Driving in the car today, inspiration was my companion. Feeling very joyful, and grateful for all that is, bits and pieces of my past were popping up, snippets of experiences that, woven together, create the story of my life.
I had a realization, as those assorted scenes from my life passed through my awareness.
I have had a magical journey.
Truly, my life has been full of the unexpected, the impossible, and the unbelievable. I’ve kept those stories close to my heart for the most part, concerned that people wouldn’t understand.
As a result, I grew up being so fearful of the magic in my life. Sadly it would take many years of ignoring the magic, hiding the magic and trying to explain the extraordinary away before I could face my fears and standing thus, with an attitude of I am not backing down, move beyond my fears.
I have at last embraced everything about myself…including the magical.
With the realizations that came today, accompanied by a sense of wonder and deep curiosity, came inspiration’s tap. The invitation extended to me is to capture some of that journey.
It would be easy for me to write about it, telling the story with words. But that’s not what this year has been about. Rather, it’s been about expanding, creatively, and expressing myself in myriad ways.
The idea came, and then grew, to sketch out a portion of this magical journey I am on. And not just sketch it, but capture it in cartoon form.
One of the things that can frustrate me is having a clear and vivid idea, and see with clarity the final result, yet feel incapable of delivering that completed project. I can see what this cartoon sequence looks like. I am struggling a bit with my abilities to create it.
All three of my children, and all of my grandchildren, sketch well. My daughter Elissa is also an excellent cartoonist. I have always been more of a realistic sketcher and prefer to have a picture to draw from.
Cartooning is a challenge for me. And yet…I firmly believe that an idea will never be given to me that I cannot bring to completion.
My project this evening has been to practice cartooning. I’ve had to simplify my drawings, step by step. I’m not there yet. I haven’t seen my little girl character emerge clearly yet. But I am working on it!
My first attempt. While this is a simplified drawing without a lot of detail, it is still realistic.
My second attempt. More cartoon like.
My third attempt, and an actual cartoon girl.
This will be an ongoing project. I’ll keep practicing my cartoons until I feel confident enough to capture my idea fully. Or…the cartoon panels will contain stick figures! Hopefully my skills will enable me to capture the story that is even now unfolding in my heart and life.
And then…I will share part of this beautiful journey with you, in a very visual way. And it will be magical.
