Kim Bromley, a recently retired professor of visual arts at North Dakota State University, facilitated a two-hour workshop on “Hypnosis-Aided Drawing” this past Saturday morning at the Blanden Art Education Center.

In this unique workshop, Bromley guided five local volunteer participants through both hypnosis and artistic production. The workshop explored how hypnotically-induced focus, relaxation, and openness can potentially transform and improve the creative process.

Originally from Lake View, Bromley received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Master of Arts degree in painting from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, and Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Southern Illinois University. He was employed as a visual arts professor at NDSU from 1996 until his recent retirement in 2024.

Bromley currently lives in Lake View with his wife, Gretchen, and often conducts “Creativity Enhancement Workshops” at various venues in the U.S. and around the world. He is also known for his colorful “pond paintings,” which are currently on display in the Blanden Memorial Art Museum until April 18.

-Messenger photo by David Drissel
Kim Bromley, of Lake View, gave a workshop at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum on Saturday that incorporated hypnosis to allow participants to relax during the creative process. Pictured from left are workshop participants Justin Bristow, Angela Ayala, Nancy Siefert, Bromley, Mary Musselman and Sallie Gallard.

Bromley’s interest in hypnosis dates back to his high school days in Lake View, when he was dreading an upcoming visit to the dentist office. In preparing for his appointment, he decided to engage in self-hypnosis to counteract his fear of pain during dental treatment.

Several years later, he became a certified hypnotist; but claims to be simply a “guide.” As he explains, “Hypnosis is really self-hypnosis, since it is always up to the participants to allow themselves to be hypnotized.”

While a professor at NDSU, Bromley began researching the significance of hypnosis in enhancing creativity. He conducted experiments with student volunteers, who were instructed to draw still life objects both before and after undergoing hypnosis. Visual arts professors from other universities examined the drawings and found a substantial improvement in the quality of post-hypnosis artwork compared to pre-hypnosis artwork.

Bromley determined that hypnosis has a significant positive correlation with artistic creativity. Hypnosis can help to overcome the “fears, inhibitions, and limitations” that often constrain creativity, he said. Based on his findings, he coauthored the article, “Hypnotic Enhancement of Creative Drawing,” published in the October 2007 issue of The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

During his tenure at NDSU, Bromley integrated hypnotism into his studio art classes, and also served as a guest lecturer/hypnotist in theater and writing classes. Given the controversial nature of his experimental approach, he first had to gain permission from his dean. And his students were required to sign a waiver before they could participate in classroom hypnosis sessions.

After experiencing hypnosis, Bromley’s students would often claim that their creativity levels had improved dramatically for an extended period of time.

“They would report seeing positive results in their artistic creativity throughout the semester,” he said.

Similarly, the recent “Hypnosis-Aided Drawing” workshop in Fort Dodge was billed as “a creative experiment in perception and awareness.” Participants were first asked to draw a still life object, and next were guided through hypnosis to draw the same object two more times.

While under hypnosis, Bromley suggested to participants that they should “descend deeper into relaxation” and revert back to that “happy time in life” when they were 6 years old.

At the end of the workshop, the participants compared their pre-hypnotic and post-hypnotic artistic creations.

“I felt freer to create art under hypnosis,” Sallie Gallard, of Fort Dodge, said. “I focused on my favorite moment as a child, and didn’t feel tense while I was drawing today.”

Justin Bristow, of Fort Dodge, notes that it had been 30 years since he last drew any pictures. But as a musician, he decided to attend the workshop hoping to enhance his creative juices.

“I felt more relaxed and attentive to detail under hypnosis,” he said. “I now feel a lot better about how I’m approaching art. It was reinvigorating.”

Angela Ayala, assistant director of the Blanden, was both the main organizer of the event and a workshop participant. She observes that the workshop has proven to be a successful project for the Art Education Center.

“This idea is very interesting; hypnosis allows you to relax and remove your self-doubt to create art,” she said.