Follow the Juice

Have you seen this video by Ken Robert?

Connie over at Dirty Footprints Studio shared it a while back and it's been on my mind. I think it is amazing to see his abilities change and grow over the three years.

 I used to love to draw and attempt to improve my technique but like a lot of things, when you don't do it for a while (or like 20 years) you lose your touch. Of course in my mind that always seems to doubt my abilities at just about everything, I think I'm not able to draw anymore or I've lost my touch.

What this video showed me is that it is a lie! I can draw, I just haven't done much of it so I am out of practice. How many times have I talked to my kids about the importance of practice? I need to practice what I preach.

So when I was in Florida I sat down at the pool and decided to sketch the pool house. While I was doing it there was really no juice in it for me.  I was rushing through it and just wanted to get it done. I wasn't happy with it of course because it was as if I could have cared less about it. I had to question this. Do I really want to sketch? It didn't seem like it. I let it go and just played and had fun in my sketchbook for the rest of the time.

The other night I sat down to watch Oprah's Master Class. She had Laird Hamilton on and he was talking about some pretty deep and spiritual things. His words and his attitude were inspiring me so I got out my Smash Journal to write them down.

I also decided to sketch him which wasn't that easy since I didn't stop the show from playing and only sketched him while he was currently on the screen. I was totally jazzed by this. I loved every minute of it. The juice was definitely there!

This morning I was leafing through the March issue of the O Magazine (hmmm, I'm seeing an Oprah theme here) and I was struck by this picture of an African woman and knew immediately that I wanted to do a quick sketch. I had some small index cards at hand so I started to do a couple quick sketches.

Again, I loved it. It only took a short time to do and while they are far from perfect they were amazing to help me see the lines in the face and to help me simplify the forms.

What I learned most of all with this is that we need to follow the juice! We need to be inspired and do the things that get us into the flow and uplift us. If that means that we smear colors all over the canvas, so be it. If that means we draw buildings in excruciating detail, excellent. If it means we doodle on a sheet of notebook paper, rock on!

Follow the juice today and do what inspires you even if it's for 5 minutes!