![a cartoon illustration of me drawing on a piece of paper and the text "draw anything"](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HDJR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad03e1a4-dfda-41ec-89c9-cdba6f04d436_1400x1400.heic "a cartoon illustration of me drawing on a piece of paper and the text "draw anything"")
Once I get behind on the newsletter or my drawing goals, it gets harder and harder to get back on track. The anxiety and pressure around creating grows with each passing day. It is like weeds in your garden or lawn, at first not too bad, but as the days go by, it seems worse and worse.
![a cartoon illustration of me running and a sign off to the right pointing away with the word "goals" on it.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XjTJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe463f786-6887-4ead-9dea-47ba4e1b7de7_1400x654.heic "a cartoon illustration of me running and a sign off to the right pointing away with the word "goals" on it.")
The only thing I know to do in order to make things better is to simply start. Don’t make huge creative plans, just sit down and start.
Draw a line.
The line will tell you that it has a name, in my case Francisco.
![a cartoon illustration of a line with a speech bubble saying "My name is Francisco" and another speech bubble saying "I'm bored."](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U7ly!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c635698-c58f-4c8d-b076-a589c19b03c0_1400x1084.heic "a cartoon illustration of a line with a speech bubble saying "My name is Francisco" and another speech bubble saying "I'm bored."")
Francisco will most likely get bored and want you to draw some friends for them, like a triangle (3 lines) and a square (4 lines).
Francisco will insist that Monica, the triangle, and Joey, the square, have much more personality than basic shapes and need to be fleshed out a bit.
With help from your new friend Francisco, the line you are now creating again.
Turns out that Francisco is not actually a line. Francisco is a Quetzalcoatl (a mythical feathered serpent) and patron of the arts. Thanks, Francisco!
I’m still behind from the allergies/sinus pressure and accepting a new part-time job (more about that soon). With some optimism and luck, I will get back on my weekly Saturday schedule this week.🤞
Be kind to yourself on your creative journey.
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You have reached the end of the newsletter. If, like me, you could use a little luck this week, here is a video of Paul McCartney & Wings to cheer you on.
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