. In the background is artist Leah Kohlenberg, who teaches via WebEx from Portland, Oregon.

In the past few years at Reuters, I took on a more demanding job, while at home, I coped with a child’s medical crisis, my mother-in-law’s cancer treatments and all the other routine stressors of life. I carry stress in my upper back, and my muscles became so frozen and painful, I sought out a chiropractor for the first time. I have always tried to practice self-care, but I have never been able to sustain a permanent practice. Mind-wandering turns me off meditation. Exercise programs trail off into laziness. Massage is wonderful but its relief fleeting.

Then I found art. Over dinner with my friend Leah Kohlenberg, whom I hadn’t seen in many years, we talked about her career conversion – from journalist to artist -- and about how I wished I and my team could become more visual thinkers. Data visualization, after all, is part of our mission. But alas, I told Leah, I couldn’t draw a stick figure. And on that, she called me out. Everyone, Leah insisted, can learn to draw.

A series of Saturday art lessons ensued, with Leah teaching me by Skype. In the first lesson, I drew a lily, remarkable in its likeness to the source photo. Before I knew it, I could draw a reasonable celebrity portrait. I reprised the lily in ink. I painted a canyon landscape. I was struck by how, when I was drawing or painting, I was 100 percent present – no wandering thoughts. I found it deeply meditative and restorative, to the point that I would often seek out my drawing pencil or easel if I felt stressed. Before I knew it, two hours would pass and I would feel a great sense of relief. And I was thinking more visually and creatively. I would stop in my tracks to marvel at how the morning light reflected on trees. I disregarded recipes and felt my way to more creative meals. A work project that relied on photo selection came together with ease.

Water lily: Janet Roberts, acrylic on canvas

I wanted to share this experience with my team and other Reuters journalists, so I persuaded Gina Chua and Richard Baum to seed an artistic endeavor. We beamed in Leah from her home in Portland, Oregon, via WebEx, and she led a class of about 20 Reuters reporters and editors through the same lily drawing exercise she had done with me about six months earlier.

The enthusiasm proved contagious – and lasting. About 10 members of that original group routinely gather in a conference room for after-work art lessons with Leah (we pool our money to pay her fee). We moved from drawing flowers to drawing live models to painting trees.

A couple of West Coast Reuters journalists who popped in on a few of our New York classes brought the fever back to their own bureaus. Leah plans to start a class in June with the San Francisco and Los Angeles bureaus.

If you’re interested in joining one of these classes – or starting a new one – contact me. I’d be happy to help you get started. Here’s what some others have to say about the experience:

Robin Respaut, a San Francisco-based municipal bonds reporter who joined the New York class while on a secondment: “I was a bit apprehensive going into my first class, because I joined the group months after they started meeting. I have to say, though, it was remarkably easy to begin, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. In fact, it felt somewhat akin to meditating. I suspect this is because doing art completely shuts off the left half of the brain, which we rely on so heavily for our work. It seems as though the art classes quickly and effortlessly flip a switch and activate the much less utilized right-side of my brain. It’s a remarkable feeling.”  

Figs: Robin Respaut, acrylic on canvas

Jean Tait, an executive assistant in New York: “I find when I’m drawing or painting it becomes like meditation. I can focus on the piece and not think of (or be aware of) anything else.  It is a great vacation for the rest of my brain!”

Cat: Jean Tait, acrylic on canvas

Christine Murray, a Mexico correspondent who joined the New York class while on a secondment: “I have never been ‘good at drawing’ but in the classes in New York I discovered a love for losing myself in a piece of paper. It was easy to find the kind of focus that meant I forgot everything else for a while. The classes were the perfect creative outlet after a day of crunching numbers, and ultimately helped me think more creatively, too. There is also no better bonding with colleagues than laughing at your missteps and ultimately celebrating great work.”

Eagle: Christine Murray, pencil drawing

Janet Roberts is editor-in-charge of data journalism at Reuters. She oversees a team who specialise in data-driven reporting. Much of their work focuses on investigative projects. Janet joined Reuters in 2011. She held previous jobs in data journalism at The New York Times and other publications.

This blog first circulated internally on May 17, 2018.

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