Day 21 Smooth Operator

Did a little experimenting on this one.  He's so slick and cool, he cuts himself up!

Smooth Operator

I Existed on My Own Terms (Shannon L. Adler)

I created this drawing over a couple of quotes by Shannon L. Adler.  I'm feeling an affinity to those words.  It's never easy to stand by your own principles--it's a lonely endeavor.  It's easier to whisper one thing and then cover it with sugar to the public.  No matter how painful though, I feel called to live by the words of John Mellencamp:  "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything."

You can read the full quotes below.

I Existed on My Own Terms

“I existed on my own terms. I was different my entire life. Some called me divergent, wild, crazy, unpredictable and unconformed—an apostate to the rules of the majority. I called myself God’s creation and found purpose in the madness. When that day came, I didn’t allow other people to dictate how I should feel or act. I learned there was no shame in imperfection because history had shown being different had the power to change perspectives and eventually the world. This is when I realized that flaws had responsibility. This was the day that I learned I was truly BLESSED.”

***

“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.”

***

And then there is this most dead-on, nail-on-the-head piece:

“Sensitive people are the most genuine and honest people you will ever meet. There is nothing they won’t tell you about themselves if they trust your kindness. However, the moment you betray them, reject them or devalue them, they become the worse type of person. Unfortunately, they end up hurting themselves in the long run. They don’t want to hurt other people. It is against their very nature. They want to make amends and undo the wrong they did. Their life is a wave of highs and lows. They live with guilt and constant pain over unresolved situations and misunderstandings. They are tortured souls that are not able to live with hatred or being hated. This type of person needs the most love anyone can give them because their soul has been constantly bruised by others. However, despite the tragedy of what they have to go through in life, they remain the most compassionate people worth knowing, and the ones that often become activists for the broken hearted, forgotten and the misunderstood. They are angels with broken wings that only fly when loved.” 
― Shannon L. Alder

Concerned

This drawing was a quick sketch I did before I went to bed last night.  Often I feel like I just have to draw something--anything--before I end the day.  It relaxes me...it's my meditation.  After I was done, I named him after the look I felt he was giving me.

Graphite & Pastel

Side-Glance

I had the urge to draw a little something before I went to bed Sunday.  I think it was my way of not letting the weekend go quite yet.  Of course, I ended up staying up too late and started Monday with my usual exhaustion.  What's a girl driven to draw to do?  Just draw, I guess...and be tired. (-;

Side-Glance

Handsome in a Hoodie

Handsome in a Hoodie

(2nd of 3 pieces of art which a virus is preventing me from posting the way I want.)

I drew this fellow late one night.  I don't think the photo is reflecting all the shadows as well as it should...still, I was quite happy with this chap.

Hmm.  Why am I speaking as if I'm from London?  Maybe it's because I recently ran across this 2013 film called, "After Time" about the male members of a British family who could travel back in time, but only within events of their own lives.  Domhnall Gleeson carries the show, and Rachel McAdams is most charming.  Please see it!  It is a great example of the wonderful cleverness of British humor; scenes of London; and some of the most touching scenes of delicate emotion.  And if you think you're just not feeling it, then at the very least, I'll leave you with a gem of a quote from it.

I try to live everyday as if it were the final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.

After Time Trailer

Searching for Something

Here's how I started.

Not sure where I'm going, but just experimenting with paint.  This process is the way I start most of my paintings.  Just letting my mind and hand wander.

Smudge

Smudge

Ink and Charcoal