A clear line

Deciding to extend my sabbatical from Get Rich Slowly indefinitely has been liberating. The moment I committed to this, it was as if a heavy load were lifted from my back. I’m able to pursue other passions now without regret. I don’t feel guilty. I don’t feel like I need to give myself “permission”. I just do what I want, and it’s awesome.

Isn’t this what financial independence is supposed to be?

How I Spend My Time

My food and fitness choices have remained strong now for six weeks. (Official start date of my re-dedication to health? December 13, Taylor Swift’s birthday.) I’m lifting weights three times per week. I’m walking roughly five miles per day. I’m doing yoga. My alcohol consumption is way down. More importantly, I’m making smarter food choices.

I’m losing weight, yes, but for once I’m not obsessing over the quantified results. I’m trying instead to pay attention to the actual habits and routines. I’m focused on the process because ultimately that’s what matters most. (That said, I’m pleased to report that my blood pressure has dropped from an average of 144/96 in early December to an average of 126/84 this week. Yay!)

Also:

• The dog and I continue our project to walk every street in Corvallis, mapping the farm stands and little free libraries we find.
• I continue to work in the yard.
• I continue my adventures in cooking.
• I continue to manage my mother’s estate.
• I continue to watch plenty of movies, including the Wednesday night second-run films at a local theater. (Tonight’s movie? Patrick Swayze in Road House. Not a film I’d pick for myself, but I’m watching whatever this place decides to show.)

Mostly, though, I’ve been exploring art. Specifically, I’m teaching myself how to cartoon.

A Clear Line

I took some photography classes twenty years ago — and I even sold a photo to Audubon magazine, which means I can call myself a pro photographer (ha!) — but I’ve never created any other forms of art.

I’ve wanted to learn how to paint and draw for a couple of years now. Since October, I’ve floundered figuring out where to start. Do I learn watercolor? Teach myself to draw? Explore other mediums? Do I learn from YouTube? Take university classes? Teach myself from books?

Last week, I spoke with a couple of actual artists. One is a friend from high school who makes her living by selling folk art at local markets. The other is a Get Rich Slowly reader named Jacob. Jacob is a civil engineer by day but works with watercolor by night. (His stuff is great!) These two conversations gave me some clarity.

You see, I’m drawn to visual storytelling. As long-time readers know, I’m a life-long comic book aficionado. But I’m also obsessed with film (especially cinematography). To me, comics and film are essentially the same thing. I want to learn to tell visual stories like this.

Talking with Jacob last week helped me figure out where to start my journey with art. Jacob has the knowledge and experience and vocabulary to parse my ramblings and tell me what it is that interests me and how to begin exploring it.

I like illustration. I like the ligne claire style of drawing, most famously seen in Hergé’s Tintin comics. (Although Hayao Miyazaki’s work isn’t strictly ligne claire, I think the films of Studio Ghibli embody a similar style: clean and simple characters drawn against detailed, realistic backgrounds.)

“If I were you,” Jacob told me, “I’d pick one medium and use that to explore illustration.” Light-bulb moment!

Penny Short

So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past week. I’ve picked a medium — ink, but especially brush pens — and I’m starting from scratch learning how to draw. At the moment, I’m watching YouTube videos and reading books. Jacob encouraged me to take in-person classes and workshops, and I think that’s a good idea. I’ll look at those later in the year.

Because I’m starting from square one, I have many hundreds (and thousands) of hours ahead of practice ahead of me. I have a lot to learn. I’m okay with that. So far, it’s been fun.

Yesterday was revelatory.

First, I finally came up with an initial character concept for Penny Short, the ostensible heroine of the comic strip I’ve been plotting for the past two years. Inspired by Dr. Seuss, of all people, I found a way to draw her.

Also yesterday, I began exploring how to color my characters. So far, I’ve been using only a black brush pen to make simple drawings. (The Penny Short sample above was drawn with a standard Sharpie, however.) Color hasn’t entered the picture. But on a whim late yesterday, I added color to a sketch and voila! added dimensionality.

Basic stuff, sure, but that’s where I am on this journey…

I’ll admit that much of what I’m doing with the art is scattered. I flit from one project to the next. I’ll be watching a film when I notice an interesting frame, pause the movie, and spend the next hour trying to draw what I see. Here’s a frustrated Chihiro from Spirited Away that I drew in my art journal using Papermate Flair pens.

Because I’ve never done this before, most of what I’m doing is primitive. That’s fine! I do a lot of copying and imitation. Also fine! It’s fun trying to figure this stuff out. I can draw the head of a cartoon dog, for instance, but I struggle to draw the body. So, I’ve spent a lot of time playing with different body styles.

Or, take eyes for example. I believe eyes can make or break character design. It’s so weird to spend two days obsessing over how eyes are drawn, but that’s what I did. Different artists approach eyes in different ways. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Which style do I use for which characters?

Mostly, it’s a lot of repetition: drawing the same characters over and over and over and over again until I have the movements memorized. The kitchen table is piled with papers that contain the same fundamental sketches repeated dozens of times.

Finding Fulfillment

Anyhow, all this is to say that I’m having a good time. I’m in a good mental space — the best mental space I’ve found in almost a decade.

And you know what? This time off has helped me to see that perhaps I don’t have to abandon Get Rich Slowly completely. Perhaps all that’s required is an attitude shift. Instead of thinking GRS first, I can treat it as secondary (or tertiary!) in my life. When I have something to say here, I can say it. Maybe that means long gaps between publication and that’s fine.

We’ll see.

In the meantime, I’m going to continue enjoying this period of my life. It’s fulfilling. It’s just what I’ve needed.