My Christmas Gift to You… (What do You See?)
If I am honest, I don’t really care what you see? I am much more interested in what you THINK you see. Please “see” whatever you wish, as long as it brings some joy and peace and contentment. Those are MY reasons for why I do these drawings and I share this one because… I just want to share it. But I would like to ask a favor. If you do spend any time looking at this drawing, can you please THINK about what you see?
Just a little bit of information. A huge majority of the poster board is empty. There is nothing. Only white without any ink. Probably 75% of the ink is black. The red is only used as an accent in most cases. There are 1,000’s of mistakes in this drawing. Almost everything is drawn freehand (there are definite exceptions though). Lastly, the white border that is used as part of the frame covers a significant amount of ink. The ink this border covers adds a significant amount of continuity to the drawing.
Does this information change your thinking? How? Why? If you look at this doodle more than once, do you see things differently? Can you see what is covered by the border? Do you wish to see what is covered? Should I have added more? Less? Does it really matter? Is this even a “drawing”, really? Do you see the empty spaces or the ink? Do you see more red or do you see more black? Can you see the mistakes? Can you see the everyday items I used to draw the original shapes… my longboard, flip-flops, a Home Depot bucket, candles, a coffee can, drink coasters, bottles of liquor, generic Mentholatum? Do you see emotions? Good days? Bad days? Anxiety? Smiles? What do you see?
As I look back at 2020 and I look forward to 2021 (really, really forward… like hurry, hurry up please), it is very interesting what I “see.” I am interested in what you see. In drawings (doodles), in life, in yourself, in others, in the world. Are there things you would add? Take away? Do differently?
For those who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! For those who celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or other holidays about which I do not know, I wish you also safe and happy holidays. If there is not a holiday you celebrate during this time, the wish remains the same, safety, peace, and happiness.