Hey everyone!
Remember when you told me what you'd had for breakfast?
Well...
...I took your words and quickly sketched the ULTIMATE breakfast, consisting of milk, eggs, a sandwich, a yogurt and granola, samosas, an apple, a Nature Valley granola bar, and two and a half bowls of cheerios.
Which kindaish brings me to my next point.
Productive procrastination.
"Daria... that's oxymoronic..."
I know! I know.
But remember that book I told you about? Steal Like An Artist? The author, Austin Kleon, threw out that term in one of the chapters.
And it really stuck with me.
Sure, I could take a break and watch an episode on Netflix. But why do that when I can doodle in my sketchbook? Draw a character? An alien world? A portrait?
So, when I'm not working on my project (which is progressing, and I'll share what I've done next week!), I'm drawing. Constantly.
And I thought I'd share with you some of those drawings today!
And of course, there are many more. I might share them in future posts.
But the takeaway is that I've been taking every opportunity I can to draw. I see something funny on the internet? I draw. I come across an interesting-looking face? I draw. I'm in a coffee shop and there are people around whom I have not yet drawn? I go to the bathroom because I'm overwhelmed by the fact that all these people remain to be drawn.
Wait, what? There is no fear in art! I draw.
And I think it's something that's really important to train oneself to do.
"...Drawing?"
Wait no I could've phrased that better. Productive procrastination. I think that's really important to train oneself to partake in.
I can't tell you how many times in the past I'd be trying to avoid work, do something meaningless and unproductive and unenjoyable out of guilt (why do something that I care about when I'm avoiding working on something that should be done?), and become more guilty in the process.
It's totally counterintuitive!
Which is why, these days, I draw. I try to become a better artist with every passing second. I actually literally just bought a new sketchbook. Like, just an hour ago. Dang.
And I think everyone has projects, side projects, dreams, "one day I'll do this"s, that they could be working on, no matter the time or deadlines.
If you're going to procrastinate, why not do it productively?
Anyway. That's all for today's ranting. Thank you very much for bearing with me.
And now, a short; Crayon Dragon, an extremely cute piece about the boundlessness of art and creativity, by Toniko Pantoja:
Your question this week: if you could create one new creature to roam this earth by combining an inanimate object and an existing animal, what combination would you create?
I hope y'all are having a lovely day.
Remember when you told me what you'd had for breakfast?
Well...
 |
| Please excuse the hand |
Which kindaish brings me to my next point.
Productive procrastination.
"Daria... that's oxymoronic..."
I know! I know.
But remember that book I told you about? Steal Like An Artist? The author, Austin Kleon, threw out that term in one of the chapters.
And it really stuck with me.
Sure, I could take a break and watch an episode on Netflix. But why do that when I can doodle in my sketchbook? Draw a character? An alien world? A portrait?
So, when I'm not working on my project (which is progressing, and I'll share what I've done next week!), I'm drawing. Constantly.
And I thought I'd share with you some of those drawings today!
 |
| I have this book called 642 things to draw that I've started completing |
 |
| Smooches and flowers |
 |
| A rendition of Persephone... I have no clue what happened with the hands but shh |
 |
| Um... 'nuff said |
 |
| A portrait of Savannah, whose birthday was last week! Happy birthday again, Savannah! |
But the takeaway is that I've been taking every opportunity I can to draw. I see something funny on the internet? I draw. I come across an interesting-looking face? I draw. I'm in a coffee shop and there are people around whom I have not yet drawn? I go to the bathroom because I'm overwhelmed by the fact that all these people remain to be drawn.
Wait, what? There is no fear in art! I draw.
And I think it's something that's really important to train oneself to do.
"...Drawing?"
Wait no I could've phrased that better. Productive procrastination. I think that's really important to train oneself to partake in.
I can't tell you how many times in the past I'd be trying to avoid work, do something meaningless and unproductive and unenjoyable out of guilt (why do something that I care about when I'm avoiding working on something that should be done?), and become more guilty in the process.
It's totally counterintuitive!
Which is why, these days, I draw. I try to become a better artist with every passing second. I actually literally just bought a new sketchbook. Like, just an hour ago. Dang.
And I think everyone has projects, side projects, dreams, "one day I'll do this"s, that they could be working on, no matter the time or deadlines.
If you're going to procrastinate, why not do it productively?
Anyway. That's all for today's ranting. Thank you very much for bearing with me.
And now, a short; Crayon Dragon, an extremely cute piece about the boundlessness of art and creativity, by Toniko Pantoja:
Your question this week: if you could create one new creature to roam this earth by combining an inanimate object and an existing animal, what combination would you create?
I hope y'all are having a lovely day.
Hi Daria, My daughter and I really enjoyed that video clip - thanks for posting it! How did you make the smooches and flowers animation? Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAw yay, I'm so glad! Actually, if you want, I'll quickly go through how I made the little animation in my next post :)
DeleteIt seems then that nobody can ever escape the clutches of procrastination, even after Basis. Intriguing....maybe a research question one day? "Why do people procrastinate?"
ReplyDeleteTrue! Which is why I think if you're gonna procrastinate, at least do so productively, right?
DeleteThis is awesome, and I love how you're able to procrastinate productively. I look forward to drawing with you (hopefully soon? like as soon as one of my parents relinquishes their car).
ReplyDeleteI mean, it's definitely not super easy all of the time, but I'm constantly working on getting better at using my time wisely; thank you! And yesss, please do come draw with me. As soon as is possible. I look forward to it as well :)
DeleteDaria, I LOVE reading your musings and seeing the art that you put up. I wish that you posted more often, if only because I think your writing and adventures are documented with such a fantastic levity!
ReplyDeleteI'm touched; I love that you love reading my musings and seeing my art, thank you so much! I'll definitely be posting a new update very soon.
DeleteLove all these inspiring sketches! (I was stuck in the hospital for quite some time and had my sketchbook with me, so I know how fun it can be to use drawing as "productive procrastination") But I also know the feeling of just pure laziness and not wanting to sketch, even though I know I should. I think it might be because I'm afraid to create something that isn't absolutely perfect. Do you every experience the same sort of feeling? Any tips for overcoming a lack of sketching motivation? Keep up the great work :) I'm excited to see how your animation is coming along!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good question! And something I think every artist has to struggle with, at least a bit, if not a lot. It's such a good topic, in fact, that I'm going to discuss it in the blog post I'll be putting up shortly!
Delete