6.1 HOW DOES IT FEEL

In this lesson I want us to think about assessing our artwork and sketchbook practice through the lens of how it feels to make it. We will come to how it looks later in this module, but first I want us to think about our attitude and mindset:

CHECKING IN WITH YOURSELF

In the introduction module (lesson 1.3) we completed an exercise where we set intentions about what we wanted to get from our sketchbook practice. I encourage you to revisit what you said as a way of checking in. Are you doing what you wanted to do within your sketchbook, does your practice feel how you want it to feel. If there is a gap between the reality and your aspirations, how could you bridge it? What would help? What could you do more of? What could you do less of? We can be very good wise mentors to ourselves, if we listen. So do listen to your internal guidance and wisdom and see what it has to tell you.

EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

My hope is that your sketchbook feels like a place of exploration and discovery, where you are trying things out, seeing what you like in terms of interests, starting points, art materials, marks, process and outcome.

Bring that sense of exploration and discovery to how you access your own work. When looking at what you have created it is best to turn away from negative judgement, but rather explore our own work with a sense of openness, curiosity and detachment.

EMBRACE YOUR MISTAKES

Mistakes, missteps, mishaps and pages which just don’t work are part of the process, they are not a reflection of you as an artist or person. To find things that work for us we have to try lots of things that don’t. I believe that creating things we don’t like is so much better than creating nothing at all. The pain of not creating is definitely worse than the pain of creating stuff we don’t like, so don’t let your mistakes derail you, use them as data and guidance.

LIFE LONG JOURNEY  

It can be useful to think about your sketchbook practice as a long and fruitful one. By elongating the time scale we take off some of the pressure to get it right from the get go. Our sketchbook practice is a practice that could be with us for years to come, this thought feels reassuring to me. When I think about my practice in years rather than weeks it gives me more permission and freedom to be experimental. I know that I don’t have to have everything figured out in this very moment, I can evolve, grow, experiment and see where it takes me. I’m not rushing to a finish line, as there isn’t one.