The last few days I’ve felt distracted and uninspired. My drawings have felt like doodles that a part of me is somewhat embarrassed to post. I am hereby reminding myself that the point of this whole exercise is not to demonstrate what a skilled and imaginative artist I am, but to spend some time every single day, playing with shapes and colors on a piece of paper, and going along with whatever comes of it.
I show it to you, my very lovely audience, as a way of encouraging you to do the same sort of thing with whatever you love in your life. No effort is wasted, if you’re paying attention.
I don’t know if the world’s population of Monarch butterflies is rebounding, but I’ve seen many more of them this summer than I have for many years. One was in my garden this afternoon, visiting the blooming asters and beebalm, and let me stay very close to admire them.
I did not draw a picture this day; I spent it all shaping this chunk of cedar. It’s about the right size to fit into the palm of your hand and close your fingers securely around it. The cord is singed because I took it to the ironworker clan’s forge and passed it through the fire, then dunked it in the quenching water. I’m not done working on it; back home it will be part of what helps me curtail the time spent on daily drawings so I can pursue other projects.
I was away at my annual retreat for EarthSpirit Community’s Twilight Covening. This marks the completion of my 9th year of making daily drawings, which I started as a result of TC2009 clan work around daily practices.
This year I joined the Octopus clan for the weekend, to explore the stories of my life with hand-work in wood carving and decorating. Today’s sketch is a design I intend to apply to a bull-roarer (a sound-making device of ancient origin, in the shape of a propellor that you whirl on a cord).
I am grateful for the inspired and talented teachers and friends who have kept me going and nourished my creative life.
eyespider 