4 Ways Sketching Daily Changed My Life
I would love to share in a neat and tidy pile of words that sketching daily has made me the model of the human I’ve always aspired to become.
A year ago while gasping on the treadmill for a stress test, my doctor thumbed through my daily sketchbook. “These are really good!” she said in a tone I cannot recall as again—I was about to hit the heart rate limit. She told me she would love to see my work outside the sketchbook.
And there it is. The conclusion that the work inside the sketchbook cannot be shared, owned or admired. Because it’s in a sketchbook!
The more common version of this happens when I’m urban sketching (or painting en plein air, if you’re feeling like a fancier way to describe this). Tourists will ask if they can buy my work. Ah-ha, but I’m working in a sketchbook.
What they really want is that impulse purchase because they are on the street, on vacation and I’m expressing a scene in front of them. They want my view of their vacation memory. I have yet to oblige by bringing a pad of paper instead of a sketchbook and tearing the piece out to sell on the spot.
No, my art continues to live in a book. Multiple sketchbooks lined up on my shelf. Safe from the honeymooners who scoffed when I didn’t sell them a drawing.
I have gone off the path… I do have four concrete results of daily sketching!
Enhanced Creativity
Drawing stimulates your imagination and helps you think more creatively by exploring new ideas and perspectives. Making a connection where there wasn’t one previously is the heartbeat of creativity. There’s no better way to stimulate this than to draw.
Improved Focus and Mindfulness
Sitting down to draw requires concentration. So while you’re working out exactly how large the vase of flowers should be, you’re also living in the present. It’s a mindful meditation which—ya know, reduces stress. Sometimes I’ll shout at my kids while sketching but more often, I’m just in a happy place.
Skill Development
Regular sketching practice sharpens drawing skills, builds muscle memory, and boosts confidence in your artistic abilities. In my experience this does not translate into being able to draw anything anywhere, and at any time. I need a reference photo and a pep talk to get through most subjects.
I did not go through the traditional phase of 9 year old girl that includes drawing horses. So if you ask me to draw a horse without a reference, here’s what you get:
Emotional Expression
Sketching provides an outlet for emotions, allowing you to express yourself visually and process thoughts more effectively. When I sketch a beach scene while sitting on a beach, I will forever remember that moment on the beach. It’s an instant memory and looking back on it will always pull at my heart.