figuri: On Lightness

Soften your grip.
Not so much pressure.
Relax your hand more. Try a bit faster, don't worry about too many additional lines.

I participated in my last drawing lessons in a quite strange state of mind. Or let's be more specific - my body sat there, my soul was hovering somewhere else, having crossed the state borders even. While the rest of the class drew with a soft flow of hand-movements and even managed to color their pictures, my hand was gripping the pencil so tightly that my fingers had lost color. There I was - focusing on the blank paper, trying hard to make it less - well - blank. I hadn't noticed my peculiar state of mind until our teacher stood next to me, advising me to relax my arms and hand and not to spend time on details.
I have been like this since my childhood - I can't let go of control when writing words (RIP, crushed pens). But! I have learnt to soften in my arms or hands when drawing a dress-pattern and I'm trying to do this when drawing or painting on paper. It just looks better when you let go of control and pressure. And anyway, I have never heard of a story of a nice handmade dress or other piece that started: „... oh and then I sat anxiously in front of it all day long, looking for mistakes I have made and erasing every little something I considered imperfect. It was tough, but the piece is ready! Took me only three years and my mental health!“

Though I don't think of sewing as an easy activity, there is this incredible lightness accompanying it. And it's not coming naturally - I guess it's something I have adopted with time, minutes and hours and days spent doing it. I know how to draw a big circle - the nicest one is when you draw it with your whole arm. And there are these little victories like drawing two centimeters without a ruler.

The biggest recent victory was something else though.

Something rare.

Something long-awaited.

The weekend. Nice weather. A (or - THE) photographer available. And even my hair didn't have the usual witch-without-a-broom look.