Art Nights

Every Thursday for the past couple of years, my friends and I head to a coffee shop (sadly, it’s always a Starbucks - not a big coffee shop culture here at least not how we know it in America), to create, read, study or whatever.

For me, it’s the time I set aside to try to create something in ink, pencil, watercolor (which I suck at - let’s be honest I just suck), or on my iPad.

When I was in high school, I had books of illustrations in pen and ink but I never really studied. I just drew and mimicked. I still haven’t really studied. When we started these art nights, I had plans to study anatomy and shading and lighting but nothing came of it.

Now, I just stipple. A lot. It’s relaxing putting dots on paper. Sometimes I just draw random lines and shapes…lots of abstract stuff and when I finish I post it to my Instagram account.

The art is supposed to help me be a better writer but I haven’t really been writing.

I got about 5000 words in NaNoWriMo, which was my goal because I was mainly using it for skeletal work on my novel. The kind of writing I do I just couldn’t concentrate on as I was studying Japanese. The writing required for the novel, most of my writing really, needs deep dives into my psyche. Lots of immersing myself in the language of my youth and culture, which I really don’t have access to at the moment.

Art Nights are ultimately a way for me to hang out with my friends and share an experience. It’s one of the things I look forward to every week.