This last year has been a strange one for us all, but it’s important to remember there must always be an upside to the lows.
In 2020, I missed art school. I missed being surrounded with creative people in my studio. I missed learning and being inspired.
The upside of 2020? For the first time in my life, I decided to start online classes with the Royal Drawing school. This was also my first experience of Zoom and being able to connect with people from all over the world. One lady I met from Australia was waking up at 2 am to join the class, primarily so that she could enjoy some human interaction – something we all missed this year. Some students worked in their kitchen, some a bedroom. Occasionally dogs would bark or I would see a partner or child walk past in the background.
The classes helped me not to be so critical about my work. We didn’t have long to make each piece. Five minute life drawings, twenty minutes and then an hour or more to make a longer drawing. I began looking more, drawing more and experimenting with materials.
I am so grateful that I was in a position to take these classes during such an awful year. They were a really positive experience for me, I can’t wait to meet more people across the world and continue learning more.
