Sketches From 2021 - A Retrospective

Introduction

I started a daily sketching project on May 25 of 2021. As stated in my initial blog post on the subject, the goal was to complete a meaningful task (In this case, a sketch) each day. I kept up the daily routine for several months, faltered, stopped sketching for a while, then slowly eased back into sketching towards the end of the year. This is my look back at the journey.

Inspiration

Art is, for me, a form of self-expression first and foremost. When creating a huge volume of sketches, did I ever run out of things to express? I'm happy to say that the answer is no! Every day brings new experiences, and with new experiences comes boundless material for creativity. Even on days when I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, there was always ample subject matter for still life sketches.

Challenges

One thing I did struggle with was my commitment to daily sketches. Life happens (Sickness, business, etc), and I found myself struggling to hit my once per day target. The first few times it happened, I would finish two sketches the following day. Once, I even went over a week without sketching, and then created over ten sketches in one sitting. This obsession with hitting such a stringent target eventually caused me to burn out and stop sketching for over a month. For my 2022 collection, I am aiming for, but not committing to, a sketch per day. That way I won't feel neurotic about missing a weekend or two. I look forward to writing about it in my 2022 retrospective!

Conclusion

On the positive side, I am so glad that I started this journey. Looking back at all 82 sketches from 2021 brings up so many memories. I see my life's ups and downs, successes and learning moments, reflected in each piece. The sketches really feel like a celebration of my life, and of life in general. It makes me appreciate my time just a little bit more.

To close off the 2021 collection, I compiled all 82 sketches into a self-portrait collage. I will be auctioning it off on January 5, 2022: