My Magic Sketchbook

Like a lot of creative people, I've had my share of sketchbooks throughout my life. I've always had a weird relationship with mine; it's like I loved getting them all fresh and full of blank pages. But soon the cover would become torn, or the corners of the pages would get dirty and dinged up because it was always one of those ones with the cardboard back and the heavy paper cover. Then the papers would start falling out because the glue at the top would become weak. If I was lucky enough to have a spiral sketchbook it would still end up in a similar state because, again, a carboard back and a paper front. They never lasted and they were definitely never filled up.

I was constantly encouraged to use my sketchbook as a type of journal, but how can I trust such a weak and flimsy book with anything important. All it was good for was doodles, and that’s exactly all I ever used my sketchbooks for, apart from a few crazy detailed drawings here and there just to push my skills. They pretty much all went the way of a school spiral notebook, only the first few pages written on, then very beat up and only used when a blank page was needed for something.

Yet I could not throw them away for some reason.

My entire life this is how it went for me and sketchbooks, until about a year ago, the end of 2024. I chose the perfect size, 8 ½” x 11”, spiralbound, with a hard front and back cover. It has been the most perfect sketchbook yet. Maybe that's why it became my Magic Sketchbook.

I've always believed in the saying “Life imitates Art”. I also believe that the energy surrounding art, both in its creation and its consumption, is very powerful. This type of energy is able to be harvested and used, which is why the entertainment industry is as huge as it is.

This line of thinking took me down a rabbit hole one night where I was considering the many tortured artists and how we hear so often about all these horrific things that keep happening in the entertainment industry.

This brought me to the idea that energy that is created by the traumatic is a very powerful source of energy, but also a very dirty, fast-burning and cheap source that is easy to collect and abuse. I decided to take that idea and use it, but instead, I would work to create what I consider a more worthwhile source of energy. A source based on light and experiences that feel good. It might not seem as easy to collect because it can take more effort, but that makes it so much more powerful and last so much longer.

That's where my magic sketchbook comes in. It is my way of channeling and transforming the energies around me to heal, grow, help, love, and create the kind of world I wish to see for myself, those I love, and everyone else. It is my form of creating, channeling, collecting and transmuting energy.

My process starts with a clear intention, whether through a prayer, poem, story, or a direct request or order/direction. A spell; a formula.

I absorb that, feel it, envision it, narrate it. I pull it in from all around me.

Then I put pencil to paper and just let it move as it will. This is where everything gets pulled from the ethaer into the physical.

There are no mistakes, I don't look at what I'm drawing. I might move the paper or the location of the pencil, but I do my best to let everything unfold as it will, strictly influenced by my surroundings without any conscious guidance other than the original intention. That part comes next.

Once the channeling feels finished, I feel tired but accomplished. I take in what I put down on my paper and start darkening lines and shapes that grab my attention. It feels like I'm listening to the lines while I'm doing this, and I just get drawn to different parts here and there to be highlighted.

Starting this in black and white feels like the perfect choice for me because I see it as having the reflection and absorption of all colors.

Sometimes I add color, and if that is the case, the color scheme is always based on the vibe and theme of the title/poem/prayer/intention of the drawing. Sometimes this can take a while, but once I find it, I am sure I chose the right colors.

Starting this magic sketchbook has brought me to a place where for the first time in my life I feel truly connected to my artwork. My work has never felt this meaningful to me, and I have never been this consistent with my work, ever!

I finally feel good, and confident, about considering myself an artist. It finally makes sense to me, it finally feels truthful. And I am building on it.

I've branched into other mediums and have already started planning branching out even further.

I love that others enjoy my work and that it no longer feels like a 'make-or-break' situation. I love doing it for me and I want to share it with everyone. I want it to be so powerful that it changes the world, so that's what it is.