Doing The Lean...

Sketching and drawing were the topics this week

over at The Artist's Playroom

which got me flicking back through sketchbooks

and I was struck by how much they had changed recently

which got me thinking about what brought it all on...

There is a line that has become ridiculously important

when it comes to my artwork and it is

Lean Into Discomfort

no clue who said it

no clue where I read it

but I can tell you that I read it around a year ago

and it kind of made me rethink all my crap

which is kind of a big deal

because it isn't too often that I think about things too much

I am a bit of a shallow pool really

we all have moments of doubt

and trying to fit into different moulds and ideas

and finding our style and artistic identity and all that

and moving outside our comfort zone

makes us feel wobbly and freaked out

and for me it is because I don't like the struggle and fight

I am essentially lazy and so

it all just seems a bit like too much effort half the time

but leaning into it

that, I can do

just mosey on up and sort of recline up against it

kind of like subtly invading the personal space of discomfort

not yelling at it to get out of the way

or giving it is big push and shove

just giving it enough pressure that it feels uncomfortable enough to move over a bit

and after all it works on the rest of the family when I want the sofa to myself

so why wouldn't it work with my art as well

sketching and drawing are an example of me doing the lean 

I went through a stage

of being uptight about skills and perfect tone and all that

but now I am looser and freer

I tackle more interesting and complex subjects

and don't always panic at the midway point

I still panic every drawing I do and think it isn't going to get there

but the panic doesn't stop me diving in any more

and it recedes bit by bit with every one

so now my sketchbook 

which used to filled with pages like this

is now filled with more interesting pages 

like this

I am totally addicted to the lean now.

I lean into the fact that I am no domestic goddess, 

Martha Stewart or parenting guru

and that the word I would use to best describe myself is haphazard

and sharing that imperfection here is a bit of a lean.

I lean into sharing unfinished work

writing random blog posts

having drawings that look like a bit rubbish

and lack structure

and have shifting light sources

and have blobs of paint and ink

drawings that I might not always like

through to sharing work I love.

I lean into being me

and it is very liberating...xx

My latest blog posts have been...

The Arctic Blast....

Bullied Tulips....