Tuesday March 17, 2026

Keep going.

Preamble

There’ve been several attempts to write a blog post for this month, but I haven’t wrapped any of them up. I’ve been wanting to write more about what’s going on in my head, but I tend to falter and stick to sharing about process. It’s safer, less scary, and takes less time.

There’s something about writing and sharing that feels so permanent, and I fear that anything I say here could be held against me later in a court of [art] law (I say with levity). I tend to have intrusive doubts about whether or not I explained myself enough or if I’m leading to a thesis or a final thought which I want people to take away. Often I believe that I SHOULD have a greater point, but the truth is I just need to write this stuff in order to get it out of my head.

I always seem to have a fear that I could be communicating something that I’m unqualified to fully express (key word: FULLY). This is one reason which makes me fairly sure that I have obsessive compulsive disorder, even though I am undiagnosed for it officially. OCD, I’ve learned, will always attack the things that are most important to you.

We have an air compressor at my work, and at the end of the night, one of us will turn it off and release the pressure valve on the bottom. This results in a long, deafening PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!! as the air rushes out of the chamber. That’s how I feel about writing. It’s like the thoughts have built up and up and up, and I need to release the pressure. It could be a lot of noise to someone else, but the point for me is just the release.

I feel a weight of responsibility to express myself clearly, because I know the power of words to influence others for better or for worse. Words, when used carelessly, can cause a lot of unnecessary harm. We live in a time where our words can travel around the world instantly and whenever we want. This could be part of why my experience of the world feels so loud lately. It’s partly why I’m getting off of social media except for sharing a once-a-month update.

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I don’t want to say much this time. Just a few words of encouragement for myself and for others who want to be making art.

This is what I know. Humans create art to express many things, but the right fuel (if you want to keep making art) is love, curiosity, appreciation, and joy for the craft. That is the light that never goes out which will keep you going even in darkness. Love the craft first, because it will be the only thing to sustain you. And that is important enough.

It doesn’t matter if it’s “only” for you, because at the end of the day, you’re the only person it HAS TO be for.

It’s okay not to know exactly what you’re doing. Enjoyment of the activity is the reward. If you’re not having fun, then everything else doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter if you drew the forearm a bit too long. It’s kind of awesome that that happened. Let’s do another one.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty much it.