Look! You're Surrounded!

This morning I finished out the work week and have made it home in time for afternoon coffee.  I am cheers-ing you by showing you a couple of work themed daily sketches.  Just in case any management sees these, no need to worry, as I used my ten minute breaks to make these.  :)

A Delivery Truck...

 

 

and the scribbling down of the inside the store looking at the entrance.

 

 

Are these the most entertaining subjects?  Not really, but they were fun to get down on paper.  The thing that is fun about daily sketches is that they are kind of a collection of places where I have been - a visual diary of my everyday.  Some days are less than inspiring - it can be the same old, same old, and I think once we get into that frame of mind, we miss out on opportunities.

 

I've actually been pretty hum-bum about daily sketches lately.  I've been uninspired by the same surroundings everyday.  The truth is is that I'm not paying attention enough.  I made myself draw that delivery truck the other day.  It wasn't inspiring at first, but then the different sharp angles caught my eye a bit when looking at the cab and under the truck itself.  Once it began appearing on the page, it was interesting, and I wanted to capture more and see how all of these shapes fit together.  If I had had my way, I would have sat out there for another ten minutes at least to try to record the shadows and tones, but break was over.  I'm learning that it's only boring if I'm not really looking. (This also goes along with what my Mom always told me when I was growing up, "Only boring people are bored.")

 

For the next three days, I'm off at my day job and planning to have a few more works finished.  One of which will hopefully be this one -

 

 

It's in a rough starting stage, but there's potential, if I'm willing to look!

 

My challenge for you is to find something mundane in your environment this week and really study it.  What was it and how did it change before your eyes? 

 

PS.  If you really struggle with this, just pile up a blanket, and you've got yourself your own miniature mountain to capture your imagination and Tonka Trucks.  Tah-Dah!  Challenge complete!

 





The Artist Cycle of Satisfaction and Disappointment: What is this?

What will it take to be any good?

Sketch of Matthew (Daily Quick Study/Exercise)

 Krystal Booth, Ink on 8x6" paper

 

 

It will take diligence, persistance, patience, and several other words ending with -ence or -ance, which I often can't remember which word is spelled with which.

 

It's a bit depressing at times when I look back at works and think, "That's crap."  Several of these are shoved away in my closet.  Some are recent, and some are from college, and still some are from high school.  It gets to feeling a little defeating.

 

But then I'll decide, well this time I'll paint my heart out, and I won't give in until it's just the way I want it.  I get it done.  I'm satisfied for the time being.  Then a few months later, I again think, "That's crap."

 

Is this normal?  Is this progress?  Or is it just a defeating point of view?  I'm just not sure what it is, but I definitely experience it often.  If it's not normal, how can I think differently?  Do I need to?  Or is this what other artists go through too.  Will this ever end?

 

Someday will a reach a level of skill that suddenly defeats this "That's crap" mentality?  Is that possible?  Or will it forever be this wicked cycle of love and hate for what one puts out into the world and that's just part of being an artist?

Everyday

Inside the apartment with little scribbles of ink...

Daily Sketch (K Booth)

Right now, it doesn't look like this.  Matthew is at work and the cats have found other ways to entertain themselves besides laying on my lap or in the middle of the floor.  For now, I'm left to myself with a little chunk of time to make count for something.  It's my day off to spend smartly.

Sometimes there are so many projects, and things to get done that I easily get overwhelmed, and end up spending the whole day avoiding everything.  I hide in my corner...meaning I get on facebook, watch youtube music videos, call loved ones, and make weird cleaning decisions such as instead of doing the pile of dishes, a cupboard that we haven't opened in a month will get cleaned, sorted, and organized.  I'll clean what no one will notice, but will give me a little satisfaction that I didn't waste the whole day - afterall, I called my parents, a best friend, and I cleaned a cupboard. 

Today is a different day, and I've been making some drastic changes over the course of the last month.  I keep taking it one day at a time, and finally I'm feeling and seeing some results that are worthwhile.  We are the sum of our everyday.  Every single day develops us into the people we are and the people we are becoming whether or not we show up to do our projects, or tackle our lists.  This is finally being absorbed into my brain!  Good grief, what took it so long?