For the Sake of Drawing

As I’m sure most little kids did, I loved to draw. When I was applying to art school they specifically told me not to mention this in my application. I’m sure they have to read through hundreds of essays that start with: “When I was a little kid you couldn’t tear me away from my crayons”. I think it’s true for most kids though—even the ones that aren’t artistic prodigies can entertain themselves for hours with just a pencil and some paper.

Unless you decide to become a professional illustrator, I think most people put drawing (and a lot of other artistic endeavors) aside once they reach a certain age. But why? If you enjoyed it so much as a kid, can’t you still enjoy it as an adult?

Yes and no. I think most adults would still enjoy drawing, but what keeps us from doing it (and therefore enjoying it) is the little voice in our head that says:

“I suck, why am I doing this?”
“Shouldn’t I be doing something more productive and less self-indulgent?”
“Someone’s definitely going to make fun of me”
‘What’s the point? This obviously isn’t going to make me rich and famous”

…and so on. But the point is that it doesn’t have to have a “point”. It’s fun, it’s creative, it’s meditative, it’s stress relieving, so who cares?

This month I’m embarking on a challenge that’s a little more lighthearted than my last few: I’m drawing everyday just because it’s fun. I don’t care if I have grown-up responsibilities to attend to, if what I draw looks like a toddler did it, or if I ever make it into a gallery, I’m drawing just for the sake of drawing and if they don’t come out too terrible, I might even share a few…