I don't know anything else

The process of drawing for me is more than personal expression. It's been a focus of my life since I was a small child. From the humble days of drawing eagles on the delightfully smooth desks of my elementary school to my years as an illustrator in the 1990's, I never seriously considered any other path.

This is the under-drawing study for the final pen and ink illustration.

illus: Vince Stevenson

It may seem strange that something that is so pleasurable at times can also be a drain mentally and physically. Almost as if every stroke of the pencil or brush is like my life's blood and, like blood, this energy needed to create art, demands to be replenished regularly. If an artist can create at their own pace this isn't a great burden, but for me to make a living it was taking too great a toll and I knew I needed to find a new way to live. One where I could give out that energy, but get back something in return that would recharge that depleted battery.

The hospital breathed new life in to me

I found my new calling in an unlikely place. A family member was sick in the hospital and this was my first time watching a loved one dying slowly of a terminal disease. While we were taking care of our family member I could feel a euphoria that was similar to when I would get in to a trance while drawing. You become completely focused on what you are doing, but it's all about their needs, unlike when I was drawing where it felt it was all about mine. That experience was indelibly marked in my mind and heart and led me to eventually taking care of others as a nurse.

In order to become a nurse I had to go to school and take pre-requisites such as microbiology and physiology. Determined to focus on this new career and to never look back at my artistic past, my way of thinking flipped. Nursing school would take all of your attention, I was told, so I stopped thinking like an artist; stopped seeing things as an artist. It was helpful for me, but now and then I would mindlessly doodle during a late night lecture. Which leads me to this:

Inspiration is deep inside (the garage)

I was looking for a blank notebook in the garage so I could write down ideas for my first "blog" here on Steemit and stumbled upon an old nursing school notebook with one of those mindless doodles during a sleepy late night physiology lecture. It struck me almost immediately. Open my heart! Don't overthink, just open your heart and do what you know how to do!

So I've come full circle and have started to draw again after 15 years. I think my battery has recharged long enough, so here is my first drawing to be shared with the Steemit community. A portrait of Ned Scott, the intrepid co-leader of our Steemit ship that's headed to the moon and beyond!

Steem is a dreem come true for our ever changing world

The potential for artists, and any other user, to be immediately rewarded for their work without having to go through the usual channels is an absolute game changer. There will be a floodgate opening for artists of all types once they discover Steemit. We all have something unique to share, so go wild, cut open your heart and let others see what you have inside!

My portrait

photo: Craig Young