We live in a beautiful world, but it's hard to see sometimes

a book excerpt + tour dates + podcast feat. samantha dion baker

On Vancouver Island, earlier this month.

Dear reader,

Today’s post begins with an excerpt from Make (Sneaky) Art:

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My name is Nishant and I am a Sneaky Artist. This is a job title I made up for myself.

I want to tell you that we live in a beautiful world. Even when we do not understand it, even when it appears cruel and indifferent, even in the midst of ugliness and strife and malice. Within each of us is a capacity to recognize beauty that no one can take away from us. But a media environment designed to be distracting and manipulative can sometimes make beauty difficult, or even impossible, to find.

Today we live inside various media environments: screens, sounds, notifications, and social media feeds consume our attention span, leaving only crumbs for the things we actually want, the things that would make us happy.

The reason for this book is therefore simple: to make it easier to recognize beauty in our distracted, divided, unhappy world. To use a sketchbook habit to reclaim our attention span. To equip you with the tools that help add more beauty to this world we share.

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

NERVES

The book releases next week. Am I ready? I don’t know.

Sometimes I think I have done enough. But some nights just as my eyes close and muscles relax and I approach the edge of the abyss where “peaceful” slumber awaits, in parentheses because Rohan is co-sleeping these days and loves to kick me in the ribs at 2 am and again at 4:35 am, I am shaken by the thought that I have done nothing - NOTHING! - to make sure the book sells, that everyone sends emails to dozens of people (DOZENS!) while I hesitate, procrastinate, bloviate, that everyone who has RSVP-ed is playing a practical joke, that my big book event next Friday (IT’S NEXT FRIDAY!) will go empty, and this is how I always am, because this is what I always do, not pushing hard enough, scripting my own downfall. Why do I even expect anything different…

I remind myself to breathe.

This month, I sent out four difficult emails to people I admire very much. They do not know me, but I wanted them to read the book and maybe talk about it on their newsletters/socials. It was a difficult ask to make, because it feels manipulative and slimey, and shouldn’t the book stand on its own, and why should I need favours, and have I not done enough, and is everything just fake performativity sitting atop closed loops of people scratching each other’s backs…

(I remind myself to breathe.)

To everyone who has preordered, I love you. I have learned that some sellers have already begun mailing copies. Some of you may have received it already! But for most of you, copies will start shipping next week.

I am excited for you. For me. For us!

SNEAKY BOOK TOUR

The Book Tour is a work-in-progress. I hope to add more dates very soon.

I will be ✍🏼 signing books, 🎤 answering questions, ☺️ blushing furiously, and 💌giving away drawings. I would love to see you.

Were you at the Wild Wonder Conference?

Last week, it was my honour to be a small part of the Wild Wonder Conference. If you made it, I would love to hear from you in the comments.

If you did not, I strongly recommend their Video Pass, which gives you access to all the sessions. It is a great deal, because each session was full of incredible ideas to help you become better at observing and journaling your natural environment. Nature journaling has been - without a doubt - the biggest catalyst in my work as an artist, and my curiosity as a person, this year.

🎙️ Listeners, rejoice!

In other news, the SneakyArt Podcast is back. After a hiatus that continued far longer than originally planned, I am re-energized and ready to go. Catch the new season announcement in Ep 69.

Or, dive directly into this week’s conversation with the wonderful Samantha Dion Baker. Listen to Ep 70 on your choice of podcast player, or catch a link.

Find links to listen!

New York-based artist and author Samantha Dion Baker introduces her latest book - Draw your Adventures. What are good ways to think of the word ‘adventure’? Does it always need to be an exotic, foreign location? Sam and Nishant discuss ways to craft a personal definition of adventure, free of other people (plus social media) opinions.

Then big questions creep in! If all knowledge already exists on YouTube, what really is the job of the how-to book? If artists are self-driven, why do we benefit so much from community? Also, are disembodied hands easier to draw than hands attached to their people?

BONUS: Sam offers advice for first-time authors (like Nishant!) to deal with the anxiety of expectations.

📚 Buy Draw your Adventures by Samantha Dion Baker

🎨 Check out Sam’s exciting new “Write and Draw” workshop in Brooklyn

🎙️ Listen to Sam & Nishant’s first conversation in Ep 52 of the show

Thank you for your time and attention.