Author Archives: Bobbie Herron

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About Bobbie Herron

I live surrounded by watercolor brushes and paints, fountain pens, sketchbooks, and journals- often wanting more than anything to write and paint at the same time. If you like what you're reading, feel free to share it with others. If you see something that needs correction, please let me know. Thanks for visiting!

Prepare to March On

Face it, we are all going through some interesting times right now. 2025 arrived with a crash of cymbals. Many of us have struggled through (and barely survived) wildfires, blizzards, floods, civil unrest and more – all during the past … Continue reading

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Emulating the Masters Again

As I mentioned last week, I am navigating a couple of medical challenges that leave me with very little energy to do extra things, even those things that normally rejuvenate me. Then I glimpse my sketchbook on the table…. next … Continue reading

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The Value of Intermittent Persistence

I offered weekly posts here every Sunday from June 26, 2024 through the end of the year. For someone who has trouble with self-discipline, that was a real feat. But then, once again, Life’s vote was stronger than that of … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story, Seeing and looking, sketching, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What’s Your Nugget?

Yesterday I began searching Double Take for the best story to end this three-month series of essays. Here it is— it’s about Endings and Beginnings, and is also a gentle challenge to you and to me. Are you facing something … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Look at That! book, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Travel is my favorite path to Enlightenment

Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I agree, and I love experiencing this truth firsthand as often as possible. Five years ago, I traveled to England to visit a friend I’d never met. Well, that’s … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Seeing and looking, sketching, Trips to the UK, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

If you stop, I’ll stop.

Those of you who sketch outdoors regularly may recall times when you entered a trance-like state while sketching. Without planning it, you traveled from effortful thinking to effortless rapture, and before you knew it, you had the shallow breathing of … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Musings on Life, Pencil sketching, Seeing and looking, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Who have I dismissed lately?

This post is about Belonging… and its darker side, Tribalism. My self-described tribe is a motley crew. Many are (or were) teachers, therapists, nurses, musicians, artists, or writers. What they all have in common, and the reason they are my … Continue reading

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Why not me? Why not you?

August 11th 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 11th was … Continue reading

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Look at That! book, Pen & Ink, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Resilience and Positive Resignation

This week’s column links two entries from “Double Take,” from May and July 2017. Both entries explore how, when faced with adversity, some people fail miserably at giving up. You read that right. Some people call it “perseverance” but I … Continue reading

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The best creative partner just might be your notebook.

I was in the middle of drafting this post when a dear friend emailed me a link to an article in the NY Times. The article entitled, “How the Humble Notebook Became an Essential Creative Tool,” begins with the sentence, … Continue reading

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