Don’t apologize or use disclaimers (excuses).

“I just did a quick sketch.” This is a phrase I see quite often in posts, but I know that what tempts me to use that phrase is the sense that what I sketched is not very good and I hope I will be forgiven for it not being good enough by proclaiming that I did it fast.

Creating and posting our art requires vulnerability, so we would like to deflect criticism by implying that I could do better, but I didn’t have time.

A “good” sketch is subjective at best. Our goal as travelsketchers is to capture the moment, if whatever marks you put on paper do that for you, not someone else, then it is quite good enough.

I sketched the man looking off in the distance first of all to try a new ink in my Duke Confucius Fude pen. It was influenced by the pressure of moving and the uncertainty of the week we have been in. I really doubt the Louvre will want it, unless after I die I become as famous as Van Gogh and anything is “great.” Which is a good point, I have seen a lot of sketches by famous painters that must have been “just a quick sketch.” They know, as we should accept, that the process of art is to make marks on paper, that is what we do. And yes, I did do it quick.

So post what you do with pride, no apologies, you did it which puts you in an special group of people who have overcome the grip of: “I am just not very artistic.”