The Secret of No Excuses

Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene

Today I took a trip to Manhattan after work, and went to the art store. I found I was missing the little notebook where I was drawing last week and decide to get a new one. In this kind of paper, the drawing is more delicate, and the size also makes it easier for me to finish one drawing per night.

The moment when I draw is a moment of presence and rest. It helps me simply experience finding the right lines and harmony in the moment. Sometimes I can only do a line drawing, but if possible, I develop it more. Sometimes I just like the line drawing as it is.

Drawing as an art is not always appreciated. I understand why. Aesthetically, paintings are so much more attractive! Colors are more pleasurable than the gray and white of a drawing. But in terms of creativity, drawing is what hides inside a painting. Not always, but often. When the drawing is not quite right, the painting is a lot harder to create.

Drawing is often about thinking and creating a structure for expression.

In life, structure helps us build dreams. First a base, then we raise our dreams up to the sky.

Maybe this is why I chose drawing: it helps me build a structure inside to visualize the outside. And because it’s simple. Only 3 materials: pencil, paper, eraser. And to keep it simple is the secret of “no excuses.”