Doodles

Well, I've never considered myself to be an artistic person by any means. My mother was fairly artsy and pretty good at what she did. I think her most ambitious project is probably a tie between painting mine and my sister's room with a mural and the desks she painted Looney Tunes on for us. As far as more grown up things, she used to work on masks. She would by a mold and the plaster, let it harden, and then she would decorate them with paint, feathers, beads, whatever she thought would look good. Somewhat recently I found masks fairly similar to those my mom worked on on display in a store.
In any case, I thought I would put down some thoughts about my own creativity. I've been told my Sam that I have talent. Besides being an ego boost, it has definitely helped me take my doodles and so on more seriously and not just toss them all away. I looked (and read) through an art book that Byron owns recently when Sam recommended it as a way to pass time (we don't have the next Clan of the Cave Bear book yet and Sam can't immediately find her other "People of..." book) and I quite enjoyed it. My favorite character of his is definitely the hermit elephant (imagine the front torso of an elephant, tusks and all, peeking out of a sea shell). It kind of got some ideas rolling, and recently I've been drawing with colored pencils, partly because of the "inspiration" and partly to do something different. I guess you could call it a sudden urge. In any case, it's been interesting and fun.
I usually just doodle in pencil, occasionally in pen. Most of my drawings tend to be smaller and on regular old college rule paper, or a whole bunch of things smooshed into one on the same style paper. The way I tend to doodle is to make pleasing shapes and when they all start to look like something I go for it and finish the drawing I accidentally started. It's pretty fun for me, but I've never really seen it as "art" per se as much as just passing time. I save the doodles I like, but usually erase or throw away the ones I don't, though I'll probably be changing that habit at the urging of Sam, and in a way myself (I had a hankering to see what kind of Pokemon I drew as a kid recently, yes... Pokemon).
Besides drawing, I've really liked the idea of working with wood to make things. I haven't really done much in the way of that, although I took the plunge this evening and started on making a dinosaur head with the help of the Dremel (sp) tool that Byron and Sam have. I'm not quite up to whittling, not that I have a pocket knife anyway. It doesn't look half bad so far, but still needs details. I really look forward to exploring that more.
I suppose that music can count as art also, and I might as well throw that in here. Sam has really increased my confidence in my voice and musical ability. Side note, I would really like to learn to play banjo, though that is a while away still probably. The main focus has been singing. I don't typically have a problem singing along to songs I know the words to anymore (as much) but I've also really gotten into singing some of the church songs and chants Sam has brought to me to lead or add rhythm to or just participate in. I've really enjoyed just vocalizing lately too. Making sounds more than words in a musical manner has been really nice and calming almost.
I don't consider myself an artist, but my little amateur projects (if you could even call them that) keep me moving forward ever so slowly I suppose. It can be really calming to do some of these things, I just need to be less lazy about it and less embarrassed about it. If I feel like singing, sing; if I feel like drawing, get some paper and pencil and draw; if I feel like woodworking, ask Byron for help or advice if needed, get the Dremel (sp) some wood and go for it.
Thought I'd keep up with my writing some and let folks into my thoughts for a while.