This weekend, I discovered an essay from
, she explained that she started to draw for 15 min every day, just for the sake of creating, for the journey. That pressure of perfection is exhausting for every artist on this planet and I’m convinced so many talented people are wasting their wonderful gift because of that.I decided to come back to my sketchbook. Forget the “perfect sketchbook aesthetic” from Instagram, mine is messy, a real playground! The only goal is to play, warm up and take a break from any anxious thoughts. The routine is simple: ginger in hot water, take a look at the sky, set the timer and go!
Limited colour palette & tools, and no time to think, I just want to work on contrasts, as it’s a skill I need to learn. The first 5 minutes are easy, I’m focus on the sky, my mind is listening to a TV show, nothing particular, but, my eyes catch some trees in my neighbour’s garden so I let’s add them, imagining them in cold colours. 5 min and I hate it. It’s not what I want to do, It’s not what I have in my head, it’s the end of the episode and I’m now alone with the sound of silence.3 min left and I start to hear something: “Maybe if you switch from blue ink to oil pastel, you would gain more control”
And the magic happens, the flow, the “let’s try, don’t be so precious, focus on the mark making”, another 15 min and loads of thoughts : “Maybe I’m this solitary tree”, “maybe working in silence is the best way to paint intuitively”, “maybe I should keep creating at dusk as I love the light and contrasts”.
For the first time, I can see a path in what I’m doing, I can see a small reflection of myself in a painting,a feeling of “yes, I think it’s enough ”. Not perfect but enough.
Strange things happen in 15 minutes.
That’s all for today, I’ll be happy to talk about your daily practice in comments :)
See you soon,
Lyly
I think I need to stop buying pretty sketchbooks - so there's no pressure to 'make art'.
That perfect sketchbook instagram aesthetic has really messed with us! It’s so important to do the messy work and listen to yourself. Thank you so much for this reminder. Your painting is beautiful!