Drawing in Public and Other Artistic Adventures
A chat with Nishant Jain
I just returned from a trip to England, where I spent a fair amount of time drawing in public. In case you’ve never done this and you’re sure you’d make a spectacle of yourself, I can promise you: No one cares. Only one person said a word to me as I sat with my pens and watercolor and sketchbook, and that was a ten year-old boy who was too shy to answer my questions, but had—according to his more forthcoming parents—an interest in art.
My friend Nishant Jain has spent a lot of time drawing in public, and thinking about drawing in public. His new book, Make (Sneaky) Art, is all about that experience, and much more. He also writes a newsletter, puts out a podcast, and teaches workshops, and he’s headed out on book tour soon. You can find out much more right here.
Nishant and I talked about—well, all of this. Here’s our conversation:
AMY: I think a lot of people feel self-conscious about drawing in public. Can you talk about what that's been like for you, and how it's changed over time?
NISHANT: I coined the phrase 'sneaky art' because I would draw quickly in cafes and street corners, and leave before attracting attention to myself. I made it my job to be sneaky and get away with a drawing. This was a coping mechanism for my anxiety about doing this in public. I was a newly arrived immigrant in America, trying to learn to draw. Everything about this felt incredibly silly! (Of course I was wrong.)
Today, I understand that the anxiety is irrational. And nobody is really paying attention to me! But we are not rational beings, and a part of me insists that I remain sneaky. The anxiety is still there but I do not let it make decisions. The benefit of experience is that I have reached the other side thousands of times, so I remind myself that this does not matter, and the act of drawing will make everything okay as soon as the pen touches the page. So, over time, it has also become my job to begin drawing as quickly as possible. To close the hesitation gap between wanting and starting.
AMY: Yeah, I’m always surprised at how few people ever say anything to me when I’m drawing in public. Maybe a kid will stop to watch, but that’s about it. It’s a nice reminder that nobody is paying attention to us after all!
It's interesting to think about why we draw. Like, what's the reason for drawing as an activity, a pastime, but also--why draw this thing over that thing, this place over that place? How do you think about the question of why?
NISHANT: In the book, I say - in the absence of directions, use curiosity as a compass.
When I started making sneaky art, it was not just art for the sake of art. I needed to do this because I was desperate to understand my new environment. I was fascinated by the people of America and drawing was an excuse to look at them. Carrying a sketchbook gave me permission to do this.
Curiosity for people soon extended to the city that allowed them to coexist. It took me to cafes, street corners, parks, and other public spaces. The wonderful thing about it was that it did not travel in a straight line. For example, over time, I am becoming curious about natural spaces, the effect of the seasons upon our lives, and (of late) the trees in my part of the world. It is a journey of constant discovery.
Another wonderful thing about curiosity is that sometimes it has no words. And that’s okay because words aren’t all that. Being simply curious, and expressing through a drawing, tunes us into a language of lines, shapes, and colours. It has us paying attention to things that are utterly ordinary to everyone but us. A fascination beyond words. A drawing habit gives us access to a side of us that is buried under the deluge of text that the modern world throws at us everyday.
So this is my favourite way to answer the question of why: an art practice is an opportunity to think, breathe, process, and simply be, outside of language. To finish a drawing and look at your page and let it show you who you are.
AMY: That's interesting--I think it's very much this idea of "notice what you notice" or "catch yourself thinking." It's a very good way to decide what to draw.
When you and I were in Edmonds, WA for SketcherFest, I also saw you thinking about something else--how to draw. Lately you've been experimenting with some new pens, a larger size, more color. I have this idea that we make those kinds of changes in fits and starts--like we sort of plateau for a while because we're content with what we're doing. Then it starts to feel unsatisfying, so we cast about for new materials and new approaches in a kind of restless and sometimes frustrating way--and then there's a new discovery at the end of it. How has that been for you?
NISHANT: The question of "how to draw" is closely linked to "what" and "why". At the tactile level, our tools literally determine how we feel, which determines what we depict out of the things we see. In the book, I write that art is a journey without destination. We are not meant to be finished products. We were meant to climb mountains, hit plateaus, and seek new paths. Boredom is so important to creative breakthroughs!
When I came to Edmonds, I had been plateau-ing for a while. I needed a change of direction, but coming to that realization took a lot of time. The social media monster lives inside our heads now, and tells us to narrow down to a niche, to fake confidence instead of sharing vulnerability, to be a brand instead of a human being. But this does not serve us as much as it does the algorithms. At Edmonds, I was tired of my drawings looking so predictable (at least, to me). I took my friend Nina Khashchina's suggestion to use a chisel-tip marker. Having less control over my lines, I figured, could be a way to level up.
This summer has been revelatory in different ways. Not only urban sketching, but nature journaling has helped me appreciate what can be shared on the page. I have new answers for the "what" and "why" of drawing. I am expressing ideas in a way that is still my style but also completely fresh. I have found new paths to travel, and every page is exciting again!
AMY: I love how something as simple as a chisel-tip marker changes things. I notice it with handwriting as well--there are certain pens that make my handwriting much worse than it normally is, and a few that improve it slightly!
Congratulations on the new book and I know it's going to spark a lot of interesting conversations. I'd encourage everybody to buy the book from their local independent bookstore--and if they don't have it in stock, they can definitely order it! Tell us where to find the book and where to find you on book tour.
NISHANT: Here's the link to order the book online. I am excited and nervous about being on tour. And my hope is to give out many signed books in person. Maybe with a drawing too? The Make (Sneaky) Art Book Tour begins this month in Vancouver followed by San Francisco. I am also going to be in Victoria, Portland, New York, Toronto and Seattle before the end of the year. All event links, updates, and details here.
Supporters are using watercolor like a pen
I managed to film a bit at a nature sanctuary this summer to show you how I sometimes use watercolor like a pen. The idea is to draw with a small brush, treating it almost like a marker rather than a paintbrush.
This and so much more is right here for you in an archive of over 100 exercises in making something in a sketchbook! And this fall, I’m going to be painting from your photos and sending out original paintings in return. Check out your options here:
The Bit at the End
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I love hearing that the anxiety is real! I recently got a membership to the botanical gardens and have gone there twice to sketch. The first time, some little kids came over to look at what I was doing and their mom said something like, "Look, it's an artist." And I thought a lot about that word--I don't feel like an artist, and also, does it shut something down for the kids, to think that a person drawing has to be "an artist" or does it open it up, to think that anyone can be an artist? The next time an older woman asked if she could look at what I was doing, and I said, "Sure, but it's kind of a mess." It was kind of a mess--early in an attempt at 1-point perspective of a pergola that had way too many lines to manage with some scribbly vines--but why did I feel the need to add a disclaimer?
So cool to have two of my substack heroes talking creation in one convenient place. When I first started on Substack I met Nishant in a seminar and thought: “That guy has it figured out.” And he does! Drawing and changing for all the right reasons. Here’s to sneaky art for all.