Tag: CED2013

Celebrating Myself in March

DRAWING

simple line drawing of Mellanie Collins

Who is this grumpy woman?  It’s me!  Only I’m really not grumpy. I’m just looking a little to intensely at my mirror.  It doesn’t really look like the beginning of a celebration, does it?  But it is.

During my birthday month,  I’m making a conscious effort to focus on the things I like about myself instead of finding more things to improve.  Why not take a stab at celebrating who I am.  Drawing, as always, is a great way to start.

IWhat kinds of things do yo do for yourself on your birthday.  Do you ever celebrate for the whole month or the whole week?

Another Thurgood Marshall Sketch

DRAWING

Thurgood-Marshall-drawing5.5″ x 8″ pen and markers

In the past I’ve occasionally posted some drawings for Black History Month. Since it’s that time again, I thought it might be fun to revisit some old subjects.

Back in 2010 I did a sketch of a young Thurgood Marshall  (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993), the first African American on the Supreme Court and the lawyer who argued the famous Brown v. Board of Education case before the Supreme Court.  This current sketch was drawn from a photo taken in 1967, around the time he became the court’s 96th justice.

I’ve always been fascinated by his story: the grandson of a slave, who initially went to college to study medicine and become a dentist, eventually becomes an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.  Check out his biography on Wikipedia.

Creating Every Day in 2013

DRAWING

Mellanie Collins, self-portrait, 2013

Today I signed up for the Creative Every Day Challenge.  I’m committing to doing something creative every day in 2013.  What I like about Leah Piken Kolidas’ challenge is that it calls for creativity in it’s broadest sense. So while I may draw or doodle some days, I can also practice my ukelele, take some photos, try a new recipe, or get my garden back into shape.

I often need to remind myself that being creative isn’t always about my drawing and painting.  It’s about anything I do that gives me room to express who I am and allow me to stretch my wings as I strive to live more authentically.

I’ll not post everything I do, really, you don’t want to see it all. But I’ll be updating much more frequently than I have in the past.

So this is it.  I dove in with this self-portrait in my sketchbook.  We’ll see where 2013 takes me.

Cheers!