Happy May, my dears, and welcome to the Open Mic!
Today I am so excited to welcome back Alison Higuera. I loved her first guest post last year and I just jumped with anticipation when she mentioned on another Open Mic that she’d been doing some sketches of her adorable daughter Isabel. Now, two days before Mother’s Day, she’s sharing some of her Isabel sketches with you.
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Thoughts on harnessing the creative impulse – and keeping it!, Alison Higuera
Lately I’ve changed my mindset about “creating”. I used to have to prepare myself, and make sure I had hours and hours of free time before I sat down to “create”. Well, that led to about 4 years where I didn’t create ANYTHING, which is not good either.
I’m definitely wired to create. It’s life-giving for me. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of hours and hours of uninterrupted time to do so (unless you count when both my husband and daughter are asleep). I realized that whatever I create has to be on a very small scale so I can finish it. I like to feel that sense of accomplishment! A small sketch usually gets me back in the creative groove because that spurs on other ideas, and I get excited about actually finishing something! The more I finish, the more I find myself looking forward to the next opportunity I get to create.
Two months ago, I started doing daily sketches of my daughter. She’s the perfect subject – I love her, she does hilarious stuff, and I’m always studying her. When she is awake, I quickly sketch and jot some ideas down. Then, when she naps, or goes to bed for the night, I go back to my sketches and re-work them. I’m also trying to familiarize myself with graphics programs, so I like to experiment and add some digital elements as well.
5/3/11 sketch
Some sketches are simple and will take maybe 15 – 20 minutes from beginning to end. Other times I get very carried away, and I end up taking a few hours to finish. The key is to draw on a very small scale -generally the max is 4″x4″. I try to draw a little every day, but that doesn’t always realistically happen. A month or so after I started the sketches, I caught myself falling back into the old mindset of needing hours and hours of free time before I sat down to create. That led to about 2 weeks of NO drawings, and a whole lot of discouraged head talk. It’s so easy to stray!
5/4/11 sketch
In creating these sketches, I want to: 1) make it super easy for myself to create something every day, 2) practice discipline, 3) capture and share the frustrating, hilarious, mundane, and tender moments of childhood and parenthood. I hope that when others see these drawings they can have a giggle and fondly recall “those days” when the kids were young, or eagerly anticipate “those days” to come!
5/6/11 sketch
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Alison Higuera
Alison Higuera is an artist and new mom living in Houston, TX.
She blogs at higuerita.wordpress.com, where you can also find her other Isabel sketches.
Thank you, Alison! And a very happy Mother’s Day to you and all the other mamas out there, including mine. 
Enjoy the weekend!
love the sketches!!! so cute
i often find myself falling into the mindset of “i need a large chunk of time before i can start on/do [random activity],” which usually leads to never actually doing anything! it’s something i struggle with every day.
thanks, tamgerines! It’s so easy to fall into that mindset, isn’t it? =( It’s a continuous struggle for me too!
I love your sketches, too! And I’m so grateful to read the thoughts you share here. They make me want to tackle my own “discouraged head talk” and settle into a comfortable way of approaching my own work.
I get a double dose of Mother’s Day feelings because my daughter was born on the 4th of May, so I’ve been thinking about all the stages of her life so far. Your lovely sketches and your virtual Mother’s Day card bring even more joy to my week! Thanks, and Happy Mother’s Day to you, too!
thank you, sparksinshadow! I think Lisa posted a link to your birthday card for your daughter earlier this week – I read it. It made me cry, it was so beautiful
Thank you! It means a lot to me that you read it, and were moved by it!
Lovely sketches — the bath in particular is my favorite. You’re right that keeping things in manageable bits is important… not getting overwhelmed with all the things that could be done or will be done, and choosing just the moment and the small portion you have the ability to affect
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