Why Did I Quit Drawing Anyway?

(Illustration I created in college for Print Magazine's cover competition.)

That's the big question, isn't it? That day at the kitchen table, I caught a glimpse of the passionate artist I'd been. I knew as I watched my children that I wanted to experience that joy again myself. And I realized the first step would be to figure out why I'd stopped to begin with.

All the reasons I'd come up with over the years were really nothing more than excuses. I had enough time to watch TV, read books and crochet. I had enough money to buy paper, pencils and other supplies. I saw things every day that I yearned to draw. And yet the supplies gathered dust on a shelf.

The sad truth is I'd come to view making art as my job. It started in college when I tried to create art that would appeal to my professors and get me a good grade. Later when I worked in advertising, I arranged images and type to convey a message about a client's product or service. I utilized my education and artistic background, but ultimately the goal was making the client happy.

I got out of the habit of drawing for my own enjoyment and on the rare occasions when I tried, I was very self-critical. I was out of practice, unsure of myself and my abilities and quickly got frustrated. I felt I'd forgotten how to draw, so I stopped trying altogether.

The key to rekindling my artistic spirit was going to be patience. I needed to give myself the opportunity to experiment and play without the pressure of creating a masterpiece. I thought I had an idea of what I needed to do next.

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Part 2 of my I Am An Artist series
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