Sketching

I hate playing Pictionary. The downside of being an artist is that everyone expects you to draw effortlessly with photo-realism in any situation or medium. And the truth is, I’ve never been great at the drawing part of art. So Pictionary was stressful and awkward—perfection and disappointment by a quick little hourglass in front of all your friends... 😳😳. But the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve been gentle with myself. I’ve realized I actually DO love the drawing part of art, but I don’t always care if it’s photo realistic or accurate. I enjoy the mark-making. I enjoy watching a blank page come to life. I enjoy lines and shading and sometimes I just enjoy the scribbles and smudges. I let my sketchbook be a place of wonder, not perfection. Sometimes I work on drawing accurate figures and perspectives, but sometimes I make quick easy marks to capture ideas and work out compositions. They’re all “right” because there’s not one way to be an artist. When people tell me they can only draw a stick figure, I tell them I’m a professional artist and I love stick figures. You do you. And be as kind to your inner artist as you would to your child if they brought you something they made. We could all use more grace. ✏️✏️✏️