Conversations like these

MAE: So, are you going to do the Strada Easel Challenge this month? (MAE: my alter ego)

Me: Oh, I don’t know. I thought I’d take this one off.

MAE: Really, why?

Me: Well, I want to do it, I should do it, but..I’m not sure I have the time or energy. It’s such a big commitment.

MAE: Really? I thought you planned to be out painting at least 15 days this month.

Me: Well, yes. But, I have a couple of projects I need to finish, and I need to get ready for the home tour and the Steamboat Plein Air. Plus, I’ll be traveling some days. And I’m sure there are a bunch of days when it won’t be easy to find the time…

MAE: Not find the time? Isn’t this what you do?

ME: Well, yeah…

MAE: And you can paint or draw, right?

ME: Yeah.

MAE: It’s not like drawing takes that much time. It’s just paper and pencils. You don’t have to spend hours drawing and getting a perfect drawing, do you?

ME: Well…Yeah…I don’t know…I guess there aren’t any rules about how much time I devote to drawing or painting from life each day.

MAE: And, in theory, you could spend less time on your phone? Possibly there’s some wasted time there?

ME: You think I spend too much time on my phone?

MAE: Just sayin’… There are a bunch of moms that are going to do this and people that have other full-time jobs that will find the time to do this, don’t you think?

ME: True…but if I only spend a little bit of time, they won’t be very good, and I won’t want to post them on social media.

MAE: Nobody says you have to post them.

ME: Good point. I should really spend time every day drawing anyway. I want to work on my drawing skills, value studies, and thumbnail sketches. I guess I could devote 30 mins every day to that – either draw, or if I’m in the field work on those things and paint too. I could set my watch for 30 minutes and quit.

MAE: Just practice for the sake of practice.

ME: The last two times I did the challenge, I saw a huge improvement. I could do the challenge and not tell anyone.

MAE: Exactly. Of course, if you’re going to do the work anyway, you might as well try to win a Strada Easel. Right?

ME: Huhn.

And so it begins. Day 1 of the Strada Easel Challenge to draw or paint from life every day in September.

I started out with my timer set for 30 mins. Needless to say, I kept going.