You are truly "something else".....and that doesn't sound nearly as complimentary as I mean for it to be. Your words are as touching to the soul as your drawings are. Thank you for sharing of yourself so generously and eloquently.

Danny -- one word "AMEN!" Drawing is a very personal process for me and I for one feel like it is important to continue doing it for personal reasons... Who cares what it looks like! Do it for the process of drawing; for the relaxation that comes, for the seeing and knowing that develops!

Thanks for reminding me and all of us -- SEE DEEPER!

Best,
Christina Lopp Schwabecher
www.watercolorjournaling.com

I too drink deeply from the pool of life Danny.
Thank you for sharing.
Jan

Essays like this are why I subscribe to this blog. The periodic lightning jolts of recognition and reinforcement I need to keep working at art are like the whack from a zen masters stick that say: Hey you! Pay attention.

Danny. You are such an inspiration, and your words really get into the meat of the matter. Thank you!

Thank you for these words; they came at the right time. I am truly open to this right now and know that tomorrow I will draw my day. Your conviction and encouragement have strengthened my artist's soul and own resolve. I'm on my way up from a downward spiral I was in, and you are right to let everyone know how important it is to truly see life through drawing in a totally absorbed and dedicated way. Thank you again, Danny..it's not the first time you've lit a spark in my artistic heart. Your drawings are wonderfully detailed yet clear, as are your essays.
A couple of questions though... have you ever had long periods where you've not drawn at all because of something like depression or sour moods? Have you learned how to transcend these kinds of times and push past them to keep drawing daily?

Amy:
Thanks for your kind words.

Yes, I have gone through long, drawing-less periods. Once I didn't draw for three years. Now, I know that when I feel lost, I don't draw and that when I don't draw, I often feel lost.
When I start again, the drawings are often weak, timid, covered with rust. The next day, the drawing gets better. And so on.
It's possible to stray from the path. But the path will stay where it is, waiting for you to return.
Come back, one drawing at a time, and you'll feel better, more connected, more productive, more you.

Your pal,
Danny

Blimey, that's an impressive tyre on that scooter...and impressive entry all round.

Since I am fortunate enough to be able to teach drawing at the community college, students are considering my class this fall. I've been asked over and over again: Is it hard? Will there be alot of assignments? How much time will it take? The other thing they tell me is "I can't draw; so how am I going to pass this class". Of course I don't have an answer other than tell them to just sign up and have fun; then they look at me strangely. But I thought you'd like to know I show them your book and blog. You have a way of telling (and showing) it like it is. Graci!
~Sharon

Thank you so much for this essay... (when you and your editors put your essays together in a contemporary version of The Art Spirit, let us know!!)
I am part of another group trying to get past/get over Toxic Criticism... and it is easy to get caught up in drawing/doing what everybody else is... but your previous promises of living deeper, seeing more clearly are a huge part of why I want to draw more and more (AND "better.").
As a new breast cancer survivor, I can hardly wait to draw my "bust stop".... :-) Oh, and you can be sure I'll post it... The fears I have don't extend to putting myself in cyber space.

Right on!

a few years ago i was speaking to someone i hadn't seen in 20+ years (h.s.) who said "you were always so good in art - did you ever do anything with it? i said i never "did anything with it" but that i still drew, sometimes more, sometimes less, that i did it for me. i think assignments can be helpful to some people, and i certainly agree that taking the time every day to record an observation is helpful. i'm also well aware of dry spells in between my more fruitful periods. as always, danny, your words ring true.

My comment has nothing to do with drawing.

I'm here to register a complaint. I started by reading Everyday Matters, then found this blog. I've worked my way through the whole thing in a little under a week, and now I'm addicted. Completely, totally, irrevocably...

How am I supposed to deal with only an entry a day to read??? I'm already feeling the effects of withdrawal this morning.

Thanks so much for this wonderful wonderful place. I don't draw, but I find myself writing much more since I found it.

Again, loving the Vespa bits. Visually very cool. Excellent texture.

Dude, If I had a bust stop,
I wouldn't be drawing:-))
Thanks man,
Marc

Loved this. Written from the heart, and received likewise. All of it is summed up in the last sentence. I've printed out a copy to re-read often. Thanks!

As an avid diarist, I "translate" everything I read about creativity into how it applies to the diary. So your words about drawing your day everyday is the same as writing your day--
your breakfast
your bus stop
your bathroom wall
your laundry as you fold it
etc.--
in your diary everyday. Thank you for spreading the word(s).

Hi Danny,

You have a great philosophy. I struggle everyday to find things to write about. Not sure if I want to post it to the world. but your words drive home the point that we create for our souls, not for others. Thanks for your words. I'm a first-timer to your blog. All the way from the other end of the world, Singapore. What a wonder web does.....

inspired, lisan

Danny:
Your drawings are incredible. I really do enjoy looking at them and reading your entries.

This is just what I needed! Your blog is always an inspiration! That´s why I´m a huge fan of your blog since I discovered it over a year ago! Thanks for sharing!

Hi Danny, just came across your blog through someone else's. I have just come back to drawing following a fifteen year gap - since school no less. I was worried that I wasn't very good and that no-one would appreciate my sketches - but reading this post has made me realise that that doesn't matter - it is for me and no-one else. I particularly like what you said about the pen and the page being tools for taking time and slowing it down - maybe drawing and writing have a similar role to play in this.

Thank you Danny, for expressing your clear philosophy so eloquently.
Yes, the now is all we have. I make pictures for myself, to uplift me, to challenge me, to prove I am here, alive, in the moment.
Then I find that others enjoy looking at my work. So my creative spirit makes the world better for me, and the by-product is pleasing too.
Cheers,
B.

Danny: BLESS YOU for your words, your spirit, your art, your generous sharing. I can't concur enough -- though I tend to write more than 'art' - I'm trying to draw SOMETHING each day - my cup, my pen, SOMETHING - but you've said it all - it's the slowing down, the SEEING, the EXPERIENCING, the 'smelling of the roses' that drawing/writing does ... BLESS YOU!

Thank you!

God damn you're right! Well said...

Nancy Gr.

Danny, thank you so much for this inspiration. This is seriously written from the heart and you touched and inspired so many hearts on so many levels. Right now I am about to end my long stay at another country, and after coming across your site for the first time, Im kicking myself hard for not drawing more. It is not everyday that you get to see and feel the atmosphere of a different country. It has been relaxing but I regret being so lazy. Thanks for pushing us to draw. I will start at an art college this fall, and will make sure to print this essay out and look back on it time to time.
-m.k.w.

exactly. very well put danny.

here! here! absolutely dead on! I have changed my life through drawing... I know what you mean. we are always searching for something more..drawing calms me down and makes me appreciate the moment.
Thanks Danny,well said.

Danny,

I pop back here often, for a little creative sustenance.. a booster shot, if you will.

A little prodding reminder of the why's and the wherefore's of this drawing malarky always makes me *need* to pick up a pen and give it a go, as if for the first time.

Your site often provides this, and as such I would like to thank you for making me feel ok about this kind of thing.

All the best to each of us...

ams

Very encouraging. Thanks for the reminder that it's ok to stray from our path... and there's a tomorrow to look forward to. =)