“Creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds.” — Austin Kleon
Time flies.
It’s been six months since I moved to Auckland for my 2-year Kiwi adventure and it feels like it was just yesterday that I took that flight from London via San Francisco and landed in Aotearoa just before cyclone Gabrielle hit us.
It has also been non-stop. (This would apply to the amount of rainfall also)
And as much as I have pushed myself to build that individual artistic practice I crave, it’s been challenging to juggle a new job in a new office, settle in a new country in a different hemisphere, and explore new places with new friends, while weekly posting on The Sketch Club. I have made the conscious choice of being present most of the time and, sometimes, that meant not sketching or drawing in situ, on my own.
However, these last six months in Auckland have taught me another way to grow my practice and keep the habit of drawing: indeed, practising with others. Sharing a passion for drawing and getting involved in social activities has pushed me beyond my comfort zone, and I have learned so much from it. Austin Kleon brings up the concept of scenius as opposed to genius in his book Show Your Work!:
“There’s a healthier way of thinking about creativity that the musician Brian Eno refers to as scenius. Under this model, great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.”
I believe the same applies to being accountable to our own practice: making the habit of drawing becomes easier, more enjoyable, and more productive if shared with others.
These are some ways in which I have practiced what we shall call social drawing during the last six months in Auckland. These have helped me keep up with the habit of drawing regardless of my busy schedule:
Joined urban sketching groups. I have joined Urban Sketchers Auckland on several occasions, a group that meets fortnightly to sketch different places around town. They are a great crowd. I love that every time that I joined, I met new people. There is such a lovely vibe between urban sketchers. The quality of the drawings is superb and it’s amazing to see people of all ages participating.
Enrolled in an evening art course. Going to Art School has been a big dose of energy in the last months. I enrolled in an evening course at Browne Art School for beginners. I was after a basic course so I could (re)learn the fundamentals while sharing a room with others. Chatting to people during the classes and seeing other versions of the same assignments was a wonderful learning experience. I loved it so much that I recently enrolled in another course at the same school, starting soon.
Mentored others and be a mentee. I just also recently started a very special endeavour: a younger colleague at work asked me to be her sketching mentor. It is truly an honour to be asked to mentor, and a privilege to share a passion with others. Sometimes mentorships are born organically and some other times are more officially set up - whatever the process, don’t miss any chance to help others in their journeys. The truth is, learning happens in both directions.
Below are a few of the sketches I have done of Auckland during those social urban sketching sessions. I promise to dive in more on both the art courses and the mentorship later on - would like to dedicate specific posts to each of them :)
✏️✨
Happy sketching!
Ana
PS. Time really flies. Let’s make sure we share it with our loved ones. Regardless of drawing.
Thanks so much for reading!
If you enjoy reading The Sketch Club, please consider sharing this post, upgrading your subscription, or donating 💛
All images and text © Ana Vila
💛 Dear Sketch Club supporter,
These are a few extra drawings. It has been such an interesting revelation to me:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Sketch Club to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.