This is the last post in the Every day in May challenge initiated by Frenchtoastgirl. The aim was to do something creative every day for a month, but I decided to do a finished drawing every day, just to see if I could pull it off. So, here are a few thoughts on the Every day in May challenge, now that I have worked my way through it:
The best part of it all, is that I have discovered that it is ALWAYS possible to find some little time to draw every day. Blogging about it was a bit harder to fit in to the every day schedule. Posting on my blog takes a bit of time, since it includes scanning and editing the image(s) in Photoshop and writing about it in another language than Swedish.
A not so good part was that I actually grew tired of it all before the end of May. Drawing almost turned into a chore, which is something that I don´t want my drawing habit to be. And the fact that I decided to post the drawings on my blog every day made it even harder, because then I felt the pressure to do not only a drawing, but a DECENT drawing every day. The freedom of doodling away kind of got lost, and I think it shows in the drawings towards the end of the month.
BUT then again… when I look at my tiny Moleskine now that May has come to an end, I feel incredibly pleased with the fact that I filled it. I did a small amount of work every day, and in the end it paid off. Not that my goal was to fill a book, but I suddenly discovered that by the end of the month I have quite a body of work here, that I didn´t have before.
So, my conclusion is that what I should do is keep doing SOMETHING every day, without limiting myself to drawing only. I have lots of ideas about paintings to paint, little projects to work on, but I often get stuck in the thought that I don´t have the time to do it right now. This month has proved that wrong. Right now is the only time I have, and I should start a habit of realizing my plans bit by bit every day instead of waiting until I get a huge amount of free time to spend on it. That huge amount of time never seems to come along.
I am very pleased that I participated in this challenge, I have learned a lot, and (despite a slight boredom at the end) had fun along the way. And kisses and hugs to all of you who checked in here every now and then and left encouraging comments – it is much appreciated! Thanks!
19,5 x 13,5 cm, Lamy Safari, Noodler´s Black and Kremer watercolours on a sketchbook page.