Circles
Ah, the humble, profoundly elegant form that is the CIRCLE. For me, no other shape comes close — circles have everything: wholeness, protection, infinity, motion, and the cycles of life.
I just love finding this simple yet powerful shape — in art, in nature, in ourselves. Plus, circles are fun to draw (once you can shed mathy perfect circle anxiety, see below).
So it will come as no surprise that circles are key to my artwork and iconography, my spirituality, my personal life-journey work (especially ADHD), and of course my creativity-wellbeing workshops.
Tap Into Circle Power
Here’s the neuroscience alchemy – we can creatively tap into our circle power to:
Focus our attention
Safeguard what's important to us
Energize our intentions
Rotate to rev up personal momentum and rhythm
Prompt reflection, coming full circle to know ourselves anew
Whether you're setting intentions, navigating a life-journey*, or seeking more creativity in your life, circles offer a way forward that's both practical and joyful. No art experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness to play.
*Life-journeys -- Transitions and identity shifts that reshape our path like retirement, big health challenges, or empty nesting—especially when ADHD or other brain differences mean the usual playbook doesn't fit how your brain works.
Hardwired for Round
Did you know that we're biologically wired to love circles? The continuous curve is literally woven into our DNA. They're in the eggs that gave us life, the irises of our eyes, the vessels carrying blood through our bodies.
When you look at circular shapes, your nervous system relaxes. This isn't just poetic—it's neurological. At five months old, before babies speak or draw, they already prefer curved lines over straight ones. This preference runs deep. Researchers using brain imaging found that sharp-cornered objects trigger your amygdala—the region processing fear and threat. While some angularity sparks dynamism and excitement, the sharper the angles, the more anxiety is activated. But rounded shapes? They create calm. In fact, we instinctively perceive adults with round features as more honest and trustworthy, a cognitive quirk called the 'baby-face bias.'"
So when you set your priorities with circles—the ultimate curvilinear shape—you're working with a form that speaks directly to the ancient parts of your brain that recognize safety and wholeness.
Circle Quest – Hop into discovery mode and find five curvy,circle-ish shapes in your made environment. Then seek five from the natural world (what you can see from your window counts.). Do it NOW! This mindful looking exercise takes literally a minute. You could also try it while making coffee or brushing your teeth. Research shows that getting super present – like with this circle quest – calms and soothes your nervous system.
Circles Get Around
What do artists, spiritual guides, community leaders, philosophers and mathematicians have in common? They all reach for the circle to express what matters most.
I find it thrilling to experience curvilinear creations — creative, architectural spiritual — from Buddhist mandalas to stained-glass rose windows, the Aztec calendar, and the wheel itself.
Mythologist Joseph Campbell spent decades tracking arcing ovoid forms across cultures and noticed something extraordinary: circles appear independently everywhere. No trade routes, no cultural exchange — just humans on different continents all reaching for the same shape. Something deep in us knows circles are core.
Circle Quest – Want to feel like Joseph Campbell on a treasure hunt? Image search “sacred circles world cultures” and see what comes up!
Compass-Free Imperfect Perfection
Remember making circles in geometry class? The cold metal point of your compass pressed into the paper. One chance to get it right. Holding your breath and praying your hand wouldn't wobble. Forget all that.
In Zen Buddhism, ensō is the practice of drawing a circle in one fluid brushstroke. Once drawn, it stands proudly as that moment's creation.
Notice how some ensō circles are “open,” with a small gap between the beginning of the brush stroke and the end. In Zen practice, this intentionally incomplete circle represents the beauty of imperfection, allowing for growth, perfect just as it is.
Your hand-drawn circles don't need to be mathematically perfect. Those wobbles? They're manifestations of imperfect perfection. With each circular form you make, you create a beautiful record of your breath, your movement, and your sacred mark-making moment. Thich Nhat Hanh described the practice:
"When I begin to draw a circle, I breathe in during the first half. When I do the second half, I breathe out. During the time I draw the circle, I realize this hand contains the hands of my father, mother, and ancestors."
Pretty powerful stuff – One breath. One continuous mark. Every ancestor's hand moving with yours.
Circle Quest – Grab a post-it note. Draw a circle-ish shape in a single stroke. If you feel any critical gremlins whispering, “that’s not a circle!” or similar, say, “My circle is this moment’s mark, exactly as it is, no fixing needed. Grab a new post-it and repeat, this time inhaling as you sketch the first half of the circle and exhaling as you make the second half. Repeat as desired.
Your Secret Circling Superpower
Ever notice how you instinctively circle things on a to-do list? Your brain knows what it's doing.
Your circle focuses your attention. By drawing this circle, you’re telling your brain: "This to-do is important. Pay attention here." In your noggin, you’ve activated your hippocampus—the brain region responsible for memory and spatial navigation. Upshot - your hand-drawn circle becomes a memory anchor, a visual landmark your brain can reference. (See the University of Tokyo research study, 2021 [link to press release]).
Circles safeguard. That boundary you drew? It creates a protected space in your brain's spatial map—your circled to-do is held safe within.
Circle Quest – Write an intention you’d like for yourself like clarity, focus, ease. Now draw a circle around it—slowly, deliberately. Notice how your attention focuses as you create that protected space.
Circle Quest Deep Dive – Take my Remarkable Keep Circle workshop — you'll create a protective circle to hold safe your intentions and self-love, infused with your own creative energy. (90 minutes on Zoom)
The Wheel Deal
Ever watch a kid with a kaleidoscope? That slow, deliberate turning—not spinning wildly, but rotating just enough to experience the pattern shift. Same bits, completely new view. That's the magic of activation wheels.
The wheel is one of humanity's most paradoxical inventions—both utterly practical (carts, machinery, pottery) and deeply transcendent (eternity, cycles, time itself). Tibetan prayer wheels release blessings with each rotation. Water wheels channel flow into grain. Volvelles—clever layered paper instruments (think wine and cheese pairings or a French verb wheel)—rotate to align information in new ways.
Circle Quest Deep Dive – You might enjoy my "Circle Your New Year's Intentions Workshop" on January 11th. You'll create an activation wheel — a playful, layered circular gizmo that combines the rotating fun of volvelles with the meditative turning of prayer wheels.
As you rotate it, your intention words align differently, patterns shift, new combinations emerge. You’ll explore how the turning itself becomes practice—grounding you when anxious, reorienting you when scattered, activating your intentions through kinesthetic motion and magic.
As you take your next life-curve, consider these circlets of wisdom.
Download and use as wallpaper for your phone, laptop or similar.
A Round of Quotes
Here’s to 2026 with all it’s curves and arcs! Creatively yours,
Suzanne Wright, MA
Artist
Certified Life Coach ADHD and Creativity Coach
Educator for Visual Arts and Wellbeing
Founder, Art Well 4 Life, LLC