By Danny Gregory

I'll be teaching Journaling at the Open Center!

Every Tuesday, from November 11–December 16, 8–10pm, I shall be teaching a workshop at the Open Center in New York City. It's entitled, "Everyday Matters - Illustrated Journaling as a Path to Creativity." We'll form a group of journalers and explore all aspects of the art form over six wonderful weeks. I do hope you can join us!
I'll also be giving a Free Introductory Class on Tuesday, November 4 at 8pm.
It's the first time I've done such a thing and I am pretty excited about it. I'm also really pleased to have been invited to be part of the faculty of The Open Center where I have taken quite a few mind-expanding classes over the years.
You can find out more at the Open Center website. Or write to me with questions. See you there.
(And I promise not to discuss the election!)

It's hard

I love this little chat with This American Life's Ira Glass on the importance of persevering in being creative. I think he articulates a wall we all hit a lot, particularly when we start out, when our ambitions are so much greater than our current skill set. He explains that there's a certain entropy that moves all of our efforts towards crap, and that only by being ruthless in self-editing and insisting on trying some more can we be good. It's not about talent so much as it's about being willing to be beaten and to work hard. Failure creates quality. It sounds painful but it's infinitely rewarding. Check him out.
(Thanks,Laura for reminding us about this video)

Above: Recent images from our Flickr Site

On October 9, 2008 Paula said, “Danny, I get it. And, way too much. It is almost paralyzing. Glad you expressed IT, though. Sometimes wonder if people think too much, or have OCD. When in a 'settled' mood, I think back, or look at artwork done. Pretty amazing, actually. I have one of your many books, so maybe think back, or keep writing them. Of course, the latter is best if enjoying that. Keep traveling, if possible... ” in Tick-tock.

On October 9, 2008 Shelley Noble said, “yay you. I'm in that gallon jug of enthusiasm with you, Danny. Me too on the Me Time. Can't wait.” in Tick-tock.

On October 9, 2008 matt said, “the further along the road I get, the faster the pages fly off the calendar== another way I've seen it put: Life is like a roll of toilet paper -- the closer yoi get to the end, the faster it goes.” in Tick-tock.

Thinking on paper

My mum taught me to appreciate paper early. To riffle through blank journals and pinch the sheets between my finger pads. To consider pulp and fiber. To notice how a pen flows smoothly here while it bucks and protests there. Since, I've met and felt quite intensely about so many different papers.
French toilet paper - crisp, waxy, impractically nonabsorbent and harsh. Little Italy deli

More...

The Old Bamboo

My passion for my Rotring rapidoliner deepens. Unlike any other technical pen I've used, it is always on the ready, never clogs or sticks or leaks and I've never even had to shake it one time to force ink to the nib.

More...

Bad to the Bone

Drawings & doggerel

By Danny O. Gregory

Book Preview

I read this today and it gave me pause

This Human Season
By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

On a still day — rain threatening — a tall stem moves in the garden. A goldfinch has landed just below the flower head and is eating the seeds while the stem sways like a pendulum. The rain begins, and above its steady rhythm there is a clatter and a pop on the woodshed roof as a hickory-nut falls. Soon, the clouds tear apart and the sun spills through. Maple leaves are coming down in ones and twos, and the ones and twos are beginning to add up in drifts along the pasture edges.

Most of the time, nature is simply there — when I do chores,

More...

The Saint John's Bible

(click to open a bigger screen size on YouTube) This is quite cool. For the first time since the invention of movable type, some folks are making a fully hand-written illuminated bible. It's being created by a team of scribes artists and craftspeople in a scriptorium in Wales under the artistic direction of Donald Jackson, one of the world's foremost calligraphers and the Scribe to Queen Elizabeth. The book is being written on vellum, using quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments and gold leaf. If you'd like to score your very own facsimile , you might want to pass the collection plate. Each copy costs $145,000.

More...

Reader response video

Most readers have been very nice in indulging my recent post about the US election. A couple of people however had responses that are neatly summed up in this video. (Click here to see it larger on YouTube).

Anatomy of anatomy

The profound pleasures of drawing nekkid people.

More...

J'aime bien Paris

We had a terrific visit to Paris over Thanksgiving. We arrived (via Frankfurt) on Thursday morning and spent the day in a bit of a jet-lagged fog (I can't sleep on planes) but did quite a lot of drawing. We had Thanksgiving dinner of escargots, foie gras, biftek, and lashings of bordeaux at a bistro in the Latin Quarter.
We started Friday at the Mus�e D'Orsay. I've only been there briefly

More...

A record of my exploration into all aspects of drawing, illustrated journaling, creativity, and the inspiring aspects of art. By the author of "Everyday Matters," "The Creative License", and "An Illustrated Life" and other books.

Tick-tock

My grandfather died last winter at 98 so I’m not even half his age yet. Maybe I’m only approaching the midpoint of my life, or maybe I’ll have massive heart attack and keel over at my desk this afternoon. There’s no telling.
Regardless, I know each day and hour are precious. But it’s hard to keep the relentless tsunami of stuff, or responsibilities, of things I want to do, from swiftly wiping each day off the board before I can even wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Life moves quickly and the further along the road I get, the faster the pages fly off the calendar.
Knowing this, trying to hold it on my mind, can help me to prioritize. But it’s still tough to keep the world at bay and to decided how to spend my time well. Often I lie in bed and think, damn, when am I going to get to read all those books I want to read or spend more time drawing with Jack or more time cooking dinner with Patti. When am I going to get to live in Micronesia or the South of France or in that little house in the meadow? When will I get to spend two hours a day at the gym or four hours a day doing oil paintings or six hours a day reading Proust? When will I learn Italian? Learn to drive a motorcycle? Defend my heavyweight boxing title?
I’m not filled with regret because I somehow feel I will get to do these things. I’m just not sure how or when. Perhaps my appetite is just larger than my calendar. Fortunately I am often insomniac so I get to spend 3 to 4 a.m. thinking about stuff I didn’t fit in during the day (most of it actually just anxious nonsense).
Anyway, this consideration of my gallon of ambition and my pint glass of life set me on the way to a new project. It’s something I’ve mulled over for a while and finally out into action. It’s an effort to really think about the things I wished I could have fit into a day and then an attempt to fit one of them into the next day.
I call it ‘Me Time’.
This may all sound a bit mysterious and I do in fact just want to whet your appetite for it today but I will return soon to tell you more about what I am working on and how you can share in it…