Reverb14 Days 1-3

I wanted to play along with Kat McNally's REVERB14, which I found out about through the fabulously interesting DEBORAH WEBER, but I missed the first couple days, so I wanted to catch up...

I thought I'd share a few sketches with you from my bedroom sketchbook while I answer the questions..."bedroom" because I sketch before I go to sleep...not because there are naughty drawings in it...shame on you for thinking such a thing! Heathens!  :)

Day 1 question: What can you say right now with certainty?

First, that I'm never certain about anything...we've talked about this before... 

Second, that the year is almost over.  And this means that I've almost finished two year-long projects, Documented Life and Journal 52.  And I'm certain that I'm REALLY proud of myself for sticking with it.  I can be a bit flaky at times and I wanted to work on that...and now, a few weeks short of a year later, I can finally say that, even though I can be flaky, I can also see things through to completion!  That's a big deal for me!

And third, related to the second thing, I am certain that I have grown a lot this past year.  I'm really happy that I have the blog, because it shows me how far I've come.  Sometimes I take baby steps, and sometimes I backslide, but looking back over this past year through the eye of the blog, I really have made forward progress!  That's an AWESOME feeling!

I use the bedroom sketchbook as a place where I can blatantly copy (well, as closely as I can...) cool sketches I've seen on Pinterest.  You can see the originals on my Pinterest board, "Copycat With Respect".

Day 2 question: What unfinished projects from 2014 are you willing to release now? (Regret not required.)  

Last December, which seems worlds away, one of my goals for 2014 was to get better at realistic drawings...there was a plan, involving a sketchbook and a determined attitude...but that plan ended up not happening.  And that's ok.  Overall, my art has improved.  I've done enough practicing that it has to have improved!  I will take one small step in the right direction over being stagnant any day!  

That doesn't mean that I've completely let go of this goal.  It just means that I release it for now.  I tend to put a lot on my plate and then can't finish it all (I think it's one of the reasons I end up being 'flaky')...and that's what happened with this goal.  That doesn't mean I won't keep trying in the future, just that I'm ok with the fact that I didn't put that much effort into it so far.

I like so many different styles of art and I constantly try to make progress...I want to get a little better with every attempt!  And I think that learning more about one kind of art, getting better at one style of it, improves my artist's eye over all.  And that's FANTASTIC!

So maybe 2015 will be the year of the realistic drawing...or maybe it won't.  As long as I keep making art and as long as I slowly and steadily keep improving at it, that's more than enough for me.

These bunnies were too cute not to try to copy them!

Day 3 question: It's all too easy to put off loving where we are until everything is perfect.  What can you love about where you are now?

At this exact moment, I'm loving that I have some good friends in my life...especially the kind of friend who buys me Mexican food...which happened last night.  I haven't had a spontaneous outing with a friend for a really, really, really long time...and it was SO FUN!

Despite my recent realization that I've somehow become a person who likes consistency and routine, there are still times that it makes me feel a little like a caged bird.  So it's good to be able to stretch my wings a bit and remember the feeling of enjoying the unexpected...even when that feeling comes as a result of a friend locking her keys in her house!  (It was Sweets to the rescue...I felt like Underdog: "Here I am to save the day!")

It's nice to have someone in my life who I can laugh with, take turns venting frustrations with, and someone who will tell me the truth, even if that's not what I want to hear.  Finding someone who will be honest with you (especially someone who does it in a kind way) is a rare and glorious thing, and it's very precious to me.

And who doesn't love a good fairy godmother!  I am pretty darn proud of this one!  My copying skills at their finest! 

So now I'm caught up  with Reverb14...despite my love of all things art journaling, I do like a good set of writing prompts once in a while!  I think it stretches my creative brain in a different direction.  I think, if inspiration strikes, I might like to make pages to go along with some of the prompts...but we'll see how it goes...

December has kind of turned into a blog-a-thon month for me...three posts in three days?!?  Crazy!  You know, I haven't done a single blog-a-thon all year, and last year I did several...  Maybe a December blog-a-thon will send 2014 off right?  I mean, I'm accidentally off to a good start...perhaps we'll see how far I can get before the laziness kicks in?