August 11^th has been a powerful day for me… several times.

In 1973, it was the day of a horrific car accident where my brother and I were both badly injured.

Fast forward 41 years to 2014, August 11^th was the steamy summer day I moved into my tiny loft apartment in a quirky old 1886 Queen-Anne-style brick building. (Note: The glamorous high ceilings are lovely, but as a result, the stairway climb to the third floor is 43 steps, not your usual 28!)

Two years later, on August 11^th in 2016, I happened to start this blog, “Aloft with Inspiration.”

And the next year, while sitting at a nearby outdoor café, I got a surprising insight mid-sip. A brand-new question crossed my mind, out of nowhere: “How can I lower the stress level for people who are too self-conscious to take even a beginner art class?” Here’s the story of what led to a wonderful time teaching beginners in person.

[Side Note: Four years later, an edited version of those lesson plans turned into a best-selling book: Look at That! Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching.]

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August 11, 2017 – Friday morning

I volunteered in a small basement room at a local senior center this morning, and no one showed up. There I sat, with my sketchbook, didn’t feel like writing, but I noticed there was a little collection of glass bottles on the side table, so I decided to draw them. The arrangement was uninspiring, so I drew four rough blocks and sketched partial vignettes instead.

I sometimes question what I am doing with my life, especially at times like this. But deep inside, I sense I’m here on the planet to help people learn how to access a peaceful moment any time throughout the day, just like I did instinctively by creating those four sketches instead of getting annoyed that people didn’t show up for this free class.

Over the years, I’ve had a lot of practice “triaging” the rough patches that life has handed me. I learned years ago that sometimes all my mental state needs is a pleasant interruption, not a big treatment plan. The discouragement I’ve felt so often is not clinical depression; it’s simply a hopeless thought, innocently repeating over and over. An engaging interruption, like sketching, can airlift me out of the muck. There’s no cure for the human condition, but there are some delightful diversions, such as looking for something interesting to stare at, then sketching it for the fun of it. No perfection needed!

It’s time for me to revisit the wisdom of Misao Jo, Pema Chodron, Huston Smith, Taro Gold, Robert Henri, Henry David Thoreau. These true hearts reassure me I am on the right path. As my bro David used to say, “Onward Through the Fog!”

~~~~ Later that same day, at the sidewalk café in Bicentennial Square ~~~

I’m feeling “artistically lonely,” missing having fellow doodlers to hang out with. I’ve been scrounging around for an art class to join, and I just heard a voice inside me casually whisper, “Ya know, Bobbie, you could teach it…”

Now my mind is racing, yes! I can call it “Look at That!” and teach exactly what’s missing from every art course and art book I’ve ever seen: FUN!

The JOY of it is so much more important than the technique!

I can teach fun, just like Gif Russell did for us in 1986. I too can find the one thing they’re doing right, then tell them all about it. There’s no room for an Inner Critic — we’re playing! And I know where I want to do it: Kimball Jenkins School of Art, right here in Concord.

I’m scribbling loose ideas as fast as I can; thought bubbles, mind maps, hearing that voice say, “Why not, why not?” over and over again. With 30-plus years of practice, I know I know too much; I must be sure not to scare the beginners who are already nervous. Distill, simplify, distill…

I feel like a renegade; I want to teach the honoring of intuition, not obedience to authority or technique. Aim for joy, not perfection.

Sure, I’ll demonstrate a bit of technique, just so they don’t stumble too much, but the rest is pure adventure. And it must be affordable, one class at a time; no need to force people to shell out over a hundred dollars just to see if they like it. Affordable sketching for anyone and everyone who wants to give it a go. Now that’s revolution!

It’s an insane coincidence that today is the three-year anniversary of moving to my beautiful loft apartment, right here in the building behind me. And only one year ago this week, I started my blog. Early August is apparently a fertile time.

My biggest challenge is that I want to write and sketch simultaneously. What a cool problem!

Outside the café, Bicentennial Square: this blue green collection of sketches reflects how randomly excited I feel! Onward through the fog! Yes!

(to be continued…)

Now a question for you:

What gift do you have that comes easily to you, that someone else might secretly envy?

Get out there and share it! We need joy parties more than ever.

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Private questions or comments will reach me by using the Contact link here.

All three of my books are available on Amazon in eBook and paperback formats.

The newest book, Look at That! – Second Edition, is also available as a beautiful hardcover.

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 As always, thanks for spending some time with me “aloft.” Happy sketching!