Draw Like You Mean It

Tonight I got to spend some time with my oldest son. We walked around Target and looked at some toys he was saving to buy, and then we headed over to Panera Bread to eat a cookie the size of my head and draw some stuff. What you see above is our first father-son collaboration! He drew the robot's body lines and I gave him a quick overview of how light and shadows worked, filling in the shading.

What really struck me was when I gave him the pencil to start drawing. He didn't hesitate, or ask me what I thought he should draw. I wish I could have gotten a video, because the sureness of each stroke was amazing. He just dove in and pounded this thing out in 30 seconds. It was beautiful. 

I was so struck by his confidence - it was nearly foreign to me. And I realized in that moment that I had a lot to learn from my little guy. Fear of failure is something we all struggle with - it becomes harder as we get older. Self-consciousness kicks in and we subtly begin to question our art, creativity and instincts.

Drawing with Jett made me remember that I shouldn't be so worried about what others think. That I should embrace whatever craziness comes out of me and run with it. That I still have a lot of work to do to be comfortable in who I really am. 

So the next time you sit down to draw, paint, sing, write, play, run - whatever - do it like you mean it. Embrace it and own it. Find that childlike confidence and bare your soul. It won't be easy, but you'll be glad you did.

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About the Author

Jonathan Longnecker is the strongly opinionated tattooed and bearded half of Tiny Shiny Home. He loves making music, figuring out nerdy solutions, exploring the outdoors, and living off-grid.

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