Some of you know this about me, others might have suspected. I've
been in a bit of a funk lately. As it turns out, maybe even for a few
years now. I've come to find out that through genetic mutation and/or
lifestyle changes I've been a little low on the B12 absorption. For how
long exactly I'm not sure. What I can say though is that I've been
depressed. I think that it's over now, but I still have to work out some
specifics with my doctor.
I have had a ridiculously hard time doing much of anything the last few years especially in terms of drawing.
(For
some reason, exercising and dieting weren't. I'd be curious to know
what that says about me or where those desires are stored in the brain.)
It was incredibly hard to focus on anything and it was way too easy to
say to myself "it wasn't good enough" or "I wasn't talented enough".
(Not that this isn't an issue when I'm not depressed.)
Many projects, both personal and with others, fell by the wayside because
I just couldn't get myself going. To those people I apologize.
The
shocking thing was how taking a B12 nasal spray almost immediately
snapped me out of it. I had lost my ability to hope. It was inhibited.
It came on so slowly I just figured I was suffering from a thirty something's expectation
vs. reality.
Coming out of the fog was odd. We tend to
take hope for granted, and it was strange feeling that sensation and
having to identify it because I hadn't felt it in so long.
I'm
lucky. I get to take a nasal spray and return to a normal frame of
reference. For those of you I know that have problems with depression
because of more than a vitamin deficiency, I truly hope that one day you
find your nasal spray or at least you have a network of patient and
loving people around you.
At this point you may be
asking yourself about the art. A friend had posted on facebook about
starting a drawing group, specifically a 30 days of drawing challenge.
Seeing as how I was effectively frozen in anxiety and fear for so long it seemed a
fitting way to re-enter the world. There were 30 themes for 30 days, and
outside of one day where I was too drunk and too far away from my
drawing supplies,
(Thanks Matt and Shannon) I accomplished this feat. Hope you Enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks Janet :)
As
usual clicking on the images will show you a larger version. Right
clicking and selecting "view image" will show you the picture at its
true size.
Day1: Self-Portrait.
Day 2: Line
Day 3: Tone
Day 4: Color
Day 5: Critter
Day 6: Master's Copy http://www.rockwell-center.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/leyendecker-cover.jpg
Day 7: Draw in the Style of your Master's Copy (from photo)
Day 8: Inside
Day 9: Outside
Day 10: Shoes (I call this one a Shoelogy, :) I was proud of that one)
Day 11: Fabric
Day 12: Dream
Day 13: From Same Source Material (It was based off a picture of a castle which I spruced up, only to find out that it was a pic of Hogwarts, so fitting)
Day 14: Hands (started out realistic then it just turned. . .)
Day 15: Food
Day 16: Liquid
Day 17: Portrait
Day 18: Text ( I was out of time exhausted and uninspired. You can see some of what I drew and erased on the page. In the end, my solution, which I thought was quite clever at the time, was to riff on Duchamp's Fountain.
Day 19: An Unmade Bed (Luckily this is my bed's perpetual state, though I certainly groomed the blankets for this.)
Day 20: A Good Read
Day 21: Feet
Day 22: Figure
Day 23: Chairs
Day 24: Draw with your Opposite Hand
Day 25: Transportation
Day 26: Social Hang Out
Day 27: Hair
Day 28: Work
Day 29: Action
Day 30: Self-Portrait
Day ? : Bonus. Started this as a Sketch for another day but wanted to spend more than an evening on it. ZELDA!