Imagination Exercise: A Conversation with Friends

This week I am excited to have invited a few friends on to talk about this 30 day challenge we have embarked on. You can pick it up and join in anytime. It doesn’t have to be in line with the beginning of a month. It only has to be something that you want to do to stretch your creativity and imagination.

Or Listen here

We are diving into how different we all think and how we see different things and sometimes the same things in the same shapes.

Go to the link below to get the sheets and start today!

You can start too and do this with us. These Creative Calisthenics worksheets will get you to exercise your imagination a few minutes each day for the next month.
https://creativesignite.com/imaginember/

I will be joined by Harrison Mills who is doing the challenge with his daughter, Maura McDonald who is doing it digitally on her iPad, Paul Nylander who has been doing these exercises with me for the past few years, and Anna McBrayer (also doing it with her colleagues and sons. Note: her sons are not her colleagues). It is fun to share and see how different and similar we see things.

Maybe you struggle to draw a peacock perfectly? I would answer, is it necessary to have a picture perfect peacock or which lines do you have to have to communicate peacock. Which lines do you have to add to communicate what you see in the shape?

Can’t wait for this episode! Episode 424 is LIVE on Wednesday, Nov 16, 2022 at at 2:30pm ET / 7:30pm GMT / 11:30am PT / 9:30am in Hawaii.

To get the link for the live taping sign up here: https://creativesignite.com/signup

Find out more about our panelists

Maura McDonald

https://www.artbymaura.com
Https://instagram.com/mo_illustrates

Anna McBrayer

annamcbrayer.wixsite.com/graphic-artist

Paul Nylander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulnylander/
https://www.instagram.com/paulnylander/

Harrison Mills

https://instagram.com/mills_of_thrills

Transcript

[00:00:00] diane: Welcome everybody to another. I don’t know why I’m starting it weird today. Anyway, we’ll try again. Hey everybody. Welcome to another episode of, uh, can you Remember What this thing’s called? Creatives Ignite. It used to be called design recharge, and I get confused sometimes. So I am excited to have four of my friends join me cuz we’ve been doing my blob challenge.

[00:00:25] Now, Paul’s probably done the B mo, the most blobs with me [00:00:30] over the years because he’s done many, many blobs. With me as I’ve sent things or we’ve done things together. Um, so Paul and I have done this already. Um, I think Maura, maybe you’ve done, we, Maura and I have done lots of other challenges as well, so it’s nice to have Harrison and Anna joining us.

[00:00:49] So, hey, Demi’s here. I don’t know where Demi is today, but he’s usually in the UK or in England. Um, but sometimes he’s in Athens today, so Demi, good to see him and [00:01:00] Paul are France too, so, okay. So. Anna, I’m gonna get you to say who you are and where you are and what you do, and then we’re gonna, um, move on to Mora and then we’ll keep going.

[00:01:13] Okay. I’m Anna

[00:01:13] Anna McBrayer: McBrayer. I am in Durango, Colorado, which is about an hour from the Four Corners Monument, if anybody is familiar with that. I work full-time for Fort Lewis College. Met Diane at the University and College Design Association Design Conference [00:01:30] in Portland, Oregon a few years ago, and of stayed

[00:01:32] diane: in contact ever since.

[00:01:34] That’s right. Awesome. Okay. Maura, how about. Okay.

[00:01:38] Maura McDonald: I’m more McDonald. I’ve been a, uh, graphic slash visual designer for years in the corporate world, and I’m finally leaving that corporate world behind doing a little more like freelance

[00:01:49] diane: for more consumer type brands. ?

[00:01:53] Maura McDonald: Yes. And I stuttered up my e-commerce site and it’s going a little slow, but I’m in it for the

[00:01:58] diane: hall, so that’s good.[00:02:00]

[00:02:00] and you’re, you, um, are, have been. doing more illustrations and you’ve been working digitally. I mean, we’ve done challenges that are by hand or digitally and Anna over covid, you kind of took up the painting. We’ve met and talked about like the kind of art stuff you’ve been doing since. Right. Okay. So Paul, tell us about you.

[00:02:21] All right. So

[00:02:22] Paul Nylander: Paul Nylander, I am a book designer. I do, uh, covers in interiors, my company’s strata design. Um, what else? I’m [00:02:30] also a letter press. Printer photographer. Printer. Um, photographer. Photographer. Yeah. Um, do those sorts of things as well. And I’m in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And what else did you ask? I think that was everything.

[00:02:44] diane: Yeah, that’s good. That’s all right. Harrison. Um, tell us about what you do and where you are and who you are.

[00:02:52] Harrison Mills: Yeah. My name is, uh, Harrison Mills. I’m, uh, in Columbus, Georgia, and I work for a company called Outfront Media. I’m a, [00:03:00] um, senior art director, and so essentially I do, um, out-of-home ads. So thank billboards.

[00:03:08] Uh, Maybe bus stations, bus wraps, that type of stuff. So any, any advertising that’s out of home, that’s, that’s what we do.

[00:03:16] diane: Okay. All right. So today we’re talking about. The, uh, creative exercises, and we’re talking specifically about this one that we’re doing in November, and I know like [00:03:30] Amy Lyons, she’s done it and she’s just sent me her sheet.

[00:03:32] And, um, and if you guys wanna do it, I’ll, ooh, I’ll put the link in the, in the chat. So that you guys can download it. You don’t have to do it at the same time that we’re doing it. It does make it fun. Um, but you can always wear hashtagging. I think everybody’s using the hashtag, so we’re all doing this. Um, so you would be able to catch up.

[00:03:54] I mean, not catch up. I don’t know. You can just start today if you want, but, so Paul, I’m gonna [00:04:00] ask you this first. Um, and you can always pass it on to Anna if you don’t want to. I guess. I hope it’s not

[00:04:06] Paul Nylander: how to pronounce the hashtag, cuz I haven’t figured

[00:04:08] diane: that out yet. No, no. I can show, I’ll tell you how to do that.

[00:04:10] That’s no problem. Okay. So, but, um, by doing, um, creative exercises or by doing these blob things, How, what does it do for you as, um, as in your design practice or in your business? I mean, it may not do anything, [00:04:30] but like, why do you do it? Oh, there’s a good

[00:04:34] Paul Nylander: question. . So, so it, okay, so, so I find these very challenging.

[00:04:38] It’s, it’s, it’s a lot like, um, you know, like looking at clouds and seeing, seeing things in them, and I’m, I’m realizing I’m not, I’m, I’m a visual person, but I’m not a pictorial person. So it is, it is a tricky challenge. So, so I like it from a standpoint of, it’s a regular exercise. Um, and it is an exercise, it’s a challenge.

[00:04:57] It forces me to work harder and [00:05:00] to. to see things that maybe aren’t quite there. Um, and to push them a little bit further and yeah.

[00:05:08] diane: Okay. So what is the, and I’m picking on Paul cause I know Paul very well. We

[00:05:16] Paul Nylander: have many, many iterations of blobs behind

[00:05:18] diane: us. We do, we do. So Paul, would you consider yourself, um, uh, that drawing is one of your superpowers?

[00:05:27] No, definitely not . Okay, so this [00:05:30] is what I love about Paul. I mean, I’m you, one of my weaknesses , I dunno if it’s a weakness cuz I actually know everything is on your sheet. I know what you were trying to intend to draw, so, so this is what mm-hmm. , I think. I think we are visual communicators and. It’s, you know, how does it look like a photograph?

[00:05:48] We, Paul and I have had this conversation plenty of times. If I needed to look like a photograph, why don’t I just take my camera and go shoot it? Right. . Uh, so there’s something beautiful and one of yours [00:06:00] specifically, Paul, that all of. Me and Harrison’s daughter, and I don’t know, uh, I think, uh, Carol record or record.

[00:06:09] I don’t know how to say her last name. Carol. We couldn’t call her. Carol. Hey Carol. Um, she’s not here, but she’s, if she ever listens or watches anyways, she’ll have a little shout out. She found a peacock. Do you guys know the one I’m talking about? Mm-hmm. . So, um, this. All I could, uh, I think you guys could see.

[00:06:27] Okay. May I have to, I put [00:06:30] the chat over me. I saw this and I saw a peacock. Now I also think the thing with the blob sheets is that it’s good to see it and turn it and see what else it could be. And I do Really? Amy Lyons saw a peacock too, but Paul turned it upside down. I also think it could be something with a little pointy nose, you know, like, but so many.

[00:06:50] Saw Peacock Pekin. Okay, great. Oh, so Christina Lopez, I wanna see yours. Christina, you need to email me. Uh, upside down. It’s a seahorse. Yes. [00:07:00] Amy Lynn. Mm-hmm. . So, and Amy Lynn’s done this exercise with me too. Me and Amy and Paul I think have all done this. So, but. What I love is that I, I saw, so you feel connection when we see, oh yeah.

[00:07:15] Me and Harrison both got her. Me and Amy got a peacock. Um, but then you also see, and I hope Paul, this is how you felt. Oh, I saw something different. This is, I’m not wrong. I saw. I just, [00:07:30] my brain worked differently. I turned it a different way. Can you see what I saw? And that is what I think is powerful.

[00:07:35] Cause I can also see what Paul saw. So, um, I’m gonna a, I’m gonna pull Paul’s up, or I’m gonna pull up a sheet and so that you guys can see it. But Anna, tell me why you do the blobs. Oh, you’re muted. Is it your first day on mute Zoom? I’m just kidding. It’s my first day ever. . Um, you know, I did the blobs

[00:07:57] Anna McBrayer: cuz it just, it just works a different part of my mind.

[00:07:59] I’m in [00:08:00] so much in layout design and, um, and I do some branding, like some freelance stuff and branding and logo design and that kind of thing as well. Uh,

[00:08:10] diane: but it sort of pushes

[00:08:11] Anna McBrayer: me to, to, to think outside of just the layout of things. And I’ve always wanted to. Dabble in illustration, um, and paint. Get back into painting.

[00:08:21] I did it many years ago, and so it sort of forces me to, to think outside of my normal box of design. Um, I

[00:08:29] diane: [00:08:30] saw a really

[00:08:30] Anna McBrayer: weird shoe, um,

[00:08:32] diane: which I can show you. Um, oh, here, I’ll show, I’ve got ears up. I’ve got everybody’s up now so I can. Uh, I actually, the way I am approaching this

[00:08:42] Anna McBrayer: is I look for the thing that I see immediately and then I try to see something different.

[00:08:46] Um, and so

[00:08:48] diane: I am, I am finding, uh, often

[00:08:52] Anna McBrayer: faces like Diane, Diane said, cuz that is where, what I find it almost all the time, that’s the first thing I see is some kind of [00:09:00] cartoon.

[00:09:01] diane: Wait, is this is yours though? In there, right? No, that’s not my, this

[00:09:04] Anna McBrayer: one? Yeah, but that’s not the one. This’s. The next one, the one down from that.

[00:09:08] This one. That’s the shoe. Yeah, the peacock is the

[00:09:10] diane: shoe. Oh, the peacock is the shoe. Yeah. .

[00:09:15] Anna McBrayer: So that’s kind of how I’ve tried to approach it is do I see a face and I go back and forth, um, and then try to find something else besides

[00:09:24] diane: the face. So one thing I love about yours, Anna, is that [00:09:30] you have gone off the page, so it’s just different, right?

[00:09:35] So, um, And Maura, I don’t know if you did the peacock. I’m looking at your, no. Okay. I haven’t done a peacock, so, so I’m , I mean that blob. So Paul, Paul did this guy, he’s kind of the same guy I know. So very similar. And look Paul Hall. I also think the blue helped us get peacock, like anybody in the chat, like it seems like a lot of people, [00:10:00] not that peacock was right or wrong, but like he’s sleeping the other, so.

[00:10:05] Paul and Harrison both got the vacuum from the same shape, which I also thought was so here is Harrison’s. Look, I mean, I was like, oh my gosh, you both got, you guys both got like even the

[00:10:20] Paul Nylander: same, the same model. Yeah. . I know,

[00:10:23] diane: I know, right? . So, um, so Anna, you taught us, uh, told us about why you do it. Maura, how about [00:10:30] you?

[00:10:30] Why have you, why have you done this? And I’m gonna gonna show, show y’all some mauras.

[00:10:36] Maura McDonald: Okay, so the reason I did it was because I wanted, I was in the middle of trying to do a 100 day my thoughts of the day challenge, and it was getting just really difficult to get them done every day, and I was just always playing catch up.

[00:10:49] So when I saw this, I was like, oh, this could be like 15 minutes, like in the morning or at lunch or something. Just really easy for me to just like look at it and then maybe come back. You know, like that [00:11:00] was kind of my attitude and the reason why I did it digitally was because my

[00:11:04] diane: printer wasn’t working

[00:11:06] But I love that. But because, because I, I actually really like that you did, because I think that you’ve been able to add more color, and it also shows that you could do this. Absolutely you could do this, right? There’s always another vehicle you can use, right? But you got kind of a different flavor than, um, and you added things that I wasn’t [00:11:30] adding.

[00:11:30] But I love this. I mean, this looks like though Dilo Dilly, the Dino, you know that, um, I didn’t ever read that book when I was. We didn’t have that book, you know, but the, is that a book name ? No, no, no. The Caterpillar book. You know, that looks kinda like, oh yeah, the hunky calorie feather. That’s

[00:11:48] Maura McDonald: it. Or Carly.

[00:11:49] Okay.

[00:11:49] diane: Yeah. Eric. Mm-hmm. . That to me is what, that it’s like, the next book in the chat is like, now it’s Dilly the Dino. Like, I think it just has that same [00:12:00] sort of feel and I was like, I, I just loved that you, you did that. So you know where I

[00:12:05] Maura McDonald: got the name Dilly from? Cause on the Today Show, Savannah Guthrie called Dylan Dilly Dill

[00:12:14] diane: Oh, that’s too

[00:12:15] Maura McDonald: funny. And it was so on my mind that I was like, oh my God. Dilly the

[00:12:18] Anna McBrayer: Dino .

[00:12:19] diane: I love it. I just think it I, and I love your banana. I love this little guy. Anyway, all right. So Harrison, why have you done, and I’m gonna find [00:12:30] Harrison’s, and then I’m gonna show you Sophie’s too. There we go. Okay, so Harrison, this is your week one or week two too.

[00:12:38] What, um, why have you done this

[00:12:42] Harrison Mills: challenge? Um, it’s, it’s a great way for me to go analog. I’m on the computer majority of the day doing designs. Um, it’s a way for me to go back to really sit down and think, uh, cuz he, like a lot of us, I think we jumped to. The, the first thing that we see. [00:13:00] But I found myself wanting to sit down with it just a little bit longer and analyze things a little bit deeper and see what else there could be instead of the first, you know, what I would necessarily see on the first flush.

[00:13:11] And then I wanted to bring my daughter in with me on that as a project that we could do together. And then also, um, help her, uh, Cultivate some of her imagination as well. Cause that’s just, you know, when you have a child that’s doing this with you, there’s, [00:13:30] it always, they always surprise you at what they see.

[00:13:32] And uh, I think it just helps to me more with my imagination as well. And, um, I don’t want her to lose any sort of, you know, love for doing this because right now she is doing a lot within, um, art and drawing and it’s one of her favorite things. So, That’s the second reason is I want to help to allow her to cultivate this in just something that would be fun for her as well.

[00:13:59] diane: So [00:14:00] I, I love that. And I also think, I mean, my mom’s here, she’s like, oh, these are like the clouds we used to, and I was like, yes. But it was always hard if you couldn’t see what I saw. And so this allows us to put it down on paper and then compare. And I. Sophie’s peacock is way better than my peacock . You know, like, here’s mine.

[00:14:25] I’m like, I even tried to make mine good, but I couldn’t. I, I gave her [00:14:30] eyelashes. That’s the only thing mine has over Sophie’s. But Sophie could easily go in, but I was like, Sophie’s is really good. And what I’ve tried to do, I actually don’t think I’ve spent 15 minutes on this at all, unless I do more than like three on one day.

[00:14:45] But then I’m like, oh, am I gonna have enough for the week if I keep going? So I try to hold back a little bit, but I, these are, uh, pretty quick. So, um, Harrison, you’re doing this at the end of the day, correct? Um, sometimes,

[00:14:59] Harrison Mills: sometimes at the end of [00:15:00] the day, sometimes in the morning. Um, just whatever. Whenever time allows.

[00:15:05] diane: Um, but you’re doing it with Sophie, but I’m doing it with her, yes. Okay. Mm-hmm. . Okay. So then, um, Paul, when are you doing it? Usually in the morning. Okay. Maura, how about you? Um, usually at lunchtime for me, . Okay. So it’s a good break. Okay. Yeah. Anna, how about you? So I,

[00:15:24] Anna McBrayer: I have mine sitting on the counter in the kitchen, like, um, like away from where we prep the food.

[00:15:29] And [00:15:30] as I walk by,

[00:15:31] diane: I just will

[00:15:33] Anna McBrayer: sit for just a second and look at it. And then I go by and then I come back. And so it’s all just

[00:15:38] diane: whenever , I don’t, you know, I, it is just

[00:15:41] Anna McBrayer: whenever I, sometimes I’ll sit and look at it and sometimes I don’t do anything. And then the next

[00:15:45] diane: time, I’m annoyed at something,

[00:15:48] Anna McBrayer: and so I’ll just go to the little doodles and I just sit there and ponder that instead of trolling like Instagram or whatever.

[00:15:54] It’s a, it’s a great like

[00:15:56] diane: relaxing distraction. Mm. Uh, so it, to [00:16:00] me it’s relaxing also when my mom had to have her, uh, oral surgery. I prepped, I’m super anxious and I knew I would be sitting there with my dad. I love you dad. I know you’re at St. Mary’s doing your thing. So he is probably not watching, not gonna get offended, but I made so many blob sheets that I was like, I’m gonna be prepared.

[00:16:19] And I mean, and then, and I was trying to use up like this palette, so all of ’em are kind of brown, you know when you’re like making a painting and you got your mud. So I just made a whole bunch and so many of them [00:16:30] have to do with. And I’m like, oh, it’s because it’s all I was thinking. I was just like, more and more.

[00:16:36] And so, but I made so many, so I also was like, well, I wanna be able to do something while I’m, you know, I would make her hold ice on her face. So I needed something that I wasn’t gonna take more than 20 minutes, so I just made blob after blob page. So for me, I thought it was relaxing also, it, uh, did make the time go by.[00:17:00]

[00:17:00] And I do. It’s just fun. But it also is fun to do it with other people. So I know, Anna, you’re doing it with your, um, your son and maybe they I also sent them

[00:17:11] Anna McBrayer: to all of my

[00:17:12] diane: nieces and nephews. Oh, you did? Um,

[00:17:14] Anna McBrayer: and two of them sent back and it’s really cool. Maura. Um, When you did the pointing finger , my, my eight year old niece

[00:17:24] diane: saw that as a hand pointing too, which I thought

[00:17:27] Anna McBrayer: was so interesting because I didn’t see it at [00:17:30] all until she showed me that.

[00:17:31] And then

[00:17:31] diane: it, it, it was a

[00:17:32] Anna McBrayer: recurring, a recurring theme. So,

[00:17:36] diane: so, because you’re doing it with your kids, also your colleagues, so Christina’s here. Right. Um, so how are you, have you compared. Them. You’ve been doing it solo? I haven’t compared with them yet. . Okay. Probably cuz I give them too much work to do. ? No.

[00:17:57] Okay. So Harrison, do you and Sophie [00:18:00] compare? Do you draw separate and then you come back? Yeah,

[00:18:04] Harrison Mills: we usually do that. We’ll, we’ll draw and then we’ll be excited. They’re like, Hey, what did you get? What did you see? And then, which blob did you do? And then we’d go there and take a look. And there’s been some, um, that she has come up with that I’m like, blown away by like, me too.

[00:18:19] How did you get out

[00:18:19] diane: of that? Like ? All right, so, so I’m tell, um, uh, I think some of the ones for hers that were to me, and I’m gonna try to flip it. [00:18:30] Oh, there we go. One was this one? Me and you both, Harrison. I was like, oh my gosh, look, she like totally. The ocean and then like a beach, uh, the umbrella. Yeah.

[00:18:42] Yeah. I’m like, whoa, how, but this is like, this is the power of doing this, and I love, this is why I wanted to do a, a show with this, because I think it’s powerful to see what Paul saw and what Maura saw and what Sophie saw, and then see that we [00:19:00] are. Doing something different. And also to me, this one, her holding up the newspaper.

[00:19:06] Yeah. ,

[00:19:06] Paul Nylander: can you bring up the screen share again? Yeah. You’re

[00:19:08] Maura McDonald: not showing

[00:19:13] Paul Nylander: The other thing I thought was interesting, I saw this in in Sophie’s and I think other people have done it too, is you know, when the, you know, when you’re drawing extends beyond the, the blob. That’s something that I. Struggle with a lot and I had to push myself harder to do. But some of these, yeah, like, like the, the beach [00:19:30] umbrella, I mean, that’s, that’s a huge scene from a pretty small, little bit of color.

[00:19:35] Um, yeah. That’s pretty amazing to see.

[00:19:38] diane: I, I agree. And I s this is why I like to do it together, cuz then it sees, and I know that, um, Anna’s really going outside, like you’re, um, you know, this one, I, I really do love. I’m gonna. The, um, waterfall. A lot of people, I think Amy, um, Amy Alliance is also, I didn’t pull yours up, Amy.

[00:19:59] Oh, look at that [00:20:00] toenail. Yikes. That’s . Uh, it’s like my dad’s foot or something. I don’t know. Um, but it’s funny cuz you have like a bunch of different nail ones, so you just are wondering, but like, this is really kind of, uh, um, going off as well. I kept seeing this. I think Paul, did you do a PeaPot on that one?

[00:20:19] I, I did a pee pod. Who? Oh, you did? Okay. So, oh, no, I’m on Sophie, man. I am not Whoever sh made me the host today, . Um, anyway, I, so there’s a pee pod, so I [00:20:30] was like, well, I can’t, and so one of the things I’ve tried to do, I’ve tried to do it the first thing in the morning so that I don’t get influenced by you people

[00:20:39] So I’m like, cause I’m trying to,

[00:20:41] Paul Nylander: I I, I’ve seen that too. I can’t, I can’t look at what other people are doing that. Yeah. Because it’s like, then that’s all I see. That’s

[00:20:49] diane: right. Yeah. So I have had to really push. Because I did, I think, and everybody’s doing something different, but because we’re doing something different, I might have seen.

[00:20:58] So I’m kind of like [00:21:00] Anna, I’m like, okay, I can’t see this, you know, I’m gonna see what else I see. So I was like, well, it could be a sleeping bag, but I love that Anna really pushed it and was like, I’m doing a candle. Mm-hmm. . And I was like, oh, I just, it’s like, you know, um, if I said, if we were doing a, another creative exercise that I do sometimes is, I’ll say, Write down everything that is a circle.

[00:21:26] And then, you know, some people will be thinking [00:21:30] really big like the earth or the moon, and then I’m like, okay, now think small. Like if they’re like, I can’t think of anything else. They’ve listed all the planets, you know, and they’re like, I’m out. Um, and I’m like, but like even the little, I don’t know what these things are called, the.

[00:21:47] Pimple dimple things on your drink or the top of your drink or a straw from the top. You know, those are all things that are start, there are circles and it’s like, but it’s perspective. It’s like the big to the tiny. [00:22:00] And that’s maybe something that I don’t, um, do as well. I have to be reminded. So this to me is also a, what can I do with this?

[00:22:08] That’s a perspective change. Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. ,

[00:22:12] Anna McBrayer: this, this, um, I don’t know if I, I guess I probably can’t show it, but that little blob that I did,

[00:22:18] diane: the, the, um,

[00:22:20] Anna McBrayer: The candle on. My son did a a, that’s one of the eyes of a cat. Oh. Which was kind of odd. That’s a good, yeah, I could see that. Yeah. And he didn’t [00:22:30] color the eye at all.

[00:22:31] Like he didn’t color the blob at all with any, but he drew one right next to it that looks like, you know, that sort of mimics that, that same shape.

[00:22:39] diane: Mm.

[00:22:41] Paul Nylander: That was one where I drew a kayak. So it was a completely different interpretation. Yeah.

[00:22:45] diane: Cuz I saw Paul’s kayak and I was like, oh man, what do I, and I saw Harrison’s, Peapod and I was like, oh, boogers, what am I gonna find?

[00:22:54] And so, uh, the kayak was so good, Paul, and I was like, man, there’s nothing else. I don’t know what [00:23:00] else , but I, uh, I did a, uh, a sleeping.

[00:23:05] Harrison Mills: You know what’s funny? I’ve got a, uh, sleeping bag that’s pretty much that exact same color. . Oh

[00:23:10] diane: really? I do. That’s too funny. So my paper, can you see how rough I’m carrying these with me all everywhere

[00:23:20] And like, maybe I should just leave ’em in the kitchen. But I mean, this one almost wouldn’t scan because it was so ripped up at the top. Um, okay, so [00:23:30] let’s see what, um, I mean, do you li do you guys like comparing it and seeing? Mm-hmm. Oh yeah. Um, it is a challenge to try. What’s been a hard shape to do that?

[00:23:44] You’re like, oh, let’s look at, see what other people did. What about we? I think we, I think your third, your

[00:23:50] Anna McBrayer: third, your third week is really tough. It’s really stumping

[00:23:54] diane: me. So week three, of course I didn’t full, full in. Um, Karen, let’s see. I [00:24:00] don’t know why. I think one reason I’m having trouble a little bit is like, ugh, I should have told people that they needed, um, some white pins because I’m a little, uh, this is weak.

[00:24:14] this is week three for everybody. This is kind of a weird, I feel like if you’re in the south, you know what Win Dixie is? I feel like if this was red, it would be a win. Dixie check. like Win Dixie. There we go. Um, Amy Lyon says she stumped on three as well. [00:24:30] Um, I see, I see a bunny

[00:24:32] Maura McDonald: totally in that one. I, that’s all I can see in that one.

[00:24:35] The big blue one with the Yeah. . That’s all I

[00:24:37] diane: can see is a bunny . So, so Harrison, I think Harrison, right? You found a beaver? Yes. Yep. I totally see a beaver too. I, I found, I found a bunny, Maura found. Okay, well I a

[00:24:50] Maura McDonald: turtle in there and everything. It’s just like, how can it not be a bunny ?

[00:24:53] diane: Mm-hmm. . Well, and, and I think some, it’s like I see a lot of, um, [00:25:00] Waves, you know, if it’s blue, I’m also like, uh oh.

[00:25:03] Brandy says her bunny has much smaller ears. , you mean your real life bunny or your bunny that you did the blobs. Oh, her real life. Bunny has real, uh, smaller ears, but I also see a lot of characters, so I, this is like the dad and then this is the little person in front of the dad. Do you. Yeah, I’ll draw it this week and you’ll be able to see what I mean.

[00:25:28] I, um, [00:25:30]

[00:25:30] Harrison Mills: I saw Coral in that one.

[00:25:32] diane: Oh, is that, yeah. I don’t, I didn’t, I don’t think I plopped up. I just did week one. A week two. Sorry. For anybody who’s, see you can join us right now. You can come on and do, I mean, uh, as a, just a screen share. Again, we all think very differently what Harrison and Paul. Clearly saw as a vacuum.

[00:25:51] I saw as a skunk butt , and I’m like, this is from where the white part is on the skunk. I’m like, I can’t even draw a skunk. But here’s the thing. [00:26:00] I’m not worried that you’re gonna judge me about my designs. This is the one time I’m not worried about how you, anybody judges me on my designs or my illustration ability actually.

[00:26:16] I mean, I think some of my people are pretty ugly. Um, but I, it there’s a freedom. So is anybody else feeling. Um, judged or you’re worried to post something because this, you know, Mora and I [00:26:30] have done a lot of challenges and maybe in the beginning we just do them on our phone. We just text each other back and forth.

[00:26:36] So there’s not as much, it’s like if Maura thinks I’m a loser, then just Maura thinks I’m a loser, right? Yeah. Just me . Um, so it’s not that big of a deal, but then when we are, are bolder and we’re putting it out there, sometimes we have to like get to another, Place and where we are in our creativity or where we are in showing how our mind thinks.

[00:26:57] Does that, uh, Maura mm-hmm. , can you talk a little bit [00:27:00] about Yeah. Yeah. So I know

[00:27:00] Maura McDonald: like, even just my husband is kind of like, what’s that? Like, he doesn’t even understand it really. . And then I was a little nervous because I have my Instagram going to my website. No, it’s kinda like it’s all outta context, you know, but I, it’s just like, you know, It’s fun and

[00:27:17] diane: I’m all about having fun these days, so

[00:27:21] I love that. Well, did you have any trouble in the past sharing something, um, that was maybe not, [00:27:30] um, when you were just doing patterns or when you were just doing, um, when it was something just for fun or when you were trying, how has sharing helped you or how. And maybe how has, um, that’s good. How has sharing helped you?

[00:27:44] Yeah, so

[00:27:45] Maura McDonald: sharing’s really helped me learn about what I’m good at drawing and what I’m not good at. Drawing , I think it’s helped me with, um, Not worrying about it so much. You know, like, I mean, I get 10 likes, you know, big deal. Who cares? You know? Like I [00:28:00] just don’t care anymore. It’s just like, I’m just gonna draw and share, share.

[00:28:03] Because I learned from everything I draw, like I put it up on Instagram and I’ll be like, oh my God, why didn’t I finish that? Or I should have done this, or, you know, so it’s like, I feel like I’m, it’s

[00:28:12] diane: for me really, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Anybody else? Do you have any,

[00:28:18] Anna McBrayer: I think it kind of uncovers where your insecurities are and then allows you an opportunity to really kind of come to grips with some

[00:28:25] diane: of that.

[00:28:26] Um, Christina

[00:28:27] Anna McBrayer: and I did the, and this is the challenge [00:28:30] that you and I talked about earlier, um, a painting challenge, and I just felt like the prompts were dumb, you know, like just not that exciting. And if you’re a visual artist, you’re just like, Could have styled the fruit in a, in a way that actually would’ve been interesting to, but we painted it and, and every single one, there were 30 of them, and every single one was like, You learned a technique, you

[00:28:55] diane: learned a shape, and, and some of it was repetitive,

[00:28:58] Anna McBrayer: but not only are you [00:29:00] developing that technical skill, but, and then putting it out there and going, okay, let’s see how this lands.

[00:29:05] It’s really not about the, the really the response cuz social media isn’t really a great place for that anyway. Um, But putting the act of putting yourself out there

[00:29:17] diane: really helps

[00:29:18] Anna McBrayer: you go, oh, I struggle with saying I’m an artist. Mm-hmm. . And through that 30 day challenge that we did back in the early spring, I now, when people ask me, I will say, I [00:29:30] am an artist and a graphic designer.

[00:29:32] And that came out of that, that exercise. And so I think uncovering your insec secur, By being vulnerable actually sets you up for kind of coming to grips with some of that.

[00:29:45] diane: I think that’s powerful.

[00:29:48] Harrison Mills: Yeah. Um, it’s, it’s the whole thing, uh, to begin with. Uh, you know, at first you do have some, sometimes hesitations.

[00:29:56] Cause I mean, I’m personally not necessarily, uh, drawing is not necessarily one of [00:30:00] my strong, uh, strong points, but, um, A lot of times, especially as designers or artists, we put so much within our work. We feel like we put ourselves into our work. And so there’s that tie to it, right? And so when you’re vulnerable and put it out there, and for anybody to just trash bash or you know, love, there’s gonna be that, um, that [00:30:30] emotional rollercoaster that we end up going through.

[00:30:32] And so, You know, being comfortable in the fact that, okay, I’ve done this here, this is, here it is, this is what I’ve done. Whether you like it or not, sometimes it is just for yourself. Um, but through these bobs know it to me. It’s like, this is, this is fun, this is whimsical, this is who cares what your, your drawing skill or level is.

[00:30:57] But what do you see in here? And I think that’s [00:31:00] one of the things that kind of reveals things about sometimes. About the things that you potentially care about or the things that you an individual sees every day, or what kind of you go into the psychological aspects of it, what you’re most familiar with.

[00:31:14] Cuz a lot of times those are things that we end up putting down are the things that we’re most familiar with. Um,

[00:31:20] diane: in vacuum a lot. Uh, no . My wife does though. , I’m just playing, but I, I understand what you’re saying, but everybody

[00:31:29] Maura McDonald: vacuums. [00:31:30] Yeah. There’s a

[00:31:30] diane: vacuum and then everybody’s home. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully.

[00:31:33] Hopefully. Maybe . Yeah. . I love that, Harrison and I, but I’d say the same thing to you that I said to Paul. I know exactly what you’re drawing every time, so I don’t think you can say that. Um, I mean, you’re communicating. So if you couldn’t draw mm-hmm. or, and again, so much of design is how many can you, you know, say it with less lines or can you do it with, you know, so this is a [00:32:00] great, uh, challenge and really you could do it in about five minutes there.

[00:32:06] I think that, um, Maybe that we, I’m kind of in Anna’s boat where, I mean, well, I’d like to be in Anna’s boat where I’d be able to say I was an artist. Right? And, but it’s taken me a long time to say I’m even an illustrator. I felt like a fraud for so long because I was like, oh, but I don’t draw like Vaughn, or I don’t draw like anybody else who’s [00:32:30] good.

[00:32:30] You know? Like there were, and the, it was just this level of competency, but then I was like, You know, I see a face that made me happy. That’s good enough for me. You know, like, and I, I’m, I never, I don’t even know how many, I’m, I’m terrible at counting, like, tracking metrics of how many people liked something.

[00:32:53] I just really am. Just enjoying seeing how y’all’s mind thinks, and sometimes it’s [00:33:00] the same as mine and sometimes it’s different, and I just think that’s such a fun challenge. Okay. Paul, what about you putting it out there? Because lots of times. Paul doesn’t use social media very much. Yeah. I use

[00:33:12] Paul Nylander: social media very, very little.

[00:33:13] So, so the advantage I have is that I put these on Inst Instagram. I’m pretty sure that the 12 people that follow me are gonna be okay with it. So ,

[00:33:23] diane: I’ll just be happy you

[00:33:24] Maura McDonald: post it, .

[00:33:25] Paul Nylander: Yeah, but you know, it, it, these are, these are a nice exercise because they don’t, [00:33:30] they’re not going to be masterpieces. They’re, they’re obviously not for anything.

[00:33:34] Um, they’re not intended to be used for anything. So, Whatever they are is fine. And that, that is, uh, very freeing, I think. And that, um, having to not, um, I guess compete or, or perform, you know, to, to put things out there mm-hmm. Feels very good. Um, so that part of it, I really, really do like.

[00:33:55] diane: Well, I, I’m glad to be able to be doing this with y’all.[00:34:00]

[00:34:00] It is really fun. And it’s also, um, am I mean, I’ve done plenty of blobs alone, you know, for, um, some of the challenges that ma and I have done have just been like a drawing a day, and I’ll just do like seven blobs on a page and I consider that my drawing for the day. And, um, To me, it is just a fun little exercise.

[00:34:23] Uh, so Harrison, I met in, um, September. August? August, yeah. August. Yep. [00:34:30] Probably end of August. August. Yeah. And he showed me this thing that, you know, some of these blobs don’t really make sense and maybe that’s, you know, the challenge of this week at week three is a little bit harder. There’s some maybe more angles or some things are so.

[00:34:46] Um, or darker, I don’t know. Um, but Harrison had this, his imagination. I knew he could do anything. I, he had, uh, I can’t [00:35:00] remember what the, it was like a armadillo. It wasn’t an armadillo. It’s some sort of, he’s like, where are you going with this, Diane? Um, they were driving a boat. They were going away with all these avocados.

[00:35:13] They were like, it was like Miami Vice was chasing these, this character. What was the char? What was the thing? He was, he was a goat. A goat. A goat and a boat. Goat. A goat and a boat. Yeah. Smuggling black market avocados. , right? . So he had this imagination. Now he is [00:35:30] amazing. Wigs in Photoshop. Like I can’t even, I can’t even imagine.

[00:35:34] Some of the things that he was putting together and all these little details that he was doing. And he did this just for fun. And I was like, oh man, I think you’ll like this, this workshop, um, and this exercise of this blob because it, and I think I sent you some sheets for you and Sophie to do after.

[00:35:51] Mm-hmm. Um, cause I have a ton of these. And Mario’s always like, why are you making new ones? I was like, cause they’re fun. He’s like, don’t you have enough of the sheets on? [00:36:00] And I’m like, no. Never. I mean, I made another. 36 ones this week, um, or this weekend. But to me, I think that there are certain things that maybe Harrison, you don’t feel like you’re a great drawer, but, um, I want you to hear me saying I’ve been able to see everything that you’ve.

[00:36:20] You’ve drawn without you having to write what it is, and, but your imagination is already really tuned in because you had the goat in a boat [00:36:30] selling black market avocados, and it was, I, I still, I have a vision. I just can’t, I guess I can’t see the goat, but now I can’t in my head. But I, I mean, it was a very, Um, imaginative scene, I think, you know, kind of, anyway.

[00:36:45] So there are some that when we have characters or faces, you know, sometimes we’re just seeing something. I’m gonna sh go back to this share. Somebody had a sock and I’m, I think this is a sock, right, Anna? Yeah. Okay. [00:37:00] But now do you see it also looks like a lion knows. And she just needs another little, oh yeah, you, I, I mean, I don’t know what that part is on the line, but maybe it’s just for, but sometimes it’s like, once y’all start, I’m like, Ooh, now I see the rest of this.

[00:37:15] And all I can see is a four. Now as I see this thing , I also saw some sort of character. I really love your, um, waterfall. I think this one Amy Lyon saw as a waterfall. I think Harrison, did y’all see that? [00:37:30] Here’s that one. It’s, it’s the Jeep right there. Here’s Yep. The Jeep with the, uh, lid up or whatever.

[00:37:35] Yeah, the hatch. Oh, yeah. I tried to draw something good here. I, that’s sort of what I thought, , but my person looked terrible. Um, I couldn’t communicate. And so that’s the other thing is sometimes I can’t, I couldn’t execute what I had in my brain, and because they’re blobs, I just let it go, you know, like, I mean, literally I saw Goggle.

[00:37:59] Um, let [00:38:00] me try to get to mine. What is Batman doing? What is he pouting? Is he in timeout?

[00:38:07] Maura McDonald: He was, uh, supposed to be, he’s squatting in the woods, but that’s

[00:38:10] Harrison Mills: what a lot of people are saying. He is squatting .

[00:38:12] diane: Oh yes. Yeah.

[00:38:14] Harrison Mills: He’s brooding and getting ready to pounce or whatever, but it looks like he’s on the Squatty potty.

[00:38:19] Right. That’s

[00:38:20] diane: awesome. Yeah. But he has his pants up. I hope he’s not. Squatting . Well, you can’t tell . Yeah, maybe. I guess I pull my pants all the way down to [00:38:30] my ankles. . I don’t know. Um, , um, maybe that was too much information. My mom will be like, dying. And . I like this one. That one’s kind of, uh, uh, interesting.

[00:38:42] I mean, I don’t even remember what I got, but I thought, wow, that’s you, Anna, right? Mm-hmm. .

[00:38:48] Maura McDonald: Yeah. I like the shoe .

[00:38:52] Anna McBrayer: I mean, and someone in underwear, I mean, I

[00:38:54] diane: guess or, yeah, or they have their bike shorts on and they [00:39:00] have their, I don’t know. It’d be a pro wrestler. A pro wrestler. That’s Sydnee Opera house, Amy Lynn says.

[00:39:08] I love that. Um, that’s the one I’m the most proud of. Amy. I appreciate that. . I usually like this toe and this rocket laser zapper thing. Mm-hmm. , that’s ex

[00:39:20] Anna McBrayer: squished blueberry, which I think was a

[00:39:22] diane: bit lame. . Okay. I, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what that one was. I wasn’t gonna point it out. I know. [00:39:30] But that’s good.

[00:39:30] That’s why I’ve had to label some of mine, but I’m like, maybe someone won’t know what I’m trying to draw . But like you could go further with this guy or this guy who has to have his arms. Like he must be crazy. He’s in the crazy house and he has his arms all wrapped up or something. Oh, he is a sock. His sock puppet.

[00:39:48] His sock puppet. Yeah. I felt that . Um, I like this whale too. Anyway, okay, so then I thought this, the little cow was really. Just different. And again, [00:40:00] I liked how you were pulling it off the page. All right, so then, yeah, we, okay, so then we’ve done Harrison’s, so, oh, okay. So Harrison, what, um, makes, uh, and as I’m gonna ask everybody this, what makes you choose a blob over another?

[00:40:20] Harrison Mills: That’s a good question. I don’t know. Um, sometimes I’ll lock onto something and I’ll, sometimes I’ll automatically see something and then I’ll go to it and [00:40:30] then move to the next one. But then sometimes, like when all the ones that I’m, you know, automatically seen, then I’ll move to something else. It might be a little bit challenging or a little bit, um, Harder that I’ll be like, okay, well let me sit down with this one.

[00:40:45] This might be a challenging one. I’ll give myself a challenge here and, uh, see what I can find out of it, if that makes

[00:40:52] diane: sense. Yeah. Okay. So, uh, Paul, how about you?

[00:40:57] Paul Nylander: Kind of the same. I mean, if there’s something that I see right [00:41:00] away mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. , like when I first look at it for the week, I might just kind of save it just in case I’m stuck later.

[00:41:06] Mm-hmm. , um, or in case I come up with something better with it. But, um, . Otherwise, it’s just kind of, you know, looking around, seeing, you know, turning, turning the page around and then if something sort of clicks, then just going with it.

[00:41:20] diane: So I, I like how Paul used the negative space here, Mara. Mm-hmm. also had a really interesting one for this one , um, which I loved.

[00:41:28] I, I think the way MA’s [00:41:30] thinking about this is really, is really great. And I wonder if part of it has to do with, you’re doing it digitally so you can manipulate. I don’t know. I’ve been trying to like figure everybody out. Um, yeah, there’s been a couple where I feel

[00:41:41] Maura McDonald: like it would’ve been better if I was hand drawing.

[00:41:44] Anna McBrayer: Yeah, just

[00:41:44] diane: connections and stuff.

[00:41:46] Paul Nylander: So one, one constraint that I noticed that I think Maura doesn’t have, the way she’s separating ’em is, is you know, the proximity to other things. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. So sometimes there’s just not enough room to fit whatever has to fit in there or something. [00:42:00] Um Right. You know, which is an interesting constraint also.

[00:42:02] But yeah, there’s a couple of, is it, I’m like, oh, that’s really cool, but there’s no way I could have drawn that. Right.

[00:42:08] Anna McBrayer: Oh, okay. Yeah.

[00:42:08] Maura McDonald: Cause I, what I’m doing is, and I have that thing, I’ll just put white boxes, on the other

[00:42:14] diane: one. , yeah. So that you can see it. But like, this was, I think the, um, what I think this is that this is the lampshade, right?

[00:42:23] Maura? Yeah. Yep. So this is, and I do

[00:42:27] Maura McDonald: the same thing. I turned them around. I kind of look and see what, what do I see, what [00:42:30] do I see for the day? And a lot of times I’ve noticed it has to do with things that I’m hearing during the day too. You know, like definitely the flag was like, oh, it’s Veterans Day. You know, like mm-hmm.

[00:42:40] it was so like part of the day. Mm-hmm. kind of thing. I love the, the lamp was, I was looking at lamps that day. ,

[00:42:47] Paul Nylander: I love the grand piano one. Me too.

[00:42:50] Maura McDonald: I thought that was, I dunno where that came out of really just seeing that looks like the top of like a grand piano to me. Yeah. Like a, I don’t play piano, I don’t have

[00:42:58] diane: a piano

[00:42:59] I thought that one [00:43:00] was beautiful and, and that’s where again, maybe it’s a perspective, I’m looking at things as too, um, thinking of the shape as a part of something smaller. And so I really loved how you saw something much bigger, which I just thought was really cool. So Maura, where do you go when you’re looking at the full sheet?

[00:43:20] Where do you start? What makes you

[00:43:22] Anna McBrayer: choose a blob? Yeah,

[00:43:23] Maura McDonald: so I usually will look at it on my phone first in the morning and kinda like, look, oh, which one I [00:43:30] can I do today? And then, yeah, at lunchtime I just kinda get on there and

[00:43:33] Anna McBrayer: on iPad

[00:43:34] diane: and do ’em . That’s also a really good, um, making it smaller. So Anna, you said you were having trouble with week three.

[00:43:42] Why don’t you put it across the room, tape it to the fridge or something and walk away and see what you see. From like further away, cuz I’ll in the shower this morning. I usually take a shower at night, but I took a shower this morning so I smell fresh, fresher. [00:44:00] Anyway, not that that was important. Oh, I can smell you.

[00:44:02] I could tell. I bet, I bet. So. But you know, we have like a no, a door shower door, you know, it’s like a little, it’s like a little closet. With the glass door. Y’all look like you’ve never seen a glass door. You’re just confused at me trying to explain. Yeah. Squeak mine. Yeah. A glass we’re tracking. It was, yeah, just rough.

[00:44:21] It’s rough here today in Alabama, . Okay, so, but there, the droplets made this other character and I was like, see, I see it. And I think [00:44:30] sometimes if I take my glasses off, everything’s blurrier, but I can see things better. I have, my imagination can go further because I’m not limited. And I know as a kid I used.

[00:44:39] all my stuffed animals would be backlit. So it was like, I was like, there’s something else in the room, . It’s not Teddy, it’s not froggy, or whatever it was. These shadows we’re making something else. So I think some of that we can push ourselves to do as well. Um, all right. So how about you? Did you tell [00:45:00] us, Anna, which one or you’re starting, which was your first one?

[00:45:05] The first one I ever did.

[00:45:07] Anna McBrayer: Like on all of these? Oh my

[00:45:09] diane: goodness. You remember? I don’t, but I’m

[00:45:13] Anna McBrayer: positive. It was one of the faces. Oh. Uh, maybe that went towards the bottom of this, of the way you have it oriented. The very bottom. This one. Yeah. Let me, because that to me is like some of the easiest, like that’s what I see first.

[00:45:26] Mm-hmm. and the ones, and I think the blobs that have a lot [00:45:30] of like, texture

[00:45:31] diane: or different, um, things inside

[00:45:33] Anna McBrayer: the color. Are easier for me to pick stuff out of as

[00:45:37] diane: opposed to sheet three, which has a lot of like,

[00:45:41] Anna McBrayer: I don’t know, they’re more rounded. And so there’s less distinction between them or something? I don’t know.

[00:45:47] I don’t know. Yeah,

[00:45:48] diane: maybe that doesn’t hold up now. I’m worried about week four and week five and week six . Um, there are week six, so am I, I know, but I can’t remember what they are. Um, [00:46:00] Okay. So, um, and then, so Paul, you said, how about Sophie? Do you know, do you ask Harrison what Sophie starts with? Um,

[00:46:07] Harrison Mills: I don’t ask her that, but I should, but I think she probably gravitates to things that she just sees, um, automatically.

[00:46:15] Cuz sometimes she’ll say, oh, uh, I’ll see a, I see a bird here. I see a fish. Or, You know, and things she just says that she’ll see and gravitate towards.

[00:46:25] diane: I love the wow. I, I love this thing. This sea dragon. Yes. [00:46:30] Oh my gosh. I thought that one was so good. I have a, um, oh, here. Hang on. Hang on. A mermaid. That came

[00:46:37] Anna McBrayer: from one of the boys.

[00:46:39] diane: Is there something inappropriate that you had to cover over ? Well,

[00:46:42] Anna McBrayer: someone, someone was using the potty

[00:46:45] Maura McDonald: and so that’s what you get when you get teenage boys

[00:46:48] diane: to do it. Okay. Yeah. Okay. That’s the, this is a G-rated program. Oh, I like the alligator outside. Yeah, [00:47:00] I love that . Um, okay, so has everybody answered that question?

[00:47:06] I think so. I think so. Yeah. My mom would say, I can’t hear you. Uh, the rocks rattling around in your head. That’s what you’d say when I would nod Anyway. She clearly wanted me a verbal. Um, okay. So I’m excited that you guys are doing this with me. Thank you for doing it, Anna. I can’t wait to encourage you to hopefully.

[00:47:27] Get through week three. Uh, I have no idea what [00:47:30] week four is. I, I already have them printed, but they’re all at home, so I don’t remember, um, what will be the hardest thing to keep, why, to keep doing this for the full six weeks or five weeks, or however long you do it with me. Just fine.

[00:47:44] Anna McBrayer: Like, like this one, just, I, I can do it in five minutes, seven

[00:47:48] diane: minute stents, and I just fit

[00:47:50] Anna McBrayer: it in.

[00:47:51] I, I don’t try to make a point of it. I might go a few days without doing it, but if it’s out and it’s easy to get to and the pins are sitting right on top of it, I do it in [00:48:00] passing. So I think making it approachable has been easier. But the problem with this particular one is where I get stumped and I, and then I’m like, oh my gosh, I don’t have enough time.

[00:48:11] You know, I haven’t, it’s gonna take me a little longer time to sit and think about it and just making sure to find the time. I mean, really, it doesn’t take more than like 10 minutes to do like

[00:48:23] diane: just a few of ’em, you know? Yeah. Um, But maybe when you’re brushing your teeth, could you brush your teeth for longer?[00:48:30]

[00:48:30] Maybe. That’s true. That’s true. And maybe be fresh in the morning. The first. Mm-hmm. year imagination will be, I could try a different time of

[00:48:38] Anna McBrayer: the day. That would help. Okay. Because it’s usually the afternoon, like when I’m coming in from work or before dinner, when I’m waiting for stuff

[00:48:46] diane: to finish up or after.

[00:48:48] So, okay. So you’re gonna see if you. Battle through week three by changing where you’re, or changing the time. Okay. Paul? Mm-hmm. , what do you think is gonna be the hardest thing for you?

[00:48:59] Paul Nylander: [00:49:00] Um, just, I think you’re remembering to do it, which is why I’ve kind of been doing em in the morning. Mm-hmm. . Um, because otherwise I get wrapped up in the whole day and then it’s the end of the day and then I feel forced to do it, and that doesn’t feel as good.

[00:49:12] It’s not as fun. So, but yeah, I, I agree. Week three does, for whatever reason, it. It felt more challenging when I was looking at it. Cause I was doing two a day before cause there were enough on the sheets. Um, and this one it’s like, I’m lucky if I can get one . So, . . [00:49:30]

[00:49:30] diane: Okay. Uh, Maura, how about you and then Harrison, maybe last?

[00:49:34] Um, well, so far with week three,

[00:49:35] Maura McDonald: I, I started it already. I’ve done two of ’em, but, um, it doesn’t seem hard to me. I don’t know, I see a lot more things in those, but, um, I’ll just. , keep going with them like

[00:49:48] diane: iPad . Okay. All right. You’ll keep, um, um, isolating them out so that you can look at each one individually, right.

[00:49:59] [00:50:00] Whatever shape you’re flopping into, right? Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Okay. Harrison, how about you?

[00:50:06] Harrison Mills: Um, I guess, uh, the hardest thing is, is, uh, going in and just trying to figure things out, but I’ve got a accountability partner. That, uh, reminds me every day, at the very least like, Hey, when are we gonna do the blobs? So , that helps me.

[00:50:23] That’s your Sophie? That’s my Sophie, yes. She, she makes sure that, um, I’m there doing ’em [00:50:30] with her. So, uh, So I’ve got that advantage, I suppose. .

[00:50:34] diane: Well that’s good. So I, um, they are relaxing to me. Mm-hmm. . Um, I, if I can’t figure out what something is, I’m not worried. And if I mess up on that person’s head and, um, You know, uh, Harrison drew it way better than me.

[00:50:54] Um, at least somebody saw the same thing as me. You know, that’s, I guess that’s kind of where I, [00:51:00] uh, think about it. Um, my friend Amy Lynn, who’s here, and she’s done these with me, so she challenged me. She was like, you should make a BL book. Now. Paul knows that I’ve made blob, I’ve made lots of blobs, and, um, and then, uh, the Brooklyn Art Museum wasn’t, you make that Paul.

[00:51:19] I sent you a blob book anyway. Mm-hmm. , I didn’t really like that one,

[00:51:22] Paul Nylander: but yeah, those, those blobs weren’t as, they were big. They were big and I don’t

[00:51:28] diane: know it [00:51:30] anyway. Nothing against, yeah, yeah. Nothing against Brooklyn Art Museum. But it was it like, you know how I was like, whoa, those are

[00:51:38] Maura McDonald: big, you know, I don’t know if I can do this.

[00:51:40] diane: I mean, anyway, but I sent Paul a BL book, so I made a blob. And it’s small. It’s small pocket size. And um, and I’m getting a hundred made and they’re 36 pages. And anyway, so it’ll be for Christmas, but there’s every single page. I [00:52:00] mean, it has a front and a back or whatever. A, they’re not. They’re not white sided on, but they’re a hundred pound.

[00:52:07] Anyway, um, I was talking to sh our friend Shane yesterday, and he’s like, have you talked about this book with Paul yet? And I was like, no, no, I . So Paul, I’ll have to uh, turn your ear. But anyway, so I’m gonna have these little books and I’m excited cuz then that way I can do, look, I have this weird lady on the.

[00:52:29] She’s like [00:52:30] waving. I’m not wor, she’s like doing karate down there with that hand. I’m not sure. But anyway, so this was like a whole nother by doing blobs, that full color. I was like, I have a new way to do blobs, but look on, found a bear and a really sad person. See how sad or Maddy is cuz his hair’s being blown all around.

[00:52:54] I just really like these, these are fun to me. But anyway, so I’ll, uh, I’m gonna have blobs, so I’ll have a [00:53:00] little blob book. I think I’m gonna sell ’em for $15, which I think’s okay. Um, nice. Paul be like, well, we’ll see Diane, let’s talk about that printer. Um, but anyway, I know everybody’s gotta go. I know that Maura and, uh, Harrison sent me their link.

[00:53:14] So if you guys go to this page, um, well, in just a second, here’s Anna. If you wanna connect with Anna, here’s her. And Paul is here. These will all be at the top. Um, uh, and Morris first, [00:53:30] then Anna, then Paul and or then Harrison, then Paul, um, on the page. And if you want to see these, See their links. I will have them updated later today.

[00:53:42] It will also be there, but it is recharging.com/imagination hyphen exercise hyphen a hyphen conversation, hyphen with hyphen. Friends, I know that’s really long. I’m really sorry, but all of their links will be there. Mauras will be there, and Anna’s and [00:54:00] Paul and Harrison’s, we’ll all be there so you guys can check them out and be friends with them and follow them as they share.

[00:54:08] Um, what, what they’re doing. And, and I hope that you guys, for everybody who is in America next week, I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. Yes. And I hope you get to spend lots of time with family and friends and just thank you guys for doing the blobs with me and I’m being ballsy by making a blob book.

[00:54:28] And it’s so runs [00:54:30] out that my, I mean, my hands are clean, but it, every time I touch. It keeps coming off. Looks like I’m really cold. , are you gonna be making the books

[00:54:41] Maura McDonald: yourself

[00:54:42] diane: or having somebody else make them? I’m gonna make, have ’em printed so I, um, mix ’em. M I x a M is a printer in Illinois. And they’re gonna print ’em.

[00:54:53] Cool. So we’ll see. Yeah. Look forward to it. . I know. So I’ll keep a lookout for my blob book. I think it’s called [00:55:00] Fun With Blobs. It’s kind of like Sheldon Cooper. Fun with flags if you’re um uh uh, big Bang Theory. Yeah. Yeah. All right, well I am gonna let you guys go. I know Paul, you have to pop out. So I will see you guys um, in two weeks on November 30th.

[00:55:18] And thank you guys. Thank y’all so much for being here today and sharing your blob. Fun with me. Thanks for having us. It’s

[00:55:25] Maura McDonald: been fun. Thanks

[00:55:25] diane: for having us. Good talking about it, . It’s really fun. I’m glad to have y’all. All right. [00:55:30] Keep doing the blobs. Join us if you want, at recharging you.com/imagine number.

[00:55:36] It’s like November, but with Imagine in front of it. Okay. The end. Bye.