When I was three I discovered scribbling was more FUN than coloring carefully inside the lines. Staying in those the lines was boring and tedious although it communicated an image-idea better than chaos.  Everyone around me considered coloring in the lines desirable. Scribbling did not look good but it felt fine!  And I decided someday I would make scribbles tell a story too.

I was close to thirty in art school and working on a tight rendering of, I think it was, a spoon. After a hundred hours or so I couldn’t take the tedious cross hatching anymore and finished the picture by making several layers of tiny scribbles. I expected to get an F and I didn’t care. I liked it. I’ve been scribbling ever sense.

Understanding the rules and the structure of truths then using self-discipline to live the truths are essential to a joyful life. The same is true in making good pictures that not only communicate an idea but have a spark of surprise and life. Hollywood would have us believe we are all flaky, undisciplined, immoral but happy. They say break rules and the structure of God’s plan and societal truths because its fun. I hear many writers and directors say they were surprised to see they could get the audience to approve of badness so then they decide to go further to see they can make us approve of and embrace evil.

On the other side of the spectrum we could live CAREFULLY down to hell meaning stay buried in TV and video games. Never take the risk of doing it wrong or getting hurt feelings. Never make friends or following through on ideas like an, “I was thinking of you,” phone call or helping a neighbor rake his lawn.

Hildegard of Bingen studied the rules, the reasons for them, then lived with great joy and exuberance. The picture below, of Anna, obeys many art rules and is scribbled in Crayola Crayon as are most of my children’s books. Several of the stories are about Anna and her brother Paul. They and samples of them can all be found at Amazon.  nancymauerman.com

Big Hat