Category Archives: Nuts & Bolts & Magic

Curiosity + Looking = Unexpected Aha Moments

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

Here’s your mid-week dessert, a bit of combined brain and eye candy. Watch and listen to my mentor Oliver Pyle (whom I mentioned in my previous post) as he guides you into a world you may have never seen, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Design Basics, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Power and Purpose of Curiosity

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

This month we are taking a fresh look at “Desert Island You,” exploring those values that remind you who you really are, free of the influence of loved ones or society. What do you like? Where do you find meaning? … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity) | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Power and Purpose of Story

Posted on March 9, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

What is a story anyway? Just because you’re talking doesn’t mean you’re telling a story, right? Here is Dictionary.com’s definition: Story: a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or … Continue reading →

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Prepare to March On

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

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 →

Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Emulating the Masters Again

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

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

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

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?

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Bobbie Herron

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

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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.

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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?

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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 →

Posted in Book #2: Double Take, Musings on Life, My Story, Pen & Ink, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment