This past week I revisited some old sketchbooks and journals. It was an interesting jaunt down memory lane. Aside from getting clear as to which ones need to be burned upon my demise, my other takeaway was seeing how far I have come as an artist.
It wasn’t that long ago, I wasn’t showing my work to anyone because I couldn’t stand a single thing I made. The title of “artist” was reserved for those who resided in a much cooler camp than where I hung out. And could someone please tell me which of my skills had value and which I should probably toss into a sack and throw off a pier. (metaphorically of course, I’m no litter bug)
My reason for sharing all of that is to give perspective of how far things can shift when you put in the time.
While I am still far from where I want to be, I can recognize that I am nowhere near where I started out. If you feel stuck or are struggling to move forward, take a moment to look back where you use to be. #perspective
Then when you do look ahead and where you want to go, if you are bursting with energy, then by all means take those big leaps. However, if “bursting” doesn’t really describe where you are at (unless we are talking the status of my favorite pandemic pants) maybe gentle steps are what is needing.
There’s no shame in small moves, but for Pete’s sake just take a step. Now, I’m not sure exactly who Pete is or why we would be concerned about his interests, but whatever gets you from the “talky-phase” to the “doing-phase” is what is important.
This past week I joined in a challenge with a bunch of other lettering artists called Wake and Make. Each day a prompt is given and you take 30-minutes to create and then share it with the group. The purpose is to get in touch with your creative spark. Plus, the time restraint keeps you from getting in your head and stalling out. #downanddirty
There has only been 2 days so far but I am loving the stretch and I can’t wait to see what the other 18 days will be. First day was to “Draw Wrong,” whatever that means to you. I went with using markers so I couldn’t erase and then randomly change the color I was drawing with every 5 minutes. (Yep, I’m a hardcore rule-breaker)
Day 2 was to draw on any material, actual clothing if you are so inclined, which I was not. I went with adorning a small fabric bag with phrases using the word bag. #baglady
So is there a gentle step you could take toward an interest or goal? How about a giant leap? Make any kind of movement toward the thing you want and your future self will thank you.
SIDENOTE: I’m not sure if I actually would accept a thank you from my future self, as evidenced by the fact that after repeatedly ordering a particular dish from a local Chinese restaurant because the description sounded so appealing but the reality disappointed me EVERY TIME, resulted in my actually writing on the menu “Becky don’t order this, you don’t like it” and the very next time I pulled that menu out I said to Dean “was it really THAT bad?” #lostcause
I’d love to hear about any gentle steps or giant leaps you are looking to make. And please share this post with anyone you think may enjoy this kind of nonsense.
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