Good day/evening/morning!
Story is written and drawing is in progress!
On each drawing, I try to push myself by trying one new thing, big or small. This time it's big and a lot of amateur artists struggle with it: wet clothes.
There is a reason art school started me on nudes. Clothes are hard, especially when depicting some kind of alteration like time-worn fabrics or wetness. Water is hard, too, altering the way light is depicted. So, tackling the art of wet clothes, in colour, is a bold step for me.
That's just the way I am about the things I enjoy; I just wing it and see what happens. If I make mistakes, I learn and make adjustments on my next attempt.
One of my mental health diagnoses is anxiety. This is the antithesis of my approach to drawing. I will ruminate over some kind of action, such as meeting or approaching people. Sometimes I read books about the action for hours, trying to map out every possibility so I can "prepare."
The irony of anxiety is that one can get so worked up about what they need to do that they never take action. It is from actions and mistakes that we learn, no one is perfect. If I want to make new friends, I will need to just put myself out there, like the way I compose my drawings.
Even when something performs great, I try to find even the tiniest thing I could improve. Over time, you can see progress in my drawings.
On March 11 this year, I decided to start drawing again after 9 or so years out of practice. Just an inkling spurred me to take an office pen and draw on the back of one of my volunteer meeting handouts.
My last drawing was actually a revision of this very drawing. That's how much I've changed in only four months.
So the takeaway here? Keep doing what you love doing. It could be anything: photography, water skiing, playing the bagpipes, bicycle repair, sex, ANYTHING. Find little ways to improve your skill or activity each time you do it. Don't be afraid to try new ideas. Don't beat yourself up over mistakes, they are just learning opportunities. Over time, the practice really adds up.
Until next time
J