Today I got out my favorite art supply and allowed myself to draw. It’s been too long.
How is it that you can start drawing as soon as you can hold a crayon? Pretty soon drawing becomes a favorite pastime and doing it is second nature. You sit at the kitchen table and draw on the backs of old company letterhead your dad brings home from the office. You arrange a new set of magic markers in rainbow order, every time you put them back into the clear vinyl package. When your parents decide to re-wallpaper the front hall, they let you and your brothers draw whatever you want on the walls (in pencil, please) before putting up the new paper. As you’re growing up, you leverage your drawing skills whenever possible, like those science fair projects that are light on the hard facts but heavy on the colorful illustrations and fancy lettering. Your friends want you to draw them stuff. You feel cool. And kinda floaty.
Eventually, after designing T-shirts for your best friend’s brother’s garage band and almost every program for the high school’s plays, you decide to become an art major. Your parents may wonder why they are paying college tuition for you to do more drawing. You wonder what it’ll be like to be in college with a bunch of other kids that can draw. Little fish, big pond. So you draw and you learn and you take your electives and you immerse yourself in art. Foundation courses, life drawing, fashion illustration. You have your successes. You have your doubts.
Long after graduation and first jobs in fashion you find yourself drawing less and less. More time in meetings, more time on the computer, less time for drawing. Sure, you doodle. You draw with your kids. You keep a sketch book for all of those goofy ideas that pop into your head. You make, you create, you design stuff. But there is no real drawing.
So you decide: this is not acceptable. You can draw and you will. You’re rusty as hell but you’re gonna go for it anyway. You’ll never let yourself forget that time you took life drawing your senior year when it finally all *clicked*. Each pose the model took was an hour long and you were lost in the zone, drawing as though nothing else existed and time stood still. And when you were done, you loved what you did. You felt elated.
Now you will draw again for yourself. Maybe not every day, but at least once a week. Drawing for drawing’s sake. Drawing to polish those skills and find that part of yourself again that made you feel cool. And kinda floaty.
I would love to give you a reason to draw every week! You can check out my Creative Prompt Project at http://artquiltmaker.com/blog. The last prompt is at: http://artquiltmaker.com/blog/2010/06/creative-prompt-73-glyph/
Hope to see you join in the fun!
Love the sunflower, especially with that gorgeous blue background and the variety of greens you used for the leaves. Wonderful!
Such a true post!
I know what you mean, not with drawing but with other things, and we must keep “drawing” as much as possible, of course.
Congratulations for that floaty feeling!
🙂
This really struck a chord with me, thank-you so much for posting it. Part of me really wishes that I had done practical art as opposed to theory of art. I hope I can remember this and draw a little bit everyday.
Thank-you again.
Wow – thanks for reminding me how long it’s been since I’ve done any real drawing. Looks like it’s time to change that!
I could have written the same story, but I didn’t major in art. I wish I had. Trying to get back in the creative groove. ~Lanie
What a wonderful post! So true, so true. I almost lost my coffee when I read about drawing on the peeled wallpaper!!! Me, too! David Bowie as I recall. I never made it to the HS/college art classes b/c it never occurred to me I had that level of talent. Looking back, I would have done alright. I just made a space in the basement for painting, and it felt wonderful!!
Enjoy yourself – that’s def what it’s all about!
This is so true. While my path was slightly different I feel like as a web designer I almost never draw anymore. You just inspired me to use that gift certificate to the art store that has been floating around in my wallet for over a year.
Hooray for drawing! Glad this is resonating with you guys! It was hard for me to post photos of my drawing here because it’s not “good enough” but I am trying to move past that. 🙂
I don’t draw, but I do lots of other creative things. You are right that you need to take time to just sit down and let it come to you. Sometimes I am so full of ideas that I feel I will burst if I don’t make something. I want to feel floaty, too. I love the sunflower. You are an artist for sure.
Sounds exactly like my life story, except I have worked in web design rather than fashion. I, too, have tried to get back into the swing of drawing several times, but it has never really stuck. Hope it does stick for you!
I also used to draw a lot when I was a little girl, and as I was growing I left it behind. I even made some oil paintings and I have one waiting for me to finish it since I was in High school! 15 years ago!
You are right, I need to draw again! And I will!
Great post!
Draw, Betz, draw!! It will be your comfort, your meditation, your sanity amidst all the other hats you wear. The lines will guide you, the colors will soothe whatever is aching. Drawing is my touchstone in life. It always anchors me: harnesses the whirlwind of life around me and brings the frenzy down to a gentle soft breeze. Yes, keep on drawing, my creative friend. -Jennifer Edwards
Your post sounds So Very Good, I had happy tears in my eyes when reading it. Thank you very much for sharing! You are giving inspiration to others to “draw”, whatever their “drawing” is. Mine is bread making…
Lena
I also enjoy sketching, ever since a small child. To get back into as time is a premium with our busy household, I have started a wildflower journal. As my children bring in a new variety, I sit down for 10 – 15 minutes a sketch it.
It has been wonderful to get back to it.
Warm wishes for a beautiful weekend,
Tonya
amazing inspiration!! Thanks;)
Hi Betz. This post is a lot different to your others. It seems as if something else has “just clicked” for you. Good for you, use your talent for your own enjoyment and develop your ideas by “just playing”. Arohanui, Lex.
so true!
i feel nostalgic and at the same time encouraged by your post. I’ve always loved your art creations and been inspired by them and reading this today, im pretty overwhelmed.
Draw, betz! and <3<3<3 to the floaty feeling 😀
Wonderful. Even once a week will get you going again. I love the drawing you show here.
Drawing is so healing…thanks for sending the reminder that mamas can take time to draw too 🙂
LOVE this Betz! It is in true Creative Thursday spirit 🙂 I too want to draw more, just because. Your sunflower is gorgeous, by the way. hope you had a happy 4th!!!
Great, great post! I miss really drawing too. I can totally relate to the bit about ‘time standing still’ in drawing class. That was bliss. I need to get in touch with that again. Thanks for the reminder.
Great post. I would love to be able to draw every week. I feels so good to create something out of nothing. I have been trying to figure out clay lately but I should really go back and draw something. Thank you for posting….and your art IS good enough. Keep showing it off.
Your flower drawings/sketchings/doodles would make lovely screenprints for tee shirts. (Hint, hint!)
I LOVE your colors- they speak to me. Art wasn’t my profession, I came to it as a hobey as an adult. Everyone said I was so good at it. It did make me feel like I had a special talent. But then it got harder. Like you said, everyone wants you to do something for them, and that wasn’t where my inspiration came from. Then I got too hard on myself…everything had to be “perfect”. It wasn’t fun anymore. I would get 2/3 through something and then never finish because I was afraid I would wreck it. I haven’t really drawn or painted in years. I knit, which is cathartic and somewhat creative, but I do miss the immersion into drawing and painting- the part where you completely loose yourself and just create. This blog entry really hit home for me. It makes me want to pull out my art supplies and just let myself play. Isn’t that the best part?! I have a six year old boy- I think he could teach me alot. Thanks! sunshinekim-Ravelry
What an appropriate post for me to read today! I just finished a drawing and I can’t tell you the last time I did that either! It felt great! And now I’m motivated to do more. When I was a young girl, I used to get Vogue and Elle and draw as much as I could. I miss those days. I’m heading back to old school and see what creative juices start flowing again. =) Great post! Thanks for that.