afraid

Years ago, I sketched Gibby at work—pencil in hand, bold strokes alive with motion. I caught them from over the shoulder: just the back of their head, the soft curve of their face, and that focused arm bringing something into being. They were 9 or 10 then, already showing the spark of creativity and concentration that pointed toward who they’d become. Now in their mid-20s, Gibby is thoughtful, insightful—quick to listen, slow to speak, and wired to process the world with care. Their path has been remarkable: two degrees in 2.5 years, no debt. That didn’t happen by accident. It took grit, German immersion schooling, 16 college credits earned in high school, and testing out of 24 more once at university. That’s Gibby—quietly determined, resourceful, and steady. But their story isn’t just academic. Gibby’s always been gifted with their hands—drawn to set design, locksmithing, welding. Trades they wanted to pursue early on, and still feel pulled toward. They’re at a bike shop now. It’s not the dream, but it fits: their hands know how to build, repair, and reshape the world. There’s been frustration—maybe even anger—that we didn’t let them follow the trade route right away. I get that now. Life veers, and sometimes the path chosen isn't the one imagined. But Gibby’s resilience—their ability to adapt and press on—is what I admire most. They’ve embraced their journey with honesty, stepping into their identity as a they/them person, unafraid to define success in their own terms. That takes courage. I’m proud of them—not for a résumé, but for who they are. This old drawing isn’t just a memory—it’s a thread connecting past to present. A reminder that the creative spark, the steady hands, the deep soul I saw back then is still shining. So here’s to you, Gibby: the kid who sketched with fire and the adult who still shapes the world with quiet brilliance. Your value has never been about the path you’re on. It’s about the person you are. And I’ll be here, cheering you on—every step of the way.

I've always been afraid to draw butterflies. Not scared anymore.✨

A great deal of upheaval in my personal life, including making steps to better my mental health as well as reflecting on changes in my work life (potentially) and also my living situation, have dominated my headspace as of late. Long story short, Buddha reminding us all to still any madness in life got me to work here as did the obvious itch to get some drawing done!

Finally something new and fresh, again it was my first time to draw an animal with fur, which seemed always so difficult thing for me and still is, but now I'm not afraid of it anymore.

It's an odd feeling to reexperience the old anger and frustration I thought I had overcome, but, in all reality, I've been letting it creep back in for a while now. There was a moment of fear, it's still in the back of my mind, I'm afraid to slip back into the mental place I was a couple of years back. I'd like to say I've finally realized that it's ok to be afraid, and even a bit frustrated, but it's a matter of how I handle those emotions and my own reactions that make the difference.

This is my most recent work, just finished. I really had a lot of fun with this one. It didn’t turn out as colorful as I hoped but the contrast is spot on. If you’d like to give me a suggesting, i’m still trying to decide if i should fill the lower right chest area of the horse. It doesn’t make sense to leave it blank but i’m afraid changing it might ruin what I have. Any opinion is welcome! :)

This watercolour painting was inspired by another artists brilliant work (I'm afraid I don't know the name). Absolutely loved doing this piece. My mother asks why I always do sad paintings and thinks I should do more happy ones. What do you think? Comment Below

A silly watercolor sketch, I know, but there's a lot tied to this little thing. There are so many bittersweet feelings lately. I tend to avoid putting a numerical value to time, I don't like the count-down aspect to things, especially knowing how obsessive I can be with that. It allows me to live in some semblance of ignorance (they say ignorance is pure bliss). There's a lot of tip-toeing around what I want to say and what I'm afraid to say, or even what I'd love to explore and embrace and simply afraid to. It's something I'm not used to. It's taken me quite a while to finally sit with certain things, or even acknowledge them, and it feels like there's so much more I'm now realizing. It's odd to be so frank to some and worried that others may find out. There's a lot of shifting again, goodbyes coming soon, complicated feelings and situations.

The result is not as good as I imagined. But anyway I want to share it, because: - others may find it great, - art taste is subjective, - even if it's bad, you can receive a constructive critique or tips on how to improve it. Don't be afraid to share your failures. They push you forward. You can learn a lot from them.

There is more in the Wood to be afraid of than the Big Bad Wolf...

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975) Shostakovich’s contemporaries do not recall seeing him working, at least not in the traditional sense. The Russian composer was able to conceptualize a new work entirely in his head, and then write it down with extreme rapidity—if uninterrupted, he could average twenty or thirty pages of score a day, making virtually no corrections as he went. But this feat was apparently preceded by hours or days of mental composition—during which he “appeared to be a man of great inner tensions,” the musicologist Alexei Ikonnikov observed, “with his continually moving, ‘speaking’ hands, which were never at rest.” Shostakovich himself was afraid that perhaps he worked too fast. “I worry about the lightning speed with which I compose,” he confessed in a letter to a friend. Undoubtedly this is bad. One shouldn’t compose as quickly as I do. Composition is a serious process, and in the words of a ballerina friend of mine, “You can’t keep going at a gallop.” I compose with diabolical speed and can’t stop myself.… It is exhausting, rather unpleasant, and at the end of the day you lack any confidence in the result. But I can’t rid myself of the bad habit. - From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey #dailyrituals #inktober #shostakovich @masoncurrey

It's my third illustration with a lantern theme. I had doubts while drawing this illustration. I changed the concept a few times. And I'm not sure if I got the expected effect. But I'm not afraid to share it and say: "this illustration could be better." It gives me the motivation to work harder. It gives me reasons to push myself forward. Have a creative weekend!

I feel a connection to spiders but am also afraid of them.

"My possibly late husband never learned to appreciate modesty and humbleness, im afraid." Being married to a pirate in the kings service comes with a lot of material perks, but makes it difficult to host a fine ladies party. im just glad to have finnished, i sat for three days painting patterns.

THE HAT from Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory. "THE YOUNG MAN HAS NEVER BEEN AFRAID OF HATS before.." https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmCFiyu0oH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This is the finished drawing. It took me about 6 hours over the course of two days. I decided to just lightly shade the background so my finger prints didn’t show so much. I was afraid that going darker would make the horse blend in too much. I’m happy with how it turned out! Done in charcoal, marker, colored pencil, and pencils.

I’ve been afraid to open the cursed cabinet ever since grandma left me the family black hole...

Write down everything your afraid of... now cross each one out as if slaying a dragon with a sword.

Hannya Mask

Alright , people, who here remembers a brilliant show by the name of Samurai Jack ? Just me ? C'mon now ! Don't be afraid ! Say it loud and proud ! Samurai Jack is A W E S O M E !

Gucci

A pencil and watercolour study, inspired by Scott Christian Sava's "60 days of studying the masters" on Youtube. This was intimidating from start to finish, by far the most complex drawing I've ever done! It took me almost a week to get the drawing right, but the painting was done in a day. In between were many days of feeling overwhelmed, lost, and then afraid of messing it up. But I got there in the end and I think I pushed myself to a new skill and confidence level. Good thing too, I've got 58 more studies to do!

I am afraid of the dark and being alone.

What inspired me with this piece was an enchanted forest. The purple trees and pinkish leaves plus the somewhat colorful grass (capturing it with my camera was a little tough but its a mix of forest and deep green with some blue) and the shrooms made me think of a kind of air of mysticism and fantasy. The Elk is one of my favorite animals and I feel has a regal presence almost in it. I thought about adding more vegetation but I was afraid of adding too much. What do you think? ^^

I changed the composition, types of silhouettes, and background texture a few times. I didn't have any expectations about the finished work. It was a creative flow with many changes. I think the creative process looks like this. Don't be afraid to try. If you make your art digitally, it's simple. You can: - create a new layer, - use shortcut Ctrl+Z. In traditional art, it depends on the art supplies you use. Sometimes you can try more times. Sometimes you need to start again. But any attempt is better than giving up.

Fobbles used to be afraid of pumpkins, until he learned that you can carve faces and other shapes into said gourds to make jack-o-lanterns. And thus, he now raises pumpkins for a living.

I have made of book of these maps of whimsical nonsense. I strongly feel we need more nonsense & mindless meaningless windows of imagination & for those who r not afraid to go on a courageous personal adventure... enjoy! In other words, whatever u see... u r correct. There is no hidden message. No persuasion or guiding philosophy... just silly fun if u will allow yourself the freedom to revel w-out reason.

Starring The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations (1967). Featuring Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (1979). Let me tell you a story about a tragic genius ahead of his time. About a songwriter who wrote his songs on a piano situated in a sand box. About a musician combining a variety of tapes to create this carefree beach sound. About a man who was afraid of the audience and who broke down under the pressure. Tricolor linoprint using one lino plate. June, 2020.

I've got a big fluffy bathrobe and I'm not afraid to wear it, all day if necessary