Thankful For My Sketchbook

Last Monday, I came back from the Paris Sketchbook workshop (in which I taught alongside of: author / creativity coach /podcaster Cynthia Morris, professional artist Marcus MacAllister, Mixed media artist / art therpist Lisa Sonora and designer / visual journal genius Marty Gregg).

It was a fantastic week. I loved teaching alongside of these amazing artists. The 27 participants were all such unique and lovely people - all with their own stories and interesting backgrounds. I feel so lucky that I get to do these trips to bring a little inspiration in peoplpe’s lives (and get inspired in return too!).

I’ll be sharing my sketchbook pages soon on my YouTube Channel.
As I am looking through the pages that I filled in Paris, this is one of the drawings that stands out:

Looking at this drawing brings me so much joy! It reminds me of the time I spent that morning with Lisa Sonora on the Sunday market. We ate sauerkraut and an amazing dish of potatoes and blue cheese. We awed over the beautiful fruits and vegetables, the baguettes and croissants on the market.

We ordered coffee at a corner cafe, where the owner was a very well dressed gentleman who was joking all the time. I gave Lisa one of my fude fountain pens, because she can’t get in Mexico where she lives, and she was over the moon. A curious black and white dog was coming up to us and we had a chat with their dog sitter, who was having champagne with a couple of friends. Lisa showed me pictures of her three dogs back in Mexico. We talked about art supplies. About teaching art. About the joy a sketchbook or a visual journal brings. About how amazing that blue cheese dish tasted. After a while, we noticed that one of our workshop participants was actually having coffee at the same terrace too, accompanied by some friends, and we waved back and forth.

Why am I telling you all these random things?
Well, I am trying to make a point, in a cumbersome way. The point is: When you draw, you are putting pen and paint on the paper, but you are actually capturing so much more. The memory of the moment is soaked into the paper. The smells and the sounds, the conversations… it’s all there in the drawing. I think it’s almost kind of magical. Addictive too - I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it.

That’s why I love teaching, and why I wrote a book all about drawing - I want other people to feel this joy, and always have it at arm’s length!