Awesome Autumn Food!

When autumn begins, beyond the chilly weather, leaves and sweaters, my favorite part is definitely the food. So, for this month, I’ll be focusing mostly on food and either diverging from prompts entirely or interpreting them in wildly unique ways. For today’s prompt of leaves, we do actually have parsley leaves present in this bowl of butternut squash soup, so that’s fairly close. If you were hoping for autumn leaves, please see my previous post. Philippe made an amazing version of squash soup with a wonderfully unique mix of ingredients. Normally, I can’t get him to write down any of these awesome recipes he dreams up on the fly, but he’s agreed to do so this month. If all goes according to plan, at the close of the month, I’ll be offering up those recipes, these and other illustrations, and some fresh new stories in the form of a small illustrated cookbook. If all doesn’t go according to plan, I’ll have at least eaten well, but will be labeled the biggest tease on the internet. So, I’m determined to make it actually happen and produce something that I’ve only been hinting about for months. With your help and encouragement, I’m sure I’ll be able to DO it!

My favorite thing about about starting any new plan is approaching it with a healthy dash of “what the hell!” Though I’m not the cook in the family, I do cook up lots of crazy schemes and ideas and approach them with this same primary ingredient. For me, it’s just about giving myself permission to proceed without worrying about the outcome. If I bothered to take time to worry about what might happen, I might never begin anything in the first place. That’s why my motto and the motto of this site is simply “DO”! There’s really no better way to make a dream come true. Years ago, I wanted to be a writer and started reading books and buying software. I got so into setting up the software and folders that I entirely forgot to actually write. Sometimes, I think as an artist, the same thing can happen. You can spend all day researching supplies and studying techniques, but if at the end of it you’ve not produced a painting, then it’s difficult to tell if any progress has really been made.

So, for this month and every month ahead, I’m laying down an ultimate challenge to anyone reading this. Make time to DO! That’s it. Nothing more. If you have a dream that’s burning in your heart, then build time into your life to make it happen. This world is a crazy and uncertain place and there are so many challenges that we face each and every day. Just 30 minutes to an hour each day can transform a dream into a reality. Just pick the one idea you’ve always wanted to try and devote your time to that. Each day for a month, and see what happens. I’m confident that you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. Don’t forget, of course, to add the primary ingredient of “what the hell!” What’s the worst that can happen if you try? And more importantly, what’s the worst that can happen if you don’t try? So, I’ll be trying crazy things this month and I invite you to join me. Pull up a chair, grab a fork or spoon, and enjoy some awesome autumn food!

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About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Cobalt Turquoise, Ultramarine Blue, and Payne’s Gray.  Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book.

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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