Surprise! It will buy you the entry door to a creative practice. It will start or restart your art making where it is stalled.
Ok you're saying, this is a come on - a scam. No it's not. That $10 bill will buy you a sketchbook, a drawing pencil and maybe even a marker or two. You - or your kids - may even have some or all of these things sitting, gathering dust on your shelves.
Who is this sketchbook for? This sketchbook can be for your eyes only which will remove concern about what others think of your work. It would be wonderful if you could also ban your judgment about how "good" or "bad" your work is. This should be a judgment-free zone of expression.
Who's the decider in chief? You and only you, get to decide whether your sketchbook practice will have a theme. Mine is both writing and drawing and I include quotes that are meaningful for me. I also collage bits of otherwise unusable work that I have made. Yours can be a travel journal, flower sketches, experiments with new materials, drafts of future work. Truly the possibilities are endless.
Let's talk about materials. Even the local Walmart carries many different types and sizes of sketchbooks. You decide the size you are most comfortable with. Then look for what art media the sketchbook is for. Mine is for Mixed Media and the paper is fairly impervious except to alcohol inks which tend to mildly bleed through but that doesn't bother me and I am the decider-in-chief.
Lessons, prompts, examples are everywhere on the internet and many are free. You will be amazed at what people do and the materials they use (tea bags, sewing, photo transfers etc.) I enjoy Pinterest for all the variety shown. If I get stuck, some example will unstick me with inspiration.
So beginning a sketchbook practice is inexpensive, unthreatening, easy and packable. Think of it as putting your toe in the creative water. Now you have no excuses.
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