Toasted

In the words of the Great Julia Child:  “I have trouble with toast. Toast is very difficult. You have to watch it all the time or it burns up.”

<Why did I not listen...>

I'm now working on the second semester of Sketchbook Skool (yes, that is how they spell it and it's  referred to as "SBS"), which I highly recommend.  It's the "anti-stuffy, anti-pretentious art school," more like having a collection of coaches to help you learn to sketch.

But, ya gotta sit down and do it.

...as I learned (AGAIN) today.  This is an ongoing life lesson for me.  How about you?

I spent most of the day avoiding the SBS assignment, which was simply to draw a piece of toast.  The assignment came out on Friday; people have been posting their toast(s) on the SBS Facebook page and of course, looking at all the fantastic drawings just made me want to EAT toast.  Which I did. 

I kept telling myself that this was an exercise in seeing, which is so necessary for any kind of drawing; it was, in fact, an assignment to promote seeing.  I was telling myself it should be easy.  Right.  So why was I procrastinating all day today?

Finally I got down to it.  Well, of course it was difficult.  Quite a bit harder than I'd anticipated.  It was all about fear.  And I suspect it was made more difficult when I tried to rush it.  Drawing does not work that way.

As usually happens when I draw, things--including me--began to slow down.  Time began to slow down.  I forgot I was trying to draw toast, and simply saw all the crinkles, holes and texture.  And despite my self-criticism during the process, and many moments of not having any idea what in the world to do next, I did get a result.  Perhaps not the result I was looking for, LOL!  Is this a picture of moldy potatoes?  Or a bagel without the hole?  Is it really looking like toast?

All I can say is, *I* was toast at the end, very tired.  But also happy.

I'm aware of how often I procrastinate in life, not just with things that scare me, but also with things I have an aversion to (I'd name them but there simply isn't enough room to mention all the things I'm postponing). 

I always feel better when I begin.  I always feel better when I am in the middle.  And even if the end doesn't quite match my expectations, I most definitely always feel better when I'm done.

I have a lot to learn from art.
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Two Quotes on Procrastination by that prolific writer, Anonymous:

“Someday is not a day of the week.”

"Warning: dates on this calendar are closer than they appear."

                                                                                                  ~Anonymous

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