Lessons from a Sketchbook Habit
Dear reader,
Today’s post is about keeping a sketchbook habit. A lot of people think sketchbooks are only for artists. But a sketchbook habit has benefited me not only as an artist. It has made me a better human. A sketchbook is a visual journal - a space to express yourself outside of words, in this world where so much runs on words but the words themselves don’t mean very much.
Today’s post is full of words asking you to not use words so much. Ha.
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An Invitation to Spend Time
A sketchbook is an invitation to spend time at a location and observe the mundane events of public life. Time and attention are an invaluable currency. Spend them wisely, and they will teach you about yourself - your curiosities, your interests, and the superpowers that lie hidden within you.
A Reason to Be
I was early in my sketchbook habit when we moved to a small town in the middle of the American Midwest. I felt like an outsider. It felt like everyone was staring at me wherever I went. So I kept a tight grip on my sketchbook when I sat down in the park, at the farmer’s market, in the local cafes. It was my crutch. It allayed my social anxieties as an immigrant and gave me a reason to claim space in a world that was utterly alien to me.
Room for Magic
I never know what I will draw when I leave the house. I trust the process. I do not know where I will sit or what I will see. I trust the process. Sometimes I do not know the subject of the scene even after my pen hits the page. I am still trusting the process.
The process of spending time and paying attention runs on trust. On the idea that if you begin a good thing, and leave room, something magical will happen…
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