Sketch a day - Day 96/365

I have to start this post with an admission. I actually did these sketches yesterday evening, not today.

In my defence, I did do some sketches today but I am now on my way home from Sheffield and they are at the bottom of my bag, on a busy train. And I would need to get to the bottom of that bag and get the books and find the sketches, photo them and edit them and I have decided that I just can not be fagged to do that.

So, I ask you take it on trust that day 96 of the sketch a day challenge was achieved.

Anyway, I did these yesterday in a workshop run by fellow core team member Stevie Ronnie. It was a book making session that ran the whole weekend. The room was covered in paper and pens and twine and card. A stationery treasure trove. I visited (after finishing yesterday's post) just to hang out. But Stevie put some lovely paper in my hand and said ‘draw something’ and so I did. Two things. I found it very hard as I was using a dip pen and they work so differently to fountain pens. Which seems strange because they look so similar. Scratchy and blobbing. They juice everywhere and then suddenly run dry. I found it equal measure fascinating and frustrating.

The weekend as an experience was absolute joy. A hive mind of different perspectives and minds and experience and hearts. All bound together by an ethos of rigour and kindness. It was wonderful to have impromptu 1to1’s with writers. It was also fabulous to find myself in the midst of great conversations about craft, about the writing business, about surviving a first year at uni when everyone else in your hall went to the same public school, about residencies, about politics and the care system, about online extremisms and rabbit holes of hate, of how to pluck up the courage to ‘apply for the things you have no business applying for’, (this is a new life goal btw), and of many more things besides, including favourite places to get a crop-top with a turtle neck collar.

All of this arriving, in its own time, in its own way.

It was wonderful to see people reconnect and meet for the first time. Most beautiful of all, it was lovely to watch people emerge through our time together. Seeing confidence grow and people reconnecting with their creativity, goals and dreams.

A magic weekend.

Thanks Libby and Steve for organising it.

And now? Home and sleep.

That's the news.