Not A Clue.
April 28, 2009 08:23 AM Sketchbook
Stephen Hall asked me recently
how I manage to draw so often. Honestly, it wasn't
that long ago that I didn't see any value in
keeping a sketchbook. Although many instructors
encouraged me to, I've never used a sketchbook for
recording and developing ideas. Watching my kids
with their crayons reminded me that once upon I
time, I liked to draw purely for the sake of
drawing. That thought prompted me to give
sketchbooks a try one more time and that was
almost three years ago.
So what motivates me to pick up a pen (almost) every day? I think the key for me is my sketchbook has morphed into more of a journal. Originally my goal was to get the drawing habit back, but I found myself adding brief explanations of what was on the page. Those explanations have grown into daily anecdotes, usually featuring my kids. What can I say, I'm a stay-at-home-mom and they provide me with good material.
That doesn't mean there aren't days when it feels like more of a chore than a pleasure. Maybe I can't think of anything to draw or I've been on the go, only to realize at 10:00 p.m. that I haven't drawn yet. Sometimes I manage to eke something out and sometimes I don't and I tell myself that's okay, too. Drawing has become too important to me to let one missed day make me stop altogether.
So what motivates me to pick up a pen (almost) every day? I think the key for me is my sketchbook has morphed into more of a journal. Originally my goal was to get the drawing habit back, but I found myself adding brief explanations of what was on the page. Those explanations have grown into daily anecdotes, usually featuring my kids. What can I say, I'm a stay-at-home-mom and they provide me with good material.
That doesn't mean there aren't days when it feels like more of a chore than a pleasure. Maybe I can't think of anything to draw or I've been on the go, only to realize at 10:00 p.m. that I haven't drawn yet. Sometimes I manage to eke something out and sometimes I don't and I tell myself that's okay, too. Drawing has become too important to me to let one missed day make me stop altogether.
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