Everyday is a day to be drawing. It is the most accessible, most convenient form of art-making. Go buy yourself a sketchbook. Don’t be cheap. Just spend the money. You will not regret it. Everyday, pick up the sketchbook and draw what’s in front of you. Literally or figuratively. Or both. No one cares. There are absolutely no rules in a sketchbook. No laws. Blank paper is delicious.

For much of my college career, keeping a sketchbook has been a mandatory practice. Fearing the penalty of a bad grade, I diligently kept a sketchbook near me at all times. But it became drudgery. Because as soon as someone tells you to do something, it loses its appeal. Once I stumbled upon a semester that didn’t require a sketchbook, I abandoned daily drawing altogether.

I just purchased a new sketchbook about a month ago. I have not bought one in awhile. But I had to make myself utilize this tool because I was feeling creatively drained. It was long overdue for me to head back to the drawing board, literally.

Drawing for no purpose other than to draw is necessary for everyone, I think. There’s no pressure within the pages to produce perfection. It’s a place for ideas to grow and die and grow again. A place to create without judgement.

I am glad I have returned to drawing nonsense in a small book for no one to see. It is a perfect place to exist and be okay.

So really, get a sketchbook.

Some drawings:

-alicia