Drawing Time

Not long after I first began this blog back in 2011, one of my Big Ideas was that I was going to follow the example of my local hero Nancy Carlson and share a daily doodle. It was easier said than done, that's for sure. And my 'daily' blogsketches rapidly became semi-annually.



But from the get-go I signed up to receive Nancy's Facebook posts (you can, too!) and marveled every dang morning at her free-spirited drawings, wishing that I could just relax already and do something similar. For me, she set the bar high.

Following her example was seriously difficult for me then and still is. I keep revisiting the idea often in the hopes that I'll find my rhythm. That being said, I've gradually begun spending my mornings creating a daily sketch at my dining room table. Right now it's cluttered and cumbersome in that I've had to load up the area with supplies. My studio, in its current state of chaos, is borderline claustrophobic, for one thing. And for another, this forces me to spend a block of time in front of the light therapy unit (so necessary).

Miss Lily herself

But the bigger reason is that I've begun leaving Miss Lily's cage door open during my sketch time so that we can forge a bigger, broader relationship. And by drawing at the table I can keep an eye on her. This particular morning she rewarded me by climbing to the curtain rod, announcing at maximum decibel the arrival outside of the mailman, and shrieking birdy insults at my work. (I've since decided they were words of encouragement.)

For me it's turning out to be a discipline thing, mostly. Get up, get caffeinated, get started. And this week especially I'm sensing a sort of rhythm, and a looking-forward-to-sketchtime feeling. (I think Miss Lily is sensing it, too. Each morning as I'm heating the kettle and readying my spot at the table, she's worrying the pipe cleaner that locks the door to her cage. "It's warm-up time! Let's get this sketch started already!)

And, of course, it doesn't hurt that when I share the occasional sketch on my Mayfaire Facebook page I usually get a positive comment or two. Those comments keep me going all day long just thinking about and anticipating the next morning's sketchtime. (And for this I have YOU to thank. You're so awesome!)

This morning I chose a quote that spoke to me. I filled my cup with coffee, hunted up a pair of reading glasses, opened Lily's cage, switched on the light therapy unit, and set to work. And here is the result:

Enjoy your day, my friend! :)
...