thank you for the credit, Nishant - so glad our conversation and pen adventures had this effect! thank you for the interview, Amy - always interesting when you interview the interviewer! :)And thank you for the conversation in Edmonds - I found this (https://trees.stanford.edu/treewalks/treemaps.htm) and will go on a Stanford Tree walk with my sketchbook!
I would think that if you have a talent for art, you have to use it. If you’re gifted in that area that you “have to” make your art wherever you’re led, inside or out. I don’t have that talent so I don’t know. I can only imagine. This aspect of art was not brought up in your discussion with Nishant.
Kathleen, I would agree with Amy here, but I also want to address this point from another angle - talent is meaningless to the pursuit of art. One should sing even if they aren't talented, dance even without training, and make art regardless of how it looks. It is a wonderfully human thing to engage with our world with our senses, and translate it to paper using pen or brush or anything else. In these inhuman times, it is an essential way to hold on to what makes us human.
Ah, I have good news for you! There's no such thing as talent. Drawing and painting are technical skills. Anyone can learn them. That means that you don't have to wonder what it's like to draw a picture in a pocket notebook. You can take a class, learn a few skills, and try it yourself!
Love this — drawing in public while traveling feels like the perfect rebellion. Everyone’s rushing, snapping photos, and you’re the one sitting still long enough to see.
On our slow travels, I’ve learned the same thing: nobody’s really paying attention. Except maybe the occasional curious kid. Which makes it the best way to notice what you notice — whether it’s a skyline, a sheep, or just the way the light hits a pub window.
Travel isn’t just about moving through the world. Sometimes it’s about letting the world move through you.
"Letting the world move through you" is an apt description. I think I was looking for this feeling, and drawing helped me find it. Drawing is also my favourite way to slow travel!
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?
Thank you for sharing those very real feelings, Andrea. The word 'artist' is loaded with so much meaning, that I too find it clunky to use sometimes. And that unnecessary disclaimer is very much me as well. The anxiety stays with us, in my opinion, but the more often we go out and draw, the more answers we have for the discouraging voice in our head!
Something I used to say to people, in that awkward moment when they asked if they could look and I showed them, was "I'm a student." The good news about that is that we're all students, all the time!
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.
Love this: "the act of drawing will make everything okay as soon as the pen touches the page" from Nishant and from you, "notice what you notice". I just requested the Austin Public Library purchase his book - thanks so much, Amy! Loved this post for its content and encouragement to draw in public, especially because "nobody cares". 😄
thank you for the credit, Nishant - so glad our conversation and pen adventures had this effect! thank you for the interview, Amy - always interesting when you interview the interviewer! :)And thank you for the conversation in Edmonds - I found this (https://trees.stanford.edu/treewalks/treemaps.htm) and will go on a Stanford Tree walk with my sketchbook!
Nina, of course! First it was the toned paper, and now the chisel nib!
I would think that if you have a talent for art, you have to use it. If you’re gifted in that area that you “have to” make your art wherever you’re led, inside or out. I don’t have that talent so I don’t know. I can only imagine. This aspect of art was not brought up in your discussion with Nishant.
Kathleen, I would agree with Amy here, but I also want to address this point from another angle - talent is meaningless to the pursuit of art. One should sing even if they aren't talented, dance even without training, and make art regardless of how it looks. It is a wonderfully human thing to engage with our world with our senses, and translate it to paper using pen or brush or anything else. In these inhuman times, it is an essential way to hold on to what makes us human.
Ah, I have good news for you! There's no such thing as talent. Drawing and painting are technical skills. Anyone can learn them. That means that you don't have to wonder what it's like to draw a picture in a pocket notebook. You can take a class, learn a few skills, and try it yourself!
https://amystewart.substack.com/p/theres-no-such-thing-as-talent
So true!
I enjoyed Nishant's class during the recent Wild Wonder conference - great ideas from him and all the other presenters.
Thank you so much! 😊
Love this — drawing in public while traveling feels like the perfect rebellion. Everyone’s rushing, snapping photos, and you’re the one sitting still long enough to see.
On our slow travels, I’ve learned the same thing: nobody’s really paying attention. Except maybe the occasional curious kid. Which makes it the best way to notice what you notice — whether it’s a skyline, a sheep, or just the way the light hits a pub window.
Travel isn’t just about moving through the world. Sometimes it’s about letting the world move through you.
"Letting the world move through you" is an apt description. I think I was looking for this feeling, and drawing helped me find it. Drawing is also my favourite way to slow travel!
I wish I could draw something that captures the feeling of slow travel — but mine are largely doodles ✍️
That's a good start!
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?
Thank you for sharing those very real feelings, Andrea. The word 'artist' is loaded with so much meaning, that I too find it clunky to use sometimes. And that unnecessary disclaimer is very much me as well. The anxiety stays with us, in my opinion, but the more often we go out and draw, the more answers we have for the discouraging voice in our head!
Thanks, Nishant! I am really enjoying your book, which I bought after reading this post. And I've done some sneaky art, too!
So glad to hear that! I would love to hear how it helps you, and an Amazon/Goodreads review would help me a lot as well! ☺️
Something I used to say to people, in that awkward moment when they asked if they could look and I showed them, was "I'm a student." The good news about that is that we're all students, all the time!
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.
Haha, thank you so much Peter, that is so kind!
Love this: "the act of drawing will make everything okay as soon as the pen touches the page" from Nishant and from you, "notice what you notice". I just requested the Austin Public Library purchase his book - thanks so much, Amy! Loved this post for its content and encouragement to draw in public, especially because "nobody cares". 😄
Thank you for doing that, Mary. I hope it arrives at the library soon. :D
You're welcome, and me, too!