Earlier this year I started open water swimming. Once you get over the slightly daunting aspect of swimming in converted 20 foot + deep quarries or reservoirs with no supposed bottom, nothing quite beats swimming out in the open. I have subsequently discovered an amazing network of waterways and communities of people (hard core too) that swim all year round and in all weathers up and down the UK.
But that is not all I have discovered. Open Water swimming is becoming known for its therapeutic qualities. Many of the swimmers I speak to (and the ones I have sketched) attest to how the sport has dramatically improved mental health. Its meditative, helps you connect with nature, boosts the happy hormone, and recent studies are claiming it can prevent the early onset of dementia.
Looks like I’ll be getting a double whammy then as sketchbooking boasts similar claims to fame!
Not only did it start to improve my mental health as I braced the cold water but the sketchbook (naturally) came with me too. I’d have taken it in the water with me if it wasn’t so wet! Its definitely the people that make this sport so much fun, so in my summary of a great summer spent in the water, I wanted to capture the community aspect that Swim your Swim in particular encourages. I’m so excited to be launching this mini series of some of Swim your Swim’s best shots, ever mindful that the linkages between open water swimming and sketchbooking make this all the more powerful!
Cards and prints available soon! Check out the online shop to purchase.
Emily x
