I made a discovery a while back: not striving for perfection is freeing (and you will make better art). This is why I love ink. As you may or may not know, I used to struggle with perfectionism. Not wanting to make a mistake and getting caught in a cycle of clicking the back button: draw, erase…draw, erase…draw, erase.

The world that we live in promotes hyper perfectionism. Photoshopped advertisements, influencers’ flashy life hack stories, plastic lawns that stay green all year, etc. You can even buy a phone now that will compile multiple group shots to make sure everyone is looking their best (no blinking, double chins or crying babies).

Let me propose an alternative view. Rather than eliminating imperfections, flaws and rough edges… why not appreciate their inherent beauty? Things that are plastic might look perfect, but they are all the same. Things that are one of a kind have value, offering something unique and special. Something that cannot be replicated.

When I realized perfectionism was ruining the feeling of joy I found in making art, I knew I needed to break the habit. That’s when I exchanged the pencil for the pen. It was hard to make that first mark on the page, knowing that I couldn’t go back. But it was also freeing! I knew I had to give up the level of control I used to cling to. Drawing with ink helped improve my drawing by learning to loosen up and gain confidence, but it also helped me grow as a person and overcome mental hang ups I had with perfectionism. It helped me change how I look at “mistakes”, from “it’s a disaster, let’s start over” to “oops, I didn’t mean to do that… I wonder how I can use this”.

This isn’t a new idea, its an old one. In Japan, there is an ancient philosophy called ‘wabi-sabi’, which puts value on the simple, modest and imperfect. Sometimes imperfections are not only embraced, but elevated and highlighted. For example, ‘kintsugi’ is a practice of using gold to join broken objects–like a cracks in tea cup.

I owe a debt of gratitude to ink and the lessons I have learned from it. But it is even more than that…. ink opens a world of tantalizingly beautiful, swirling, dripping, flowing possibilities. It has a mind of its own and will take you an a visual journey if you let it. This is what the workshop I instructed this past weekend was about (which is why these thoughts are all stirred up in my mind right now). It was the fist time that I walked through the doors of the Vancouver Island School of Art as an instructor. This is the art school that I graduated from in 2016. It feels a little full-circle to go back and lead a workshop and I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I thought you might enjoy a little glimpse into our three hours of inky exploration, so here are a few images from the workshop.

Fantastical Jellyfish Workshop: Drawing with Ink & Water