"Detach"

There's this neat website called Illustration Friday in which the people who run the site determine a word of the week, and then artists are invited to create something that represents that word, then post it by Friday. It is a neat website. Ambra suggested we try it out together. This week the word is detach. So here's mine. I've thought all week about it. Meanwhile I've hosted company, my bathroom is a construction zone, I've had an extremely busy week at work (lots of stuff to do on the computer), there are dishes to be done, birthdays to remember, babies being born (or new mothers to support), and we have three days before more company comes. There is a lot to do. So I drew this tonight, a visualization of me "using the force" to keep all that at bay while I deliberately make time for myself to make art. To detach from everything I feel keeps me from doing what I most want to do. If I'd had more time, I would have liked to make it all of fabric and paper combined, a sewn picture.

Drawing is something I've done for a really long time, and my drawings often look more cartoony than I'd like, I think because of my use of thin black lines on white paper. I hope to someday take a drawing class. So this type of medium is comfortable for me, and I appreciate its ability to get exactly what I'm trying to say in the image. I can focus so much on detail. How can I move away from that comfort zone and still feel like I'm getting what I want into an image? How can I develop the patience to try new mediums out, experiment, take the time, when I can count on my old standbys to get me through in times of need?

I want to trust my instincts more in my art, and feel ok about having a few more ruffled edges, a few less clear lines.