Draw from memory, not reference. Choose something that lingers in your mind—a face, a place, a moment. Forget accuracy. Trust the version your memory has held onto.

Draw to process, not perform. Use your sketchbook like a journal. Draw when you're anxious, excited, confused. Let the drawing carry the emotion, even if it’s messy or strange.

Draw what... See more

It took me years to realize that expressive courage matters more than technical mastery. You can spend a lifetime learning to draw “correctly,” but it takes guts to draw something true .

Start with what matters to you. Your drawings will have something that can’t be taught: a pulse. You don’t need permission—just a pencil.

Because it’s not just about... See more

Foundational classes are often structured around measurable outcomes—line quality, proportion, value control—because those are easier to teach, easier to grade, easier to defend. Many instructors (myself included) were trained to pass down these priorities. But this creates a narrow framework that rewards precision over meaning and performance over... See more

drawing isn’t about proving how good you are. It’s about paying attention to what hurts, what sticks, and what won’t leave you alone.

She explores how memory, personal experience, and drawing are connected—not to show off skill, but to remember, feel, and be alive.

Your drawing will improve when you stop trying to draw well and start trying to draw what matters to you. — Lynda Barry author of What It Is