3 life changing lessons I learned from sketching

And how it makes my life so much better

Yesterday was the last day of our seven day wildlife sketching challenge, and I don’t think I can adequately put into words how wonderful it was to see so many people sharing so much beautiful art made with curiosity and compassion and wild hearts that lead wild hands.

We talked about some of the big thoughts and feelings that come up as we make art - that wildly rebellious act in a time still devoted to industry and product. But I thought I might just tell you three ways that a sketching practice, that an art practice, has changed my life, so much for the better.

Because all of these things I am learning, that I am continuing to learn and practise, don’t just stay in my art practice - they spread like wildflowers into the rest of my life too.

And you know what? That is all kinds of wonderful.

Presence, groundedness, centring

Once you give yourself permission to just create, to be courageous and curious and compassionate and just create, to be determined to work through, around or over any fears, frustrations or other gremlins that come up (perfectionism and comparison, I am looking at you), the creative act is profoundly grounding.

And the more you do it, the more you find that presence in the movement of pencil or paintbrush in the quest to represent something wild and wonderful, the more presence, groundedness and centring you get.

Wonder, humility, perspective

Deeply observing our more-than-human kin is next level humility and perspective giving. The wonder, well that is a given I think, even at surface level, but the other two? Ooof, they are powerful, but they are also so liberating. Studying wild beings is a constant reminder that we are a part of something so much bigger - we are not apart from their world.

And when it feels like your own little patch of the universe is closing in on you, and that you are unwittingly at the centre of all the (bad) things, the perspective of these glorious beings just doing their own glorious beingness around you, without any concern for your problems or your perception of them, is humbling.

When you draw and paint feathers and imagine spreading your own wings, when you draw or paint long furred legs and imagine running through forests, you can feel your ancestry, your genes, remembering, feeling that connection to land and place and to all the other species we used to live so much closer to.

The more you do this work, the more you ache for that connection, and as a result, you become a better human animal, more aware of your impact, and more desirous of consideration, respect, reverence, reciprocity.

Self compassion, self acceptance, unfurling

To do this work is to confront disappointment, perfectionism, comparison, fears, failures, frustrations.

It is just a part of the process.

You have to value the process, value the moving through what sometimes feels like the bog-of-eternal-sorrow because on the other side is growth and light and acceptance.

Self acceptance, self compassion, and an unfurling into a new personal and world view that honours the mystery and wonder, the intricate details and utter spectacularness of this wild world, and the utter spectacularness of the uniquely human ability to make pigment, to push the pigment around, and make a representation of this world we live in.

“Good art” is relative and really kind of unimportant.

What is important is making art - YOU making art. Making beauty to share with this world (even if you never share it with anyone else). It is showing up because that making art thing is really bloody important, to your own wild heart (as well as the world). It is caring enough about your wild heart, about your desire for deep connection, for reverence and the full body act of creating that you show compassion to yourself, even as you show it to the being you are studying. 

These are all little ripples that spread throughout your entire existence, and a practise that is based in loving kindness, curiosity, compassion, connection and courage serves to turn those ripples into giant waves of presence, wonder, and unconditional acceptance.

To allow you to ground and unfurl in such a fulfilling and embodied way.

I mean, not to talk it up too much or anything, but making art? It is pretty bloody good.

I hope you really enjoyed this seven day challenge. It is here, always, for you to come back to (there is a tab at the top of this publication called 7 day challenge with all the posts), and we will do another one later in the year!

Tell me, what are three things that you have learned, or would like to learn, from sketching?

PS: Want to make A LOT more art with me?

My comprehensive seven week wildlife art masterclass is now open! I only open this up twice a year, so we can work intensively as a small group on using lots of different supplies to make wildlife art - AND - become the most confident, curious, and compassionate artist we can become.

You can find out more here: