Traveling. Yes. Maybe.

#288 Here I go ... I think.

Baa-bol, shouts Rohan, pointing outside the windows. Fluffs of cotton are floating in the late spring air, released by the cottonwood trees in our frontyard. This week, the “bubbles,” as Rohan sees them, are everywhere, covering everything.

I grab my sketchbook and watch him, the pen hovering over the page. This is how it always begins…

I wrote an essay for The Dial about sketching through fatherhood. Or fatherhood through sketching, depending on how you look at it.

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Nishant Jain went from studying for a PhD in neuroscience to becoming an artist. With pit stops as a political cartoonist and stand up comedian Nishant tried a lot before he found his thing… [link]

I spoke with David Speed on the Creative Rebels podcast about using curiosity as a compass on my journey as an ‘accidental artist’.

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"Both writing and drawing are about putting together lines and shapes to give meaning to things." [link]

Jason Chatfield and I did a Substack Live where I explained how to draw tiny people. I spoke about how being sneaky in the pursuit of art has helped me not only become an artist but also a more conscientious and observant person in my world.

Dear reader,

By the time this post arrives in your inbox, I hope to be thousands of feet in the air, flying to Aspen (Colorado, USA). But things being the way they are, there is a non-zero chance of being denied entry at immigration. I guess we will find out!

I am traveling to Aspen to be part of the Aspen Ideas Festival:

The flagship gathering of the Aspen Institute, the Aspen Ideas Festival brings brilliant leaders and thinkers from around the globe to discuss the ideas that will shape tomorrow and help us understand today.

Reader, does this make me a leader or thinker? A part of me (that does not lead but certainly thinks too much) says that I do not belong in such a gathering. But, since they have invited me, perhaps I do?

While I am unsure about my ability or desire to shape tomorrow, I do stay busy trying to understand today. So maybe I will have a few things to say. They have invited me to host a workshop for interested participants. It is titled - Build a 5-Minute Drawing Habit. I am excited to share this superpower with others.

My art kit for Aspen.

If you, or someone you know, will be at Aspen Ideas, say hello in the comments. I would love to meet!

I am mildly anxious about immigration control. But I am more anxious and sad about leaving Rohan for a few days. Since yesterday, he has been more clingy than usual, as if suspicious (correctly) that something is up. Should I not be looking forward to a couple of days of full sleep and no diaper-changing? All I can think about is not waking him up in the morning, not giving him his bottle of milk, not seeing him run toward me. (sigh)

I will be fine once I have boarded the plane.

Last week, I set up a table to sell prints at a local arts fair. It was a busy day, and these are the drawings I got in when no one was around.

I will (hopefully) have many wonderful ideas and drawings to share with you next week. Thank you for your time and attention.