Lost In A Good Book

For today’s prompt of “cozy,” my mind went to a quiet moment complemented with a glass of tea and lovely book, and of course, a story that pulls me in and takes me on a journey. I grew up loving to write, because as a kid, I would spend hours lost in books. Whether I was traveling through the jungle with Rudyard Kipling, heading to the Yukon with Jack London, or solving a mystery with the Hardy Boys, it was always a wonderful adventure. In my mind, I would imagine myself as one of the characters. Not often the protagonist, but usually just the helpful friend cheering them on. I loved to watch the journey of the hero in my mind and see all the wonderful things happen for them. For me, I didn’t have to be the hero to be inspired and feel that wonderful spirit of hope. The same sense of accomplishment one feels when everything works out in just the intended fashion. I’m still living vicariously today, as I feature wonderful artists on Doodlewash. Their stories thrill me and compel me to try new things and keep painting onward. If you’re an artist with a story to tell, send me a note and let’s share it! 

So much of the internet now is filled with simply informative information. It’s all tips and how-to’s and those are, indeed the very things one should focus on in order to create a successful blog that search engines will love. Doodlewash has never followed those rules. Here, you’ll find a lovely mix of information, yes, but mostly just stories about art and life and all the things that happen in between. I personally think it’s rather cool that you’ve showed up to read this right now, as it means that you’ve found me in spite of an algorithm. When I started this blog, I began by following many of the rules and doing things in the usual fashion one might expect from an art blog. I quickly grew bored with this and branched out into illustrated stories about life and memories. The final result is a bit bizarre, to be sure, but it’s what gives Doodlewash it’s unique place in the world. The majority of content on this site consists of simply stories meant to inspire and delight, just like when I was reading all those books as a kid.

What I learned was that by reading the stories of others, I gained far more information than I could from anything else. I love learning not just how someone does something a particular way, but why they chose to do it in the first place. This question of “why” has always been the most interesting and exciting thing for me. I would assault my parents with “why” questions over and over again until, exasperated, they sent me back to my reading instead. Today’s world is mostly about video, watching and listening to things. I think that’s awesome, but I miss the world where words themselves created images in our minds. This was the very playground where I developed my perfectly overactive imagination that still thrives today. My mind had to fill in the gaps and insert my own ideas, emotions, and personal stories. I had all of the information, but for the images, well, I could just paint those in my head. It’s not surprising then, that when I finally wrote my very published story, it was, of course focused on reading. So, while I adore watching movies and television, there will never be anything to compare to the wonderful feeling of being lost in a good book.

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About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.: Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Red, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue.  Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Click here!

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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