Life Shaper: Self-Portrait

Hey, how are you doing right now?

Had any time for yourself lately? To check-in and catch your breath?
Recently ended a life chapter or began a new one?
Standing at a crossroads and trying to figure out your choice in direction?
Celebrating the end of something and ready to both reflect and look forward?
Just feeling a bit out of touch and ready to recalibrate?

If any of these ring true, it could be the perfect time to draw your self-portrait.

Easy-to-follow video
Simple materials
Repeatable process
Zero drawing skills required!

Self-Portrait? What do you mean?

This is a different kind of Self-Portrait than you may have done (or may have feared) in art class. Here you are capturing your likeness in the simplest style as a shape to fill in and surround with your current observations.

Brandy Agerbeck designed this "life shaper" to guide you step-by-step to getting reacquainted with yourself. With simple words, lines, shapes — and zigzags in your hair is short like hers — you'll make a 'paper mirror' to reflect on who you are right now.

You'll finish with a drawing full of self-compassion and insight that will help you move forward with more confidence and clarity.

Shape your life one drawing at a time.

Hello! I'm Brandy and I designed this Self-Portrait exercise to help you make some time for yourself and take stock of who you are and what matters most to you.

I call these guided drawing exercises "life shapers." Each one is crafted to tackle a specific life challenge.

Here's how this one began —

Shhhhhh.... don't tell anyone, but I do have a fine arts background and have drawn plenty of self-portraits.

But this is a different kind that comes from a different part of my life.

When I work as a graphic facilitator, I'm standing at a giant sheet of paper drawing for a group of people. It could be a handful of people meeting, or it could be a conference of hundreds.

I love to draw giant people in the drawings. To remind all of us that we are human.

Not just brains in jars showing up to work.

The person in my drawing may represent the meeting participant or the person their organization serves.

As I listening to my clients I can connect their ideas to this person (or two or three) on the page.

I think it helps ground us and remember that even in giant companies or doing abstract lofty work in the world, that we are people who in some way are trying to do good work.

Think of this life shaper as me sitting by your side helping you tune into yourself, listen, and capture what's important to you.

Because making this kind of drawing has helped my clients and I so much, I recorded a video showing you how you can make your self-portrait.

Hundreds of people (non-artists and artists alike) have made these drawings, making more meaning for themselves.

Like them, I hope you'll join me and see how useful, easy, illuminating and fun shaping your life can be.

Me and paper me from the video.

Every Life Shaper experience:

Carves time out and creates a safe and welcoming self-care space to reflect and explore possibilities. Set a drawing date with yourself.

Makes space to be playful and messy. Put your Inner Critic in time out. Be free to be your squishy, fuzzy, imperfect self!

Engages your brain and heart and hands and your whole self. This process lets all of you show up: messy and tidy, thinky and feeling, uncertain and steadfast.

Puts the power of your thinking into your own hands. Get unstuck with a temporary sketch, or get down a long-term plan of action in ink.

Invites you to take a critical and kind look at your own Big Picture. What are the piece and how do they connect? Notice what pieces are and aren't working.