I am a master planner. I plan out my days, my chores, my vacations, and almost every aspect of my life. Not only do I always have a plan, I also have a back-up plan, and another plan to back up my back-up plan. Planning allows my inner control- freak to feel at peace.
I plan in my art, too. I sketch everything in pencil first so that I can erase. When I finally ink in a design, I photocopy it so I can try out different color schemes. I like to be sure, rehearsed, certain.
Sometimes, however, life throws a curve ball and the best laid plans go off the rails. When it’s something unexpected, I might not have a plan, let alone a back-up plan.
I am currently laid up with a swollen, injured knee. This caught me by surprise. I’ve been to three doctors, gone through two different prescriptions, x-rays, and an MRI. I’m still facing six weeks of physical therapy. It’s hard to plan when I don’t know what’s coming next. Normally, I would be compensating for this lack of control by micro-managing other aspects of my life, but since I’m on this runaway train, I decided to go with it and create a piece with no planning. I simply pulled colors out of the box and started creating. When I was finished, I could see areas I would have handled differently. In my regular planning phase, I would have corrected these mistakes. I have to admit, for once, it was nice to just create—to let go—to not follow a plan. As much as I wish I could control everything in my life, I know I can’t. I’ll just have to learn to relax a little and every once in a while, paint right out of the box.
“Out of the Box”–Ink Pen and Colored Pencil
