Stained Tulip in pen & ink and inktense

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is intention.

I intend to do a lot of things. Many of them don't seem to be got to, unfortunately.

I know I'm not alone there. We all have our intentions that never get fulfilled. I have a serious personal issue with art intentions, though.

You see, I'm very firmly a hobbyist when it comes to art. I don't want to ever take it seriously, because I'm the type of person who loses the fun in hobbies when I start to take things seriously. Just to give an example: I sing. I've sung since I was a kid. I used to compete, perform, sing in choirs... a big part of my life was singing.

Then I started to teach singing.

Fun stopped.

In fact, the fun stopped to the point that even though I quit teaching years ago I hardly ever touch my piano anymore. And I like the piano. I just got so burned out that it stopped being something that I wanted to do.

I do still sing, though. It's too ingrained to go away. I sing just for myself now is all.

I don't want to take the chance of the same thing happening to doodling. And yes, I know that many of you don't like the term doodling, but using it is one of the things that keeps me in hobby mode.

Like I said above, however, that attitude can create problems when I actually intend to do something arty. As soon as I start making plans or (in the case of occasional illustration needs at work) have to do something, I get massively blocked. It's like my brain tries to remind me that there's not supposed to be pressure with the doodling, so the answer to the pressure is to not do a darned thing. It can be frustrating when there really is a have-to-be-done, as you can imagine. There've been times when I've literally had to lock myself in my apartment for a day to get work things finished. It's sad, I know.

How does any of this relate to the picture? 

Well, for a while now I've been intending to try my hand at ATCs. I have a package of pre-cut cards. Assorted papers, even, so that if I didn't feel like using one type I could work with another. That package? Has been sitting for months. I take it with me almost everywhere, in case I finally get around to acting on that particular intention.

Months, did I mention?

It was a plan. It was, possibly, starting to take things seriously.

It got totally blocked.

Until the intention prompt came up this week, gave me a good swift kick in the behind, and made me make good on a too-long-held intention.

Yep. What you see above is my very first ever ATC. Will I do more? Probably, now that the pack's been started and the pressure's off. That's the intention, anyway. I guess we'll see what happens with this particular intention.





Incidentally, I called the card an ATC rather than an ACEO for a reason. Interested? Just let me know.