Get Inspired :
Find Your Next Hobby By : Dr . Jennifer L . Yocum , Licensed Acupuncturist
As the summer winds down , we find ourselves in the last precious moments of long , warm , carefree days before the school year and fall starts , bringing new routines and busier schedules . We think of the summer as a time to send kids to all sorts of camps to ensure they continue learning and have enriching experiences , but how often do we consider exploring our own creative and learning desires as adults ? When someone asks what you do for fun or what hobbies you have , do you draw a blank ? If , like many adults , you ' ve put your own interests to the side , now is the time to bring them back to the front burner .
The late summer is perfect for giving yourself the gift of nurturing your secret wishes . Have you always wanted to learn how to paint or play the guitar ? Do you desire to become a better cook ? Are you holding onto a childhood dream of learning to skateboard ? Get honest with yourself about what you ' ve always wanted to do .
Here ' s what I ' ve been doing this summer , how I ' m going about it , and my takeaways that will hopefully help you too .
DRAWING I ' ve never considered myself someone who is naturally gifted at drawing or art in general . In reality , when I started looking , I realized that I do have a base level of talent , being someone who is very observant of details and scientifically minded ; this sets me up as a decent sketch artist when it comes to drawing animals , plant life , or human anatomy . Part of becoming a better artist is accepting that I do have skills and innate talent , and not getting frustrated because things sometimes don ' t look perfect . Sketching plants , animals , musculature , and skulls is nice , but it ' s not what excites me the most . When I get honest with myself , what my dorky little heart is set on is being able to draw animated characters . Despite my 8th-grade art teacher being very encouraging when I first drew characters , my skills hadn ' t progressed much in the last 30 years . It doesn ' t help that I didn ' t actually try to draw much in those 30 years . My husband , being an artist , is someone who can easily recreate our kids ' favorite television or movie characters with just chalk in our driveway .
Meanwhile , I typically create some deranged version of said character , looking nothing like what it ' s supposed to . While I still have a while to go , I ' ve started taking online courses and practicing here and there as I have time . The thing is , it takes practice to get better . My husband can easily draw things because he ' s had years of experience and coursework that taught him how to do those things . Besides that 8th-grade art class , I took one course in 2004 at a school in Baltimore , and that ' s it . So why should I expect that I- someone who has barely had any training- should be able to create things with the same ease as someone who has had those extra 30 years of practice ?
Here ' s the thing- our dreams are not always going to be easy . If we want something , whether a hobby or a career , we need to work at it regularly and do what we can to improve . We need to be willing to fail and actually look at those failures . Ok , fine , so my drawing looks like my character got run over by a steamroller . What can I do next time to ensure their proportions are more accurate ? Did I follow all of the prep work , examining their basic shapes , or did I wing it ? Instead of just throwing out that page or erasing it , I ' ve had to get comfortable with letting the mistakes be . One day I can look back , see all of my progress , and be proud of the mistakes that helped me along the way .
I hope you understand that what I say here does not just apply to drawing , of course . Here are the main takeaways :
1 . Don ' t expect yourself to magically be at the same level as a professional right out of the gate . While you likely have some natural talent for the things you are interested in , you are a beginner . You will make mistakes , and it will be more challenging at first .
2 . Be okay with making mistakes . Learn from what didn ' t go well and keep practicing . Remind yourself that you are a beginner ( repeat as many times as necessary ) and give yourself some grace in this process .
3 . Practice , practice , practice . Get good at the basics , and then you ' ll be able to expand and get more creative . Acknowledge yourself when things go well and when you are making progress and increasing your skills .
24 LakeTalk August 2022