Sketchy Times

A lot of who I am has been defined by the obsessive sketchbooking I’ve done since I was a very little girl. My sketchbook was my constant companion through all of my schooling, as well as my other experiences. It was scrapbook, companion, best-listener and my memory.

It is sad that I am using the past tense to discuss its place in my life, but it is true that my use of it has fallen off in the past three years and has dwindled down to very little these past few months, especially. I find myself so busy with living these days that there is no time for recording. But I would like to make a place for it in my life, still. My memory is always enriched by these documents. I have 4 Rubbermaid containers in my closet full of their various shapes and sizes. They have smells and tactility and contain many events I would have otherwise forgotten. This is both good and bad. There are, of course, some very embarrassing moments in all of them. But that’s just they way that goes, especially if you are a girl who writes down all of your thoughts in high school.

I was lucky to be encouraged in my pursuits by my friends growing up. My grandmother always said she didn’t recognize me if I weren’t constantly writing in some impossibly small script in a notebook throughout the hours. Even my high school history professor, Mr. Brown, supported my pursuits by saying that it might become some fantastic primary source for future historians one day. That still remains to be seen… high school girls’ vision of the universe primary source documents are probably a dime a dozen.

In any case, I share below with you a flashback through unsorted images ranging High School through a couple of years ago, heavy on the undergraduate. I have many more in my Digital Sketchbook Flickr set if you wish to take a gander.