When an Idea Won't Let You Go

Have you ever gotten caught in the tractor beam of an idea that just won't let you go?

I had such an experience at a recent conference I was attending. But more on that in a minute...

It's no secret that I love to draw. I always have. And in recent years, I have been know to carry a sketchbook around with me. Waiting in line at a six flags theme park? No problem. Sketch. Stuck in an airport? Sketch. Out at a museum? Sketch. 

It's more than passing the time. It's capturing it. I can recall ordinary moments with clarity when I've taken the time to look – really see – and sketch. Whether or not the moment may be worthy, isn't the point, but rather to be fully present and find inspiration all around. 

Sketches of my Daughter's cheerleading competition, my other daughter's Tae Kwon Do competition and my mom's belly dancing recital. 

I've even sketched during my mothers belly dancing recital (yes, you read that right…another story for another time.) and my daughters Tae Kwon Do completion. I sketched during a clean water missions trip to Nicaragua. Moments and feelings get interpreted into art made live in the moment. And now I have a visual record that penetrates so much more than snapshot photos.

Ironically, there are times we’re so close to things that we just don't see them. We can't recognize the value in something we “just do" – something that comes naturally to us, but others are amazed at. It's at this intersection that an idea started to beckon.

“We can’t recognize the value in something we “just do” – something that comes naturally to us, but others are amazed at. It’s at this intersection that an idea started to beckon.”

And here is where we come back to that conference I mentioned.  During the conference, someone posed the question to me: "What would it look like to take that thing you "just do" and offer it as a valuable service to others?" The more we spoke, and I spoke with others, the more apparent it became to me that none of us had ever seen anything like this before. 

I started to ask a few questions of my own.

What if there was a unique way to capture the events and special moments of your conference or special event?

A way that made you stand out from other events?

Drumroll please... I'm proud to say that’s exactly what you get when you book me to live sketch your event. As a Visual Artist, I'll create live digital sketches of your conference or event in real time. These are not mass produced images, but rather, Art that is created from carefully curated moments that tell stories from your event in a one-of-a-kind way.

The professional term for this is Reportage Illustration, or sometimes Urban Sketching. Think of it as a form of storytelling and journalism, only with digital sketches (in my case). There’s actually a term for it called “Reportage Art”.  Artist Veronica Lawlor defines it as “..Reportage [art] or documentary drawing… means to go out into the world and carry back what we experience behind our pen or brush.”

Do you host events or know people who would benefit from my service?

Visit my Event Sketches page for more info and examples.