Just draw!

I love life. I really do. And you know, I honestly believe that I am 'living the dream'. I have a fab husband, a lovely, slightly crazy (in a good way) daughter, a sweet and silly rescue greyhound. I work from home, doing one-to-one tuition lessons with kids who need a confidence boost, mostly, and I get to make a little bit of money from my lifelong passion. I draw. And I draw for health, for enjoyment and because it actually has brought so much joy to a lot of people.

I suppose when I think about it, drawing has been my go-to place over my whole life. In my 41 years I have been a witness at a serious domestic assault; I have survived agoraphobia, anorexia, PND, panic disorder, and I was at the scene of a dreadful motorway suicide while living away from home. Life has been pretty rough at times, but not once did I stop drawing. In fact, I would only do it more.

When I was little, I would draw anything! I would often draw in lined notebooks, on napkins, on rough paper, cardboard, just whatever, if I couldn't get my hands on some blank paper. I loved pens, pencils, colouring pencils, chalk, pastels, anything, just as long as I could mark-make. For Christmas I would get sketch-pads, pens, pencils, paint, craft sets...

I lived away from home for three years from age 23, having got a teaching job close to where I trained at university. I was miserably lonely, stressed and homesick, and to fill one of my empty evenings, I signed up for a community art class. I loved the gentle and easy atmosphere. Seventeen people focused on individual pieces of work in front of them on a table, heads bowed, easily leads to comfortable silence and relaxed chat. Even now, the smell of oil paints (not a medium I am any good at! Pens are my thing) has a relaxing effect on me.

Anyway, fast forward ten years or so and I had walked away from full-time teaching. I was still drawing, and still attending classes. I happened upon some local 'illustration classes' for people who like to work quickly, with fast results, and I knew that was the course for me! The only thing I don't do quickly, is eat.

Bernice was a genius in her craft, and she was so informative. Over the three times I attended the classes, I learned about different types of pens, paper; how to apply washes of watercolour; how to use drawing gum; how to create shadow and tone. It was such a fulfilling, but also challenging experience. I also contributed to her A-Z of birds challenge over lockdown. All of these things have made me get better and better, and because I am not a person who can easily relax, it provides a mindful experience, but without me noticing the silence, something I usually hate.

I got to the point where I felt I was good enough, and could start trying to sell some of my work. I now sell originals and prints of my work online, via Etsy, Amazon Handmade, and through my Facebook page. I am fortunate enough to have many of my pieces for sale in local shops, too. As I said, I don't relax easily, and so I am absolutely living the dream, making a small income from something I have grown up doing, and something that gives other people pleasure. I cannot bear to think about- in fact, I cannot even imagine my life without drawing.

I really think anyone can draw, even if it it is just 'stick-men'! We all have to start somewhere, and you never know where the journey will take you.

Thank you for reading through my piece.

For anyone who is interested, this is the link to my Etsy page:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CreaturesandCoArt