Hello Friends! In the morning, I like to do a couple sketches from imagination and memory. I started doing this the beginning of August 2024. The sketches are thumbnail size, and I use a mechanical pencil (which doesn’t need sharpening) with 2B leads.

Sometimes I just doodle different shapes or scribble to loosen up. Other times I draw something I've done or plan to do. Or just whatever comes to mind.

I think that doing this daily is fun and really helps me learn what I need to pay more attention to. For example, I sketched (from my imagination) Al and I eating. Well, now I realize I have no idea how to draw hands holding a fork or spoon! On the other hand, I now don’t mind if the hands look deformed or like mittens or claws! I know what they’re supposed to be.

I sometimes write little notes on the sketches. Occasionally some inspiring ideas arise or some image that makes me smile.

I think that this practice can help us tune into our inner creative self and stimulate our imagination. It’s important to not judge anything and to just let what comes out, come out. Our inner artist is not going to feel free and happy if she or he thinks they’ll be judged. So, I usually smile at my drawings and say, “I love you” or “That was fun!”

I feel more playful when I imagine myself as a child simply drawing for the pleasure of it. You may want to do this too, if you're not already sketching happily from imagination. It's okay to make a mess!