Japanse New-Girl Monkey Network
Correct Observation
The first function of an art student is to observe, to study nature. The artist's job in the beginning is not unlike the job of a writer. He must first reach out for raw material.
-- Kimon Nicolaïdes, The Natural Way to Draw
When I first began writing poetry in my late teens, I had spent much of my life up to then as a spectator. I was full of observations and ideas about the world around me, and as I discovered how to form words creatively, they began to spill out into poems in a way that was almost beyond my control.
I fell out of practice with observing because I was overwhelmed by the beauty of words. Now I don't have enough experience to feel poetry bubbling out of my head the moment I see something moving; I'm too caught up in just trying to perceive it.
I'm trying to learn to draw and it's a little intimidating. It's not because I don't think I will be able to draw very well or will be a failure; it's that, once I've reached the point where I feel somewhat competent with my skills, I'm afraid I won't know what to draw, just as I'm currently lacking subjects for my poetry. Every day is emphasizing the need to go out and explore this new place and just experience it. So why am I sitting here at my computer?
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