choosing to play
I could even have fun…
yancey towne’s art making is a weekly peek into the art studio to share learnings, current projects, and inspiration. Making art is what teaches us who we are, what we believe in, and what we can create… here’s to finding yours.
A while ago I needed to create some hand lettering and illustrations for work—pretty simple drawings for a new newsletter we were starting to write. I had to decide on both what to draw and the style to launch with. For some reason, I was really in my head about the project and kind of wanted to give up, but there was no one else to do it. All of us had a lot on our plates and I had volunteered because I love to draw.
The deadline was reasonable, but I needed to start pulling things together so I could do the layout as well. Even though the lettering was the easiest, I chose to get started drawing the food. I spent about a hour working with Procreate investigating brush options as I tried to narrow down a style, but I kept hitting a wall unhappy with the results.
I know there was other stress clouding my thinking, but I also was allowing my mind to rattle on about how I couldn’t do it. I could feel the negative words seep into my momentum and weigh me down. I had to shake it off and figure out how to move forward. I had to laugh at myself, I was drawing for work, it was supposed to be fun!
First thing, I took a break and went for a walk outside. I made sure to put on some music to help me reset and shake things loose. Walks always help me to slow down and notice details, step by step, soaking up the layers of chipping paint, the flowers weaving up through the fence, the crows cawing as they swoop down from the power lines. Back at my desk before moving forward, I decide to step up and get it done. I could even have fun…
I started a new file and began exploring some groups of brushes, then I narrowed down style choices by choosing one aspect to focus on as a challenge. Having one problem to unlock gives me a boundary to work within. When I give myself set parameters it allows me to free my curiosity within them. Then I can focus on the one challenge without being overwhelmed by too many ideas at once. This is the one way I have found to keep my curiosity engaged and encourage a playful exploration.
The goal of completing the project is always the primary objective, but if I don’t also aim to continually strengthen my skills and build my foundation, I loose motivation. It’s much more enjoyable when I allow my daily work and personal work to feed and inspire each other. A discovery in one area encourages playful exploration in another which builds confidence, trust, and tenacity.
I laugh because while the goal is to create something pleasing, most of the time I need to make a huge mess first. My brain wants to dive in and get it done right the first time, but my heart knows it needs to wander and explore along the way. My heart knows that play isn’t a waste of time or resources, rather it’s the glue that holds my practice together—it’s what adds dimension to my work. And hopefully that sense of playfulness and fun comes through each piece… 💛