Cats put me in an Existentialist Frame of Mind

#269: Have you heard of Henri the Existentialist Cat?

Dear reader,

Cats put me in an existentialist frame of mind. But maybe I was looking for it anyway? I am in the habit of asking why and what for, maybe more often than I should. And the other day I confronted this all-too-familiar question:

Really, without being rude about it, can I not describe my art style? Is that allowed? It seems like that should be someone else’s job. I am busy trying to make the art speak for itself!

In today’s post, the cats in question. And links to how I learned about existentialism. Also, Henri.

The SneakyArt Post is a newsletter of the things of my world, drawn secretly inside a little sketchbook. Every week, I share the drawings, and the thoughts they sparked, and other ideas from this life of being an artist and writer.

If you like what you see, tell others about it.

“God must not engage in theology. The writer must not destroy by human reasonings the faith that art requires of us.” - Jorge Luis Borges.

In Nazi-occupied France, Sartre postulated that existence precedes essence. That we were not something simply by luck of birth, that we are not the collection of our identities or other labels we attach to ourselves. That we can not rest on such unearned comforts. Life is about doing and the manner of your existence defines you. Existentialism is the figuring out of what you must do. So we are defined by actions and decisions and words and commitments. As well as by inactions, and indecisions, and silences, and the inability to stand for something.

📖 I read a wonderful book - At the Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell - about Sartre and fellow writers, thinkers, and artists, who frequently met and worked at a cafe in Paris, and became the articulators of modern Existentialism.

💻 If you would rather listen than read, check out this episode of Philosophize This.

Looking for freedom

In The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir wrote, “Morality resides in the painfulness of an indefinite questioning.”

I think about this often.

💻 Did you sign up for my course?

Of late, there has been no time to sketch because I am so busy recording and editing for my course - How to Draw the Tiny People of your World. With over 7 hours of content, multiple exercises, real-time demos, and outdoors sessions, this course will share all my best ideas, tips, and techniques to drawing people from observation.

Are you interested? Join the waitlist and get an exclusive discount.

🗓️ Come to my Open Studio

This Friday, I throw open the doors to my studio at the Beaumont Studios in Mt Pleasant (Vancouver). All day long, I am sharing sketchbooks, offering original art, and painting. Come to watch, flip through books, talk about things, or buy some art.

Tap for more info and the link to RSVP.

Thank you for reading. I am glad to have a space in your inbox and a share of your time and attention this week.