My Mantra: Show Up

You never know what will happen

Drawing the E Jean Carroll trial was transformative for me in so many ways. It was just incredible to be in the room to follow the arguments and witness her bravery.

I have learned over the years that taking chances continues to be my mantra. I went down to the courthouse on day one, not knowing if I could even get in to the trial.

Life is short, show up.

And then I was challenged by being forced to live-draw on paper, no iPads allowed in the courthouse. In college, I liked to draw animals from photos, and I also took live-drawing classes, all on paper of course. But this was different. I exercized those muscles again and loved it.

Yesterday, waiting for a meeting at Cafe Luxembourg in NYC (more on that soon, I hope!), I pulled out a little lined notebook to be prepared to take notes. Draw something, I said to myself. I could have drawn on my iPhone, but instead drew in the notebook. I drew the scene quickly above, the waiter taking an order, a young girl slumping on the table.

Having the notebook lines behind the drawing adds something impromptu, doesn’t it? Going forward, not sure how to decide what to draw on. Napkins are always a fun choice. People’s forearms? Walls? Sidewalks (need chalk)? I know a cartoonist from Tunisia who, during the Arab Spring, began drawing on walls in abandoned buildings. Before then, she was a designer; her political statements on walls brought her fame and now she is a well known cartoonist. Her name is Nadia Khiari, and her pen name is Willis From Tunis.

After the meeting, I needed to get on the commuter train, and drew the guy to my right.

Over the years, I have been at a lot of lunches with cartoonists, and if there are crayons and paper tablecloths, you can be sure they will be drawing. It’s a compulsion for many of us.

By the way, if you hear of any events that you think I should try to live-draw, let me know. I’m talking about major national events like that trial, political announcements, gatherings, marches, the US Open, whatever. Sometimes, I am not aware of things until its too late to get there. You can be my alert system.

Let’s hope that the results of the Turkey election tomorrow ends up in Erdogan losing!

Thank you!