I Used to Love to Draw…
When I was a kid, I could sit for hours and draw little men with big noses, weird fantasy creatures, aliens, epic battles, gigantic swords, submarines, and anything else I could think of. And I got to be somewhat decent at drawing.
As I came of age, and my “grown up life”, became more and more prevalent, drawing kind of slipped out of my hands, and I ended up leaving this amazingly creative outlet behind, and pretty much stopped altogether…
Over the years, I’ve tried to pick it up again on several occasions, but nothing really came out of it. I would draw a little, get frustrated over the (lack of) quality of my work, and after a little while, the interest would dwindle. I always had a notion, that drawing was something WORTH doing, and I kept telling myself that eventually I would have more time, and THEN I would start again!
The Problem With Eventually…
…is that it keeps being eventually, until you decide that eventually is now! And for me, I have finally decided that eventually is now! At 44 years of age, as a father, a musician and a pretty active person in general, it’s not like I have oodles of time to spare, but I just decided, that I couldn’t wait any longer. And thus the idea of The Drawing Journey was born.
I am starting now, and I created this website as a means to document the process, and to keep myself accountable. And perhaps along the way -if I’m lucky- I might inspire a few people, to pick up on a new, or a long-lost passion for drawing as well… Or perhaps on some other way of being creative. Inspiration and creativity are universal, and they come in many different forms.
You Too Can be an Artist!
Yes, I said it… An artist! Don’t be afraid of the word…
In fact, you might already be one… If you create art, you’re an artist, period!
The trick to becoming a good artist is to allow yourself to be a bad artist, so you won’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, and practice your art, without too much of the tiny self criticizing voice, that most of us know all too well.
And through practicing, and in turn creating art, you develop a way of observing the world with more attention to detail, and a keener eye for the innate beauty of everyday objects, as well as other more tangible benefits, like stress relief, improved hand-eye-coordination and much more.
Spending the time developing an artistic mind- and skill set, is worth it… Have no doubt!
So in Short…
-The purpose of The Drawing Journey, is to document the rekindling of my own artistic flame, and in doing so, hopefully inspire and empower a few people to do the same. I believe the world always needs more art, more creativity, more beauty and more exploration into the depths of the human mind… Your mind!
Take the plunge with me, and if you ever need a hand or have questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
And Lastly…
You’re welcome to use any of the material you find on my site!
All I ask is that you mention where you found it, and leave me a comment, so I can get a sense of how much participation is taking place.
All the best, and happy drawing
Michael
TheDrawingJourney.com