Non-dominant hand drawing

I started non-dominant hand drawing after I took a fall on January 4. My left hand was in a splint for three weeks while we figured out the damage. It turned out to be only a deep sprain— no broken bones! While waiting for the verdict on my left hand, I started drawing with my right hand. It started as a wild experiment without any real goal attached to it, but pretty soon I was doing half-hour livestreams every day on Instagram. It was a great way to keep the positive energy flowing and the creative momentum going. The more consistent I have been, the more improvements I’ve made, through the process.

Non-dominant hand drawing is not easy, nor does it feel natural. But, over a month in, I am sold on it being a mental, physical and creative exercise that’s totally worth keeping up. I have not been doing it every single day or even every other day consistently. But, I am making the effort to keep it in the rotation. I even started a sketchbook that I plan to fill completely with one left and one right-handed drawing per spread from the same photo reference! these tigers are from a spread. (The one with the orange in it, is the non-dominant one.) While it’s never gotten easy so far, does get a little easier and more familiar-feeling the more I do it. But at this point, it’s really about so much more than that anyway. I’m not expecting it to ever feel easy or comfortable! In fact, it’s kind of all about that discomfort, and about finding your way through that discomfort. Well, that’s one of the things it’s about. Anyway, it has been SO rewarding to keep up this practice/study. I find I forgive myself often, and I also surprise myself often, too! All around win-win.
.
See my non-dominant art videos here on You Tube 
See all my non-dominant posts/videos on Instagram 

I can’t wait to draw again.

I started posting almost-daily videos of my drawings and paintings to Instagram/Facebook/TikTok/YouTube about a month ago. I started as a total reset, a refocus on what’s most important to me. My work slowly had become driven by tasks that weren’t primarily focused on the actual process of making art. Then, last summer when I had my second torn retina, it really turned around my brain in terms of how I’m spending my creativity and my energy, my talents and my time. Suddenly, it was very clear that my eyesight could be altered permanently at any moment moving forward, and it made me view everything I was doing through a fresh lens- it was instant perspective, and when the dust settled I felt an urgent need to change things. I just wanted to spend time in a different zone: the art zone, sharing art process, and a n the creative inspiration zone. So, my more recent shake-up (for details, read this Instagram post) is now only making me MORE inspired to continue as I have been with art and creative inspiration content.
Can’t wait to get back to it!❤️

Embracing change

(Photo: watch the relaxing video at bit.ly/relaxingart )

This year has opened my eyes to being more intentional in how I spend my time, and what I spend my time on.

Changing things that aren’t working right can be a hard thing to face and consider. They can be tough to identify, to begin with. Then, admitting that the changes need to be made? It can feel like you’re staring up a mountain from the bottom. But, it’s a really important thing to do. Once you’re making decisions to evolve in a different way and you’re past the tougher parts of that whole process, it’s actually very liberating. You feel much freer, and definitely happier. And, that’s all a part of the end goal! So, here’s to the new year, and to really paying attention to what the universe is trying to tell us, and then to getting out of our own way and actually ACTING on that evolution and making changes we need to make to create more joy and intention in our lives. Happy 2022!