The importance of sketching.

I try to post here regularly, I really do. But I've been struck with a bad cold again (one of the joys of working with kids!) and my productivity has taken a giant smack in the face. I'm trying to stay patient as my body heals. I wanted to write out some thoughts I was having about sketching. I have a habit of thinking my sketches have to be perfect the moment my pencil hits the paper. I think I do this for a few reasons: 1) I hate repetition and I don't want to draw something over and over again, 2) I can never seem to duplicate the sketch when it's time to transfer it onto whatever medium I need it on, 3) I'm a perfectionist & I want it right the first time, and 4) I have a habit of sketching only for something I am going to follow through with as a full art piece.

But by doing this perfectionistic sketching, I put myself in a cage where I'm not allowed to make mistakes. I'm depriving myself of a major part of the creative process: experimenting. Last night, I forced myself to just start drawing, letting go of preconceived notions of what I wanted it to look like. I just let my pencil move in an attempt to make something. I only had a concept in my head. It felt much better. It's not perfect, and I wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome, but the process felt so much better, so much more free. I'm going to make a conscious effort to do this more, because it feels necessary to keep my creative thoughts coming out instead of trapped in my head. I cannot, realistically, only sketch final pieces. That's not how it works, I know that from experience. I don't know how I got into that mindset. So I'm trying to break that pattern. Just sketch and see what happens.

xo, Michelle