Slow Down

Take your time

A new lesson for me.

All my life I’ve gotten into trouble for moving too fast. Bent fenders (where did that parked car come from?) and bad dinners (a cup and a half is not the same as half a cup), a trail of mistakes in my wake.

Now I’m taking a class that insists I slow down. The teacher, Emily Hirtle, urges us to repeat our attempts. We redraw, edit, repeat, not in search of variety, but instead to land more nearly on our target. This is new for me: accuracy as a tool for expression. My background is a mixed-bag of surface design and drawing classes. Always emphasis on moving ahead. Now, instead of barreling forward, I’m asked to stop, repeat, revise.I even used my ancient copy of Photoshop to check my sketches against the original image.

checking the line drawing with Photoshop

This class is a lesson for me on the fruits of slowing down.  Each iteration is a closer approximation of what I am trying to say. With humility, I can calm that fuss-brain down and learn.

In progress - that point where I stop and think again

There’s a peace in the process when you don’t rush. Plus, the results, with each iteration, improve.  

I do believe these lessons will carry over into more abstract work. The point is care in investigation. “Make a mark and then sit on your hands,” Brian Rutenberg advises his students. I have been rushing forward.  Time to slow down. Breathe. Try. Then try again.