A strawberry is sweeter in sugar.
Or is it?

As far as showing off, this is a newer drawing, and yet definitely up there with one of my favorite reaction to date.

Artist’s block
This was a drawing a did when it was the equivalent to having writers block,...what do I draw?
I tend to think of a blank page, blank canvas, empty computer screen, empty stage, etc as an exciting experience, an opportunity to let the imagination create whatever it wants, desires to see come to fruition. However, as we know, there’s always two sides to every coin. A blank page, canvas, computer screen, empty stage, can be terrifying.
I suppose it’s really just a mind game. As children we pretend and a box can become whatever we want it to be from a rocket ship to a race car or even a canoe traversing a precarious dense jungle.
Then, as a lost boy having grown up creativity became interwoven with ‘right and wrong’ and the idea of being ‘wrong’ was terrifying. As if doing what you want, what you feel, what feels natural or intuitive or simply because you want to is still somehow dictated by rules. Rules, such as
never center an image.
If the image is off centered or better yet a portion cropped off then to the observer it adds intrigue and mystery and dynamics to an otherwise static piece. Another rule,
don’t let an image/ object ‘float.’ Objects do not naturally defy gravity. Fruit, or any other object with weight, do not float. To give them more realism, they need to rest of something.

Breaking the block
To be honest this, ‘writer’s block’ drawing was just practice. I laid out my supplies, got situated. I went to the refrigerator for a drink and saw a basket of strawberries.

That’s it! Why not?! A strawberry.

I have a tendency to lean towards natural content anyways; such as food, flowers, animals, landscape etc

The self doubter kicked in; what about all the seeds, it isn’t going to be easy, get the red hues just right, etc. My excitement of actually doing was sedative enough for my doubting-alter ego.

Once I got to a point I was able to stand back and be happy with it. Besides it was practice anyways, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Who’s really going to see it? Even having thought that, while I was everso concentrating on the still life peice of fruit, I neglected that anything else was going on. All the while, the pinky-side of my right hand was dirty from making contact with the drawing and I had been making smudge marks on the surrounding paper around the centered strawberry.

Artist don’t make mistakes. They just know how to make them look intentional.
At first, I thought it was no big deal. I’ll clean up the paper with a white chalk or maybe even paint. Starting with chalk, I was hoping for the best but I knew white would do nothing more then make the smudge marks lighter. But the it dawned on me, the ‘floating’ strawberry doesn’t have to be floating it very well could be laying in a plate of sugar. Then I added a few more smudges and subtle shadows to giving the appearance of uneven bleach white sugar.

Priceless Reactions
The reactions I got from this drawing really were the sugar-filled icing on the cake. I would pull up a picture of it on my phone and ask ‘what do you see?’ Deliberately leaving out any comment of ‘...I want you to see my latest drawing...’. 90% of the reactions were “(so what), it’s a strawberry” with a tone in their voice making themselves sound sure of themselves just leaving out the ‘so what’ part. Just for me to wait a minute and flip their lid by saying I drew it. Some time has gone by and I recently had someone see me and tell me, “I’ll never forgot that strawberry.” What else could I say besides, thank you, but honestly I was touched.
Out of all of the people I’ve shown, both face-to-face or via social media, only one person nailed it exactly on the head saying it’s a strawberry in sugar.
I had to ask,
how did you guess that?
Her answer was obvious. She said
Because that’s what it looks like.

Here are two images showing I drew them on the kitchen table and the right one showing the Rembrandt soft pastel set I used.

Thank you for sharing your time with me and don’t forget to do something even if it feels small as long as it helps to

Better yOurself everY Day.

Hello and welcome to

Boyd Creates.

Originally, a name concocted from an amalgamation of my surname, Boyd, and the idea of creating Art. However, as time went by and the more I thought about the name after I created it, such a name has an implied deeper meaning. ‘Creates,’ is a broad umbrella term. It dawned on me that I was creating more than just art.
I saw a meme a while back that said, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘I’m sad, but not sad enough to start drawing.’ Something happened; pushed me to the edge, painted me into a corner (...of a canvas.) Trust me it’s a slow drying paint, (...like oils.) I used to draw and paint but as life became more demanding that hobby took a back burner until I was left pursuing happiness.
I wanted something I did that could be my escape, my minds reboot. Even if not everyday, then at least once a week. I would draw something and then add it to a pile of the rest of my Artwork and repeat.
But I found it funny, that all I’m doing is drawing...for myself. Givens its purpose is to escape with an enjoyable hobby, then mission accomplished.
Even though I set time aside each week to draw/ paint/create, that means I’m still spending 62+ hours at work working. I know, that’s what I’m there to do. But once I felt the bug again, felt good about what I was doing I wanted to share.
My employment is in hospitality. Really it’s just a fancy word for customer service but that means I interact with the public on a regular basis. My real clientele you get to know personally. Then one day it clicked in my head...
Show yourself off.
Be proud of what you can do.
If you don’t, then who will?



A customer asked a question. It could’ve been how are you? What have you been up to? What’s new? Etc but I ran to get my phone. What a great feeling to see the awe and surprise of on their faces when they see that I drew what they are seeing.
From then on, I’ve had people eager to see what I’ve drawn lately. Each seems to be a unique story to be told.
The next epiphany I had...

Why limit sharing with just face to face interactions when there’s something called
The World Wide Web and social media.

I created a website using the same name as this one once before. I I knew I needed a website. I looked up the various things I could do,I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it all...now. At the time that is. Feeling overwhelmed and adversely as a side effect shuttering and backing off was actually the reason for canceling the website. It felt good to see a steady stream of not just visitors but unique visitors as well. But in the end I was still toying with technology like it was a slinky. You know doing the simple things like holding each end in a hand and having it wave as it goes back and forth instead of learning to really get good with it and build a sophisticated ladder and have the slinky ‘walk’ down.

So I am back. Ready to be more committed, more dedicated. More knowledgeable and experienced.

Join me and be prepared to

Better
YOurself
EverY
Day

Thank you

John R. Boyd.