I just finished a delicious egg white, spinach & feta wrap at Starbucks when the idea for a new cartoon flashed in my mind. I had my pen but I didn't have my drawing paper. What should I do? I didn't want to let this one get away. I could sketch it out on the paper bag my wrap came in! Perfect.
That’s when my self-will tried to slip me a roofie with the thought, "Wait until you get home, you can't draw on that bag it'll look like crap!"
Then another, "Yeah, and what if by chance the drawing turns out so well on the bag that you can't replicate it on good paper later? That'll really be a bummer."
And another, "So wait. Relax and enjoy your coffee. You can draw it later at home, on the 'right' paper."
As soon as I shrugged one of these reasonable excuses off another immediately followed. "Are you sure this idea for a cartoon is even a good one?"
That one quickly morphed into, "That idea is stupid!"
And the final blow on these occasions always seems to hit below the belt. "Why bother? What the hell are you so excited about drawing this cartoon for anyway? Just to show your friends on Facebook? Boy is that lame."
Miraculously I ignored the advice. I smoothed out my wrinkled wrap bag and got started. And like every other time I act on inspiration rather than doing what I think is best, I love the results. The cartoon seemed to magically draw it self. There was no need redraw it on "good" paper when I got home like I imagined. It was exactly the way it was supposed to be; started and finished on a used paper sandwich bag while sitting at Starbucks.
That was another close call avoided. Once again I came within inches of missing out on an incredible experience. It takes great courage to follow intuition.
“To live intuitively is to live fourth-dimensionally.” – Claude Bragdon
That’s when my self-will tried to slip me a roofie with the thought, "Wait until you get home, you can't draw on that bag it'll look like crap!"
Then another, "Yeah, and what if by chance the drawing turns out so well on the bag that you can't replicate it on good paper later? That'll really be a bummer."
And another, "So wait. Relax and enjoy your coffee. You can draw it later at home, on the 'right' paper."
As soon as I shrugged one of these reasonable excuses off another immediately followed. "Are you sure this idea for a cartoon is even a good one?"
That one quickly morphed into, "That idea is stupid!"
And the final blow on these occasions always seems to hit below the belt. "Why bother? What the hell are you so excited about drawing this cartoon for anyway? Just to show your friends on Facebook? Boy is that lame."
Miraculously I ignored the advice. I smoothed out my wrinkled wrap bag and got started. And like every other time I act on inspiration rather than doing what I think is best, I love the results. The cartoon seemed to magically draw it self. There was no need redraw it on "good" paper when I got home like I imagined. It was exactly the way it was supposed to be; started and finished on a used paper sandwich bag while sitting at Starbucks.
That was another close call avoided. Once again I came within inches of missing out on an incredible experience. It takes great courage to follow intuition.
“To live intuitively is to live fourth-dimensionally.” – Claude Bragdon
I always have everything I need, in spite of what I may think.
The best surprise I get is when I find I can do what I was afraid I couldn't do.
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