Let's take this outside.
(But not in a "I wanna fight you so let's step outside so I don't get blood on the floor" kind of way.)
If you saw my instagram you know that I was in a depression last week and it made me hate everything I created, so I put my normal sketchbook away and took a tiny notebook outside to sketch in the sun. And my drawings were strange, because I was drawing on my much-too-forgiving lap, but in way it was sort of lovely because the images I ended up with looked different in a way that reminded me that I still have the ability to surprise even myself.
Sometimes it’s okay to try again. Sometimes it’s okay if your best isn’t perfect. Sometimes it’s okay to share your efforts even when you’re afraid of the response.
This week is not perfect, but I’m still moving forward. And sometimes that’s enough.
Hugs, Jenny
PS. Today I’m mailing out the first 20 tiny doodles to randomly selected friends here and I apologize in advance if you get one with tooth marks in it but Hunter S. Thomcat loves to chew on paper for some reason.
This is him “helping” with the postage. I don’t know, ya’ll. The vet says orange boys are just weird sometimes.
Someone asked me last week why my card to them was scotch taped closed. "Um because my orange cat sat on the envelope and I didn't want to touch it after that." (and yes, there are times sharing art feels incredibly like doing those trust falls they tried to get us to do during team building workshops - we're trusting that the artistic parts of ourselves that we put into the world will be met with kindness and in a way that helps us grow.)
Thank you for this work. I always feel better after reading your posts and your artful messages. And the fact that you send these out to us sometimes while having a bad week? I feel blessed. I imagine them going out to many people as hopeful missives on the wing. You are such a lovely person. And tell Hunter Tomcat that Mabel my calico and he are kindred spirits. She eats all the tape and plastic she can find.