Category Archives: Writing

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 →

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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 →

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Why not me? Why not you?

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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.

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

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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How to Double the Fun when Travel Sketching

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

(This is the next in the series of excerpts from my illustrated memoir, “Double Take.”) Planning a vacation? If you’re like me, the minute you buy your plane ticket or book your B&B, it feels like you’re almost on your … Continue reading →

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

When a pen is more than a pen

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

(The next in the Autumn 2024 series of excerpts from my illustrated memoir, “Double Take”) April 25, 2015 – journal entry about pens and my pen history Back before the invention of markers, gel pens, roller-ball pens, and ballpoint pens, … Continue reading →

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Do your pauses refresh or agitate?

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

A brief note first: This latest series of posts has given me an unexpected gift:  the feeling of reading “Double Take” for the first time. When writing, editing, proofing, final proofing, final-final proofing any piece of writing, it’s natural to … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Musings on Life, Pen & Ink, Seeing and looking, sketching, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

No need to be in a city to be an “Urban” Sketcher!

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Bobbie Herron

For centuries painting outdoors has been referred to as “en plein air” painting. It is a French term that literally translates as “in full air,” and is used to describe artwork created outdoors, through observation of the scene in front … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Book #2: Double Take, Pen & Ink, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment