There they sit. A glimpse at my collection of unfinished sketches and drawings.
I’m not even sure when I started these, or when I decided to put them away. All I know is they have been covered up and neglected, sitting in my arts & crafts closet for way too long. And when I say closet, I really mean shelves in a closet… beside my collection of dresses. We’re a little tight on space.
The sketchpads sit among a mess of leftover craft paper and yarn, old design school work books and enough pencils to cater a classroom. I have delighted myself with many DIY projects over the years to try and fulfill my need for a creative outlet. While it has helped and I’ve had some really great outcomes, I can’t help but still feel a bit empty.
Pulling these out last night reminded me of the reason for starting this blog. It is a way to kick-start my creative thinking and inspire more projects. Writing is not my first love, but art is. I can still remember sitting in my dads office when I was little, drawing images of fictional characters and scenes from my favorite storybooks. He would let me tape them on the wall when I was finished, and at some point it had turned into his wallpaper. Thanks, dad. Coincidentally enough, my favorite subject all through school was art and when I quit summer sports to take private drawing lessons, I had never felt more like myself.
What some people may not understand is creating art is hard work. Just as the suits on Wall Street have to learn financials and comprehend mathematical trends, artists have to understand form and interpret color. To the lucky, it comes naturally, but for some of us, we have to train our brains.
And that is where I’m at.
I need to pick up the pencil and train. It’s obviously in there somewhere, waiting patiently for me to realize it’s not lost forever. Waiting for the day I tune it in again.
I’ve never been big on sharing my art. I’ve never wanted to be an artist. I simply do it for myself. And maybe that will change some day, but this year exists just to finish. To finish this NaNoWriMo and to finish these lonely drawings.
How exciting.
xoxo. a
