Written by For Day 7 of #WorldWatercolorMonth (and the end of week 1!), we have a prompt of “Shiny Things,” which could be many things indeed. Yet, as I was heading to create my sketch and post today, I once again found myself pressed for time, so it made me think of an alarm clock. This last minute approach of doing things in what’s also known as doing things in the eleventh hour, and it’s the very approach I’ve taken all of my life. I used to think I had an issue with procrastination, but it’s more about waiting for an idea to strike me. There’s little point in starting something without some sort of idea in place, so I just wait for it to happen first. When I think about it, I’m not really procrastinating at all since I spend most all of my waking hours thinking of various ideas. Many ideas never see the light of day, but others are still brewing there and will hopefully appear one day soon. While I always promote the idea of DOing, thinking about ideas counts as that as well. Sometimes when I find myself a bit frustrated with my watercolor sketching, I just pause and think about ideas instead, then when I have a thought that inspires me, I go back and try again!
One of the things I’ve learned on this art journey is that trying to force myself to show up and make something is the least inspiring thing I could do. Yet, I’ve still managed to show up each and every day now for over 4 years! How do I DO it? Well, I stop the moment I feel uninspired and think of things I’d most like to paint instead. Once I have that thing in mind, I jump in with glee once again! And, many of you may have noticed that even if I’m “following” a prompt, I’ll often bend it to my will and make it work for whatever I really most wanted to make! Oh yeah, this year, in all of the fun and festivities of World Watercolor Month I totally missed my Doodlewash birthday post which takes place on July 3rd. Also, I sketched watermelons in plastic wrap that day and really wasn’t sure how to add the birthday candles. But yes! I have been sketching and painting with watercolor now each and every day for over 4 years! Today’s doodlewash is number 1,464, which seems a rather high number for a daily painting challenge. So, if you’ve taken on our 31 watercolor in 31 days challenge this month, that should be a piece of cake!
One of the most important things I have to share about my own journey is that I didn’t set out to complete anything. I simply wanted to sketch, paint and write each and every day. My personal challenge has only ever been to do just that. With no number or end date in mind, I just kept right on DOing it. While this month’s challenge is dedicated to watercolor, I hold monthly watercolor and drawing challenges every single month of the year. My secret hope is that you’ll discover what I’ve discovered. That showing up to make something is the most incredible feeling there is and it’s so much easier to DO than you think it is. I hope people will become hooked on sketching like I’ve become and stop counting the days entirely. At least the days where something is actually created. I think it’s far more productive to count the days when something isn’t created instead, and try to make that number as low as possible. For me, I like keeping that number to zero days. So, if you’re up for taking on my “zero day” challenge, that simply involves showing up to make a little something each and every day. No pressure or expectations of greatness, but instead, a journey of discovery, wonder, and fun lies ahead! And the best news is that when you’re making that little thing your heart desired that day, the timing is still perfect, even when it’s in the eleventh hour.
Want To Sketch Stuff With Me? Check Out My New Activity Book!
About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Leaf Green, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
 |
|
That alarm clock is pretty shiny! I think your eleventh hour inspiration struck true!
Thanks so much, Susie! 😃💕I’m so thrilled you enjoyed this!
Great alarm clock though I wish we didn’t need then. I love your zero day challenge and I’m in! This has become an important part of my daily art practice.
Thanks so much, Karen! 😃💕 Yay that you’re taking on my zero day challenge! hehe… no pressure at all there! 😉
Beautiful reflections and shadows. Belated wishes for a Happy 4th Year Doodlewash Post Birthday!
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 Yeah, wow… 4 years… and counting. It seems like more some days and others days much less. It’s been a fun journey indeed!
Ah, I do remember having an alarm clock like that in the house, though I don’t think the alarm worked properly. My father did something to it so it wouldn’t because he couldn’t stand the sound. Congratulations on the 4 year achievement. That is amazing!
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕hehe… kudos to your father… that’s a brilliant move. I hate waking up before I’m simply ready. lol And yes! 4 years… geesh… I can’t believe me… with my tiny attention span, has made it this far. If nothing else, I’m proof that anything is possible!
Great idea for the prompt, both, relating to your story and the shine. Happy 4th anniversary. Wow, 1464 doodles. You are heading for Ripleys!!
Thanks so much! 😃💕 haha! Oh my goodness my inner child would be thrilled to show up in Ripleys! lol But I doubt that will happen for what I do. Fun to dream though!
When I looked at the clock I too thought of procrastination, one of my many faults!! And your cure is just right, it’s so “Charlie”: the prompt is not a command, it is a spark for the ideas you already have conjured up! Then when you need to show up but are uninspired, your idea bank will save the day. And just showing up every day becomes much easier. It’s important to take time to just think, to build up that bank of ideas, no matter what you are doing. And I love that the urgency of that last minute feeling is really displayed on the clock, since it’s 11:55, the 11th hour is almost over!
Yay to that, Bob! 😃💕 Exactly! Prompts are only ever that… and yeah, it’s very Charlie to never issue a command. 😉 I thoroughly believe in the natural creative spirit inherent in each of us. It’s just a matter of finding it, even if it’s in the eleventh hour!
Your alarm clock has a lot of personality, Charlie…a quizzical expression I think. (K)
Thanks so much, Kerfe! 😃💕 lol… in truth I think any clock I quickly doodlewash ends up with that look. Perhaps there’s a bigger story there.
Great alarm clock and a Happy Belated Doodlewash birthday!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 hehe… yeah… I actually forget my own birthdays as well when I’m in the middle of playing and stuff. But yay! 4 years!
Today I painted my third murmuration. I’m going to put it up on my doodlewash page so you can see it. Because I’m suddenly inspired by the bird flocks,and by the otherworldly landscapes in which my birds fly.
Happy birthday! Happy anniversary! 😁
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕And can’t wait to see your latest murmation!
Happy doodlewash anniversary!!
Thanks so much, Fatima! 😃💕
Happy 4th Anniversary! That’s quite an accomplishment. It got me thinking about my art journey. My resurgence in sketching started in 2011 when my son and I went to DL and did Animaton Academy. I haven’t stopped since. I don’t think I sketched every day early on because of life duties, but then there were days when I sketched more than one page. Some day I might have to add them up. Your alarm clock looks exactly like the one I had in my younger years, except mine was purple. Perfecto!
Thanks so much, Lori! 😃💕 Yeah, I’ve never been good at math so daily blogging adds them up for me! lol Sounds like you might have surpassed me in daily doodles! I only started in 2015!
Charlie says, “I’m not really procrastinating at all since I spend most all of my waking hours thinking of various ideas.”
At first I thought, Ha, likely story, but then I realized, that is exactly what successful creative people do.
As for that shiny alarm clock, it is a true replica of the one I used to want to throw across the room when it would blare into my dreams and insist that I get up and yet your painting brings back the fondest of memories!
Thanks, Sarah! 😃💕 hehe… this particular alarm clock is mostly imagined as its a concoction of various references, but it annoying nonetheless! lol I don’t like alarms! But yay to spending time just thinking… I think that’s the best part of a creative person’s journey!
I had an alarm clock just like this when I was a teenager, though my internal alarm is pretty dependable. I like the way it looks shiny silver, while the shadow appears grayish-dusty plum, but you used the same colors for both areas (I think)
My focus is on my writing but I’ve been painting a lot this summer, little cards I’ve been mailing to close friends and family. It’s a nice way of saying “I love you” to someone without buying them a palomino pony.
Thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 Yep… always the same colors, but I use them differently in different places! hehe And yay! I’m thrilled that you’ve been painting more. I’ve found that painting somehow helps my writing, but I can’t at all make the exact connection yet. Guess it’s just a bundle of creativity at work! hehe