Yes it used to scare the hell out of me. And yes I have tried it a number of times before.
But this time for Melanie Reim’s class I gave it another try. Because her energy was so inspiring! It was contagious!
So here is the story!
I stopped my husband when he was trying to leave in a hurry with his friend to a local bar to watch a football game.
I made him drop me at Walnut street. The street has quite a character and is always bustling with people and also it is a half an hour walk from my place which ensured I couldn’t run back to the safety of my home.
I roamed about at first looking at book shops and mentally deciding whether it would be a good idea or not. And suddenly god decided that I had speculated enough! So he made the weather super chilly.
So I had to go and grab a coffee. And meanwhile I grabbed a little courage too!
I sat on a small table very close to the counter so that I could see all the people standing in line for their coffees and vise versa.
Being inconspicuous was useless. So I decided not to think about it and started.
Some people intentionally moved away and some stayed and posed while I tried to roughly draw them. And one particular guy even came and asked to see what I had drawn. Of course I was a little embarrassed but I showed him what I had drawn. He may or may not have been happy with the drawing but he did smile and said it was good. That is enough for me.
So at the end of the day I had a few pages full of sketches in my Moleskine, something to show in class for homework.
Also I cannot forget the little baby girl in a stroller behind me with her mommy in line to get her coffee. She kept waving at me and then smiling and then I waved at her and she waved back. And then I showed her the henna on my hand and she kept staring at it in surprise. Ha ha she was so adorable!
I felt so happy after the whole experience that I went and grabbed a nice dinner at restaurant near the cafe and then walked all the way back home!
Here are the sketches that I made.
