I stood before the Prison of Socrates and …
had a moment of epiphany.
Dear reader,
I am on the penultimate day of a restful, invigorating break. This is a quick update.
Long-Lists & Short Reviews
Make (Sneaky) Art was long-listed at the Non-Obvious Book Awards. I thought that was an appropriate descriptor, but I have terrible luck with lists of all kinds. So, while I held out hope for a miracle, I was largely un-surprised to not make the short-list.
Still, it was an honour to be among such fantastic titles. If you are looking for reading inspiration, this is a great non-fiction list.
Then, the amazing Tom Kane reached out. Here’s the full exchange:
Tom: I read your new book cover to cover. It was a real joy. You and Danny (Gregory) are the two smartest people writing about drawing.
Me: I’m so honoured to be on that short-list because I just lost out on a book award! Would you write a short book review I could put on my website?
Tom:
Nishant Jain amassed an education pedigree to make any mother swoon. Envious career paths awaited. Only a reckless person would parlay this into a life of making doodles on small scraps of paper. The art world’s newest idiot savant has written a book about drawing, including step-by step examples. He’s proven any human can be an artist. Whether you have a Mensa IQ or a 6th grade education, this book expertly explains how you can make art to be proud of even if you have zero ability. The only problem is now you’ll have no excuses left to at least try.
For your listening pleasure, learn about him on the latest episode of the SneakyArt Podcast.
Epiphany
From the Greek word epipháneia, for "appearance, coming into view, manifestation (of a deity to a worshipper)”.
I stood before the Prison of Socrates in Athens, and had a moment of epiphany. Consider:
1. that no amount of hemlock can kill good ideas, not even after two millennia have passed,
2. that no amount of smarts can save you if you are also equally insufferable.
Have you too had a moment of epiphany at the end of this year?
A Sneaky Book Tour Returns
The Good Links
✈️ [Sign up] to a sneaky-art sketchbook retreat with me in the south of Spain next autumn
📚 [Buy] Make (Sneaky) Art at 10% off on Amazon.
🇮🇳 [Find me] at the Jaipur Literature Festival next month.
💻 [Grab] this special offer to learn drawing people from observation.
💻 [Recommit] to your sketchbook habit with my new course about making sneaky art of your world.
My best wishes to you, your family, and loved ones, for the new year. Thank you for reading.
Happy New Year, Nishant.
You made 2025 better. I’m looking forward to 2026. I was watching you draw in a chat. It was a long beautiful video but I can’t find it. I believe it was with an artist in the UK. Can you help me find it so I can finish watching? I was really loving it.
Brilliant observation about the duality of Socrates' legacy. The insight that "no amount of smarts can save you if you are also equally insufferable" is something Ive been mulling over for years when reading about brilliant minds who created enemies as fast as ideas. Standing there at the actual prison must've hit different than reading the Dialogues in a classroom. I wonder if the hemlock moment was less about the toxicity of his ideas and more about his inability to package them without alienating everyone around him. Sometimes delivery matters as much as teh substance, dunno if Socrates ever figured that out.