Over and over we ask ourselves, “Where do I begin?”

And since we’re not always sure, we sometimes don’t.

Perhaps a better and far more intriguing question would be, “Where will I wind up if I do?”

That question has a pull to it. It opens up our curiosity. It tempts us to begin wherever we are so we can discover a place we’ve never been.

The first sketch of the day is seldom what I’m seeking. But it’s often the doorway to the next sketch and the next and the next until I find myself somewhere far more satisfying than the Land of Never Starting.

Who cares where you begin? Just begin. Then come back and tell us where you went.

Heck, I’ve even set up a place where you can do just that. Here’s what to do if you feel like sharing.

How to submit your art at Share the Adventure:

1. Go to Share the Adventure.
2. At the top of the page you’ll see a link that says, “Share Here.” Click it.



3. There you’ll find a heading that says, “Submit a text post.” Click it.



4. When you click the heading, you’ll see a dropdown list where you can select the kind of thing you want to share. Usually, this will be a photo.



5. Click Choose file to upload your image, add a description in the text box, add a link (if you wish), accept the terms, pick your tags, and hit Submit.

Hurry, go have an adventure and show us where you wound up.

When you think of beginning, you fear you’ll screw up and the fact is you will, a lot . . . if you begin, that is.

And when you do, there’s the chance that someone might see you do it and have something to say about it, something (breathe, breathe, breathe) critical.

Ugh. Criticism. Painful stuff at times, even when it’s helpful.

But what if you’ve already begun and you’ve managed to stick it out and you’ve improved and you’ve started to earn (breathe, breathe, breathe) praise?

That can be an art stopper, too.

“Oh,” you might say, “you like my painting of a tree? Well, then I guess I’ll paint more trees.”

And so you go on painting trees, not because you feel called to paint trees, but because tree paintings are the things that win you praise.

You might even be tempted to paint them the exact same color with the same brand of paint and the same kind of brushes you used to paint the first one, the one somebody (breathe, breathe, breathe) raved about.

If you want to paint more trees, then do so, but don’t do it because somebody praised you for the first one or even the first hundred.

Do it because you love painting trees. If you do, your trees will grow.

Your love will lead you to notice new things about them which will lead you to love new things about them which will lead you to try new ways of putting all that love on a canvas.

But if you do it because someone else loved them even when you didn’t, your trees will just be trees, each one not much different than the others.

You’ll be like a gymnast who never learned to do a backflip because everyone dug their somersaults.

I draw a lot of black ink portraits and I’ve received some praise for them, but that’s not why I draw them. I draw them because I love them.

And I love them enough to learn new things about them and try new ways of making them. So tonight I put down my trusty pen for a bit and picked up a brush and a bottle of ink.

The result was not what I was hoping for, but I have hope that I’ll eventually get what I’m after, even if people praise me for what I already have.

Thanks to all of you who’ve viewed, shared, and given your reactions to my video, A Mild Ride – 3 Years in Under 4 Minutes. I had a lot of fun making it and intend to do more Scenes from a Sketchbook videos in the future.

Now, allow me to address a couple of things that keep coming up:

1. Some have asked if they can share the video. The answer is YES. It’s under a Creative Commons license. You can use it in any way you wish. I only ask that you give an attribution and a link to my website if at all possible.

2. Some have also mentioned that they wish they could have slowed it down and looked at the images for more than a split second. Well, now you can. I put them in a slideshow and you can view it below. Enjoy at your own pace.

Mild Ride Slides

A Mild Ride: Three Years in Under Four Minutes

I made this video for three reasons:

1. to put a fitting end to my journey at MildlyCreative.com,
2. to take a look back at where I’ve been so I can decide where I want to go next,
3. to show people that you really can get better with practice.

It’s under a Creative Commons license which means you’re free to use it, remix it, share it, whatever. I only ask that you give an attribution and a link to my website if at all possible.

Once again, thank you.