Lines in a Circular Universe: A Senior Black and White Mandala Design by Emily McNally (2020)

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When creating my personal mandalas, I valued letting my mind think freely instead of trying to control every stroke. When I do projects, I try to make them look like what I envision, but for this I gradually let go of expectations and did whatever I felt like drawing in the moment. I also valued the ability to start over but not lose my work completely. Sometimes I hang on to pieces because I am hesitant to let them go, holding me back from trying new ideas. But while drawing in Illustrator, I did not have to worry about that. I think it also helped me become less sensitive to mistakes since I always had the option to start from scratch, something you can’t always do with other projects.

I learned when given full creative reign, my mind goes for more abstract concepts rather than concrete. When it comes to work I tend to be a perfectionist or make something that will make sense to other people. At first, if something looked weird or unorthodox I would start over and make a new design. However, this project enabled me to see that what I create doesn’t necessarily have to make sense to others, or even myself sometimes. For some designs I let my hand take control and threw reasoning out the window. It was like waking up from a dream when I’d see the finished product and think that I made it. Most of my mandalas have no rhyme or reason to them, but neither does my thought process. Related website