Sketching in South Pointe Park

I'm in the middle of a few ongoing projects, and have been feeling a little bit out-of-whack recently. Just a bit unorganized, a bit cluttered in my headspace, a bit anxious as I make work.

To combat this I decided to take all of today off. I know, it seems totally counter-intuitive to block off an entire day off from making work, when I'm growing increasingly anxious about my timeframe to make said work - but it's exactly what I needed to get back to baseline.

I packed up my usual travel supplies (sketchbook, camera(s), watercolor pencils, graphite sticks and ipod), slathered myself in sunscreen and hopped on my bike. I had no idea where I wanted to go, just that I needed to go somewhere.

Intuitive biking.

I rode over to the beach, taking turns when they felt correct and going straight if I didn't feel like turning, literally no goal in mind and happy as a clam. Eventually I ended up at South Pointe Park before I decided to lock up my bike and walk around. The whole trip out there was mirroring very much how I felt about some of the work I was making: starting out with no clear picture of the end goal. However, on the bike it was freeing and not anxiety-inducing. The moment that analogy popped into my mind I immediately felt a sense of calm return. I could fix this.

Focusing on that, on allowing myself to meander (both in my work and on the beach) I found a nice quiet spot to sit down and sketch. I watched the boats come and go, watched rollerbladers and kite-flyers and soaked in the beach vibes of the park.

I'm not sure if anything could have been as helpful as taking that full day out of the studio. When I returned home I made a nice big slooow dinner, careful to stay mindful of the peace I found while navigating the beach on my bike.

I’m not going to pick up my brushes tonight either, but start fresh in the morning.

<3

Can't be stressed looking at this.