- Week 2 -
Sketching & Ideating
My favorite material from this week was The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. It resonated with me deeply—it’s something I’ve even discussed with friends and also with a professor back in undergrad.
With my friends, I once used the example of the movie August Rush (2007) by Kirsten Sheridan. I remember not liking it because it gave the impression that musical prodigies are simply born that way—that the moment they touch an instrument, they automatically become geniuses, composing masterpieces and conducting orchestras. That feels so far from reality, and I think it sends a harmful message: if you aren’t born with this magical gift, then you’re not suited to follow your passions or be creative.
Sure, we may have genetic traits that give us a smoother entry into something, but true mastery always comes down to endless hours of hard work. Talent only gives you a slight head start in the early stages.
This also took me back to a piano concert I attended some years ago. It was in a small room, and at the end, people went up to congratulate the pianist. Some told her things like, “I wish I had been born with the talent to play like you.” She just smiled politely and said thanks, but I noticed in her eyes that she got angry. What she had shown us wasn’t a gift she was just born with; it was the result of countless hours of hard work and sacrifice.
In undergrad, I also talked with one of my professors about working in creative fields. You’re not always inspired, you’re not always in the mood, but the work doesn’t wait. He would give us exercises to “warm up” both body and creativity in digital art class. The important thing, he said, is simply to start. The first sketches won’t be great, but if you keep going, you’ll eventually push yourself into that creative flow.
That’s why I liked Tharp’s reading so much—I could connect it directly to my own experiences, and I fully agree with her.
The other readings—The Miseducation of the Doodle and Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool—I enjoyed as well. They reminded me of how essential these tools are. Personally, at work, I would often share my screen and doodle on a canvas to explain ideas, and I always felt my messages became much clearer that way—even if it was just lines, arrows, or simple shapes. My message becomes much clearer. I also felt a bit heartbroken reading about the benefits of doodling, because as a kid, my notebooks were full of doodles, but teachers would constantly scold me for “not paying attention.” Eventually, I stopped. Reading this made me realize how much I’d lost, so now I’ve already placed a notebook and some pens in my backpack to bring doodling back into my classes.
Readings:
- I Walk Into A White Room (Chapter 1) from The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
- The Miseducation of the Doodle by Sunni Brown
- Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool by Mike Rohde
Videos:
- Theorizing Sketching & Craftsmanship (NYU Stream, GDrive)