Disclaimer: Tricia just reminded me that today is Sunday, not Tuesday. I do lose track of time, so I am just early this week.

Remind yourself why you started sketching in the first place.

Most of us travelsketchers never set out to have our work hanging in the Louvre. We found it intriguing, maybe we were curious about what we saw someone doing, or we just wanted to capture the moment. A few do choose it as a career, that is a different motivation and it requires discipline.

My dear friend Shirley just wanted to sketch her morning croissant in France, which she does quite well these days. Why did you start?

This morning I did this sketch after watching the sun as it rose and grew from a tiny dot of orange over the Pacific Ocean. As I stood watching it I chatted with one of the security officers from the cruise line who was also watching it. While I was sketching by the pool I had a nice conversation with a man who stopped to watch.

When I look at this sketch a year from now it will bring back memories of a quiet morning, a stunning sunrise, and two nice people – the quality of the sketch will not matter. I will have no compulsion to describe it as “just a quick sketch”, which it was, or a “study”, which it wasn’t. It was a moment, captured with a bit of ink and paint, that is why I sketch.

So I ask again, “why do you sketch.”