The Drawing Board #21
A little writing experiment & The Face of Wind
Welcome to my newsletter where I share my personal creative process. I hope to inspire you to pick up a pen, paint brush or spatula and create something spectacular!
Today, I’m curating my own observations around my new neighborhoods through words and images. It’s a little experiment, and I’d love to hear your thoughts after you read. (Drop a comment or reply to my email)
I used to hate commuting to work. Cramming into a packed train, pressed against sweaty strangers for 45 minutes straight because the train is delayed is a kind of hell I endured for eight years.
Now that I returned to work after a year-long break, I’m able to reframe my mindset around commuting, and the commute has been much more pleasant. I might even say, enjoyable. People watching is my new favorite activity.
On a cool spring day in early August, a little girl, around knee-high, ran past me on the train platform with an oversized backpack filled with giggling pencils, eager to press the elevator button. Her roughed up ponytail glistened gold in the setting sun. I imagine her day was filled with coloring, counting, running around the school yard, and naps. Jealous.
My new neighborhood is a big reason why my commute has been so peaceful. I live in an old, surprisingly quiet neighborhood in the middle of the city. My street is lined with Tudor-style homes and big old trees that shield me from the sun. Even though my neighborhood is dense with people, it’s not overwhelming. And this neighborhood has been an amazing incubator for me and my art:
Hearing the wind rush through the tree leaves and cars humming down the street is essential to my painting experience, as well as feeling that breeze come through my window and brush my face. Sunday morning’s light warms my waking eyes and sits softly on my blank canvas. I peek down at the sidewalk to watch neighbors stroll as I set my bluetooth speaker to Bobby D’s, ‘She Belongs to Me’.
The sunsets seem to glow softer here too:
The Face of Wind
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Happy Creating, Elizabeth <3
Oh, I love this. I'd love to hear more about your commute too. (Assuming you're in a car), is there a go-to radio station/podcast/album that you blast? Do you stop by somewhere for coffee/groceries? I'm currently stuck in a commute-by-train situation, though I love it for its convenience (it comes every 3-5 minutes during peak hours).
You touch on an amazing topic Elizabeth: people watching on the subway. It's so rich with stimulus and you capture it so accurately. At the same time it's very mundane, or boring, if you don't pay attention. There's a movie called Shame that has some scenes on the NY subway which are all stares, smiles, so much is conveyed in them, it's amazing. Reading this made me remember it.
Loved the short essay, kind of stream-of-consciousness. And just happy you're enjoying the new setting and job journey!