Today I’ve been drawing. I have this lovely new sketchbook with a hardcover and thick creamy pages, just longing to get messed up a bit; get real down and dirty in fact. Nothing gives me greater joy than charcoal-smudged wrists and sides of hands. Better still, paint on my jeans or even then daubs in my hair.
But drawing doesn’t come easily to me. In fact, I’ve sort of lost the knack. It just won’t flow. Still, I’m keeping on. If The Artist’s Way has taught me anything it is to turn up at the page. And, God, you take care of the quality and I’ll take care of the quantity . . . right?
By the time I’d loosely filled four pages, I was feeling pretty flat. Nothing was jazzing with me. No sign of my mojo creeping in.
Oh, and the Inner Critic was getting harder and harder to ignore. Page 4, I just had to pause and let the Critic take vent on the page. She has a filthy mouth on her. My sketchbook is now 18 rated but then you’re not really surprised. You know me too well.
I like a challenge. I really do. So I asked myself, “what is different about the way you paint, Sam, to the way you draw?”
If I could assimilate something from that skill I am more comfortable with, perhaps I could make some progress here.
Answer: I paint fast. Moving fast outwits the left-brain-logical Critic. It simply doesn’t have time to create objections and intefere. And fast strokes tend to create the illusion of energy and movement on the canvas.
So I set to work on a new page, with pencil flying to describe the new vista I’d chosen. Lines and shapes started to appear, and they started to look more like me. The balustrades of the stone staircase took on a menacing, aggressive shape that seemed to resonate with the image that was forming in my mind. The trees and plants behind emerged in softer shapes; the contrast of the natural world with the man-made emphasized again. I do not know how else to show it.
And in the end, I was very satisfied with the piece. I had enjoyed the journey at least.
This reminded me of the beauty of speed. Slow and steady wins the race? Perhaps. But do we really need to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s before we commit to taking that bold new step in that brave new direction? Sometimes we learn more by jumping in fast, with no backward glances over our shoulders. The Universe loves speed. We are moving at the speed of light and nothing can slow us down. Take a lung full of that refreshing breeze and see how it feels. Where might it take you next?
There seems to be a lot of change in the air right now. And a lot of brave souls embracing the new directions. We can’t go back. We can’t even stand still, for that would be a choice to stagnate. The Universe does not stand still. Nature does not stand still. We only have to follow their lead to find our way.
My new web home is taking shape. It doesn’t always feel like it’s moving at the speed of light to me, with my limited understanding of the WordPress.org software that I’m frantically trying to learn. But if I can keep my light-speed momentum going, perhaps I can outrun the Censor and the Inner Critic, who only want to slow me down because they fear all change. I’ll keep on turning up at the page, keep the pencil or my fingers moving, and trust the Universe to take care of the rest.
Bright Blessings
