new year who dis?

#263 with the old-trying-to-be-new me, and last week's insider hangout.

Rohan, ball.

Dear reader,

It happens only so often that I read a thing that makes me want to drop everything else, whatever I am doing, and become that kind of writer. And of course not only write like they have written but also the things they write about, because what else is worth writing about, and use words much like theirs, because no other way would work. And of course it would be easy. Because - look! - it looks so easy. It would be easy, and I could drop everything else, and that would be enough. Does this ever happen to you?

Because I just got my first book of poems by Mary Oliver, and … phew.

Lilies by Mary Oliver

In today’s post, a drawing of Rohan, the randomness of a new year, and a video from last week’s hangout with SneakyArt Insiders.

The SneakyArt Post is a newsletter of secretly drawn art of the world. Every week, I share the latest sketchbook pages, and the best ideas from my journey as an artist, writer, and parent.

But, to begin, a question:

I ask because maybe I am mixing too many things together? And maybe we could go on a separate journey as parents (or voyeurs of parenting) with a separate publication? I am eager to hear your thoughts!

Writing as Packing

If the act of writing was like packing a suitcase, all the clothes in it would be words, and combinations of clothes would be strings of words - sentences, idioms, and clever turns of phrase. And everyone would think they could do a decent job, but it would take a master to pack more meaning than anyone else, to know the right words that go above and beyond. The words with the best meanings, and different colors of meanings, and appropriate-for-different-settings meanings, and meanings for day, and meanings for night.

Experiments with brushes help me appreciate the weight of a single line.

Reader, do you have a favorite poem, or poet? Share some good words in the comments!

New Year, Same You?

It is a new year, and that should mean something. I was speaking to a friend about how nothing changes from Dec to Jan - it’s the same weather, the same early dusk, the same rains and winds and clouds. The modern calendar is designed for productivity, perhaps, and for filing tax returns. But it clashes violently with Nature and the human spirit, specifically what I call the-human-spirit-huddled-in-the-depths-of-winter.

But it is a new year and that should mean something. I think of new year celebrations in India, of which there are several, that fall on different days of the modern calendar every year but are in tune with the sun, moon, and planets. They are timed to the onset of spring, its colours, and warm air, and the harvest, all of which feel like better reasons to celebrate a new beginning.

But here we are.

We must find something new in this same-old same-old. So I wonder, maybe, if nothing else changes, can we take the chance to change ourselves? Can we shed older skins, ideas, and ways of being?

I had this thought when visiting a favourite book store on the first day of this new year, and seeing a book I would otherwise have rolled my eyes at. Instead, I opened to the first page and decided I would buy it and read it and use it.

How will it go? And how long will it last, this newness? Reader, how are you meeting this new year?

Starting 2025 on a positive note…

This year, many new things will come into my life:

👶 Next month, Rohan will become ONE YEAR OLD. We too will become one year old parents.

🖼️ I am learning to adapt my style to larger pieces, and the first Insider Hangout of 2025 was a step in this new direction, using sketchbook drawings as reference.

📖 Next month, I begin learning to bind my own sketchbooks. This is a journey with SneakyArt Insiders - we will cut, sew, and put together our books together on Zoom hangouts. If you want to make your own notebook/sketchbook, sign up to become a paid subscriber and join us!

📚 This year, I will become a published author! I am not allowed to say too much about the book yet, but hopefully soon.

💰 This summer, maybe I do my first Kickstarter. Maybe? I have some ideas!

💻 Insider Hangout of January

In this month’s Insider Hangout, I made a large ink drawing with a dip pen, using a sketchbook drawing from last summer as reference. We chatted about sketchbooks, and art supplies, and ways to not screw up perspective when you draw straight with ink.

To become part of these monthly sessions, to join the conversations, to be part of my creative journey as I experiment with new materials and learn new things, all you have to do is support this tiny publication as a SneakyArt Insider.

A quick shout-out to all the lovely readers that said hello in the comments last week. So good to hear from you! (If you missed it, read my favorite things of 2024.) Thank you for your time and attention. I am glad to have a space in your inbox.

Next week: a link to a new course I will launch soon, the first Zoom workshop of the year, and some good lines.