In drawing, neat is great when it happens, but it's not that important to me. I prefer accurate to neat, and accurate means I need to be brave enough to get it wrong in order to be able to get it right. Learning from a mistake is an excellent way to improve understanding and evolve as a being. It's the same with a drawing, mistakes show struggle, and struggle shows integrity, and it's proof of observation because it's proof of looking.
Just like most things in my life, drawing is not a linear process, even linear drawings are not linear, they evolve in a messy, sometimes awkward way, with dead ends and false starts, but also great, intuitive leaps forward, built on success, courage and humility.
What I mean is that stuff doesn't often happen in a logical, predictable fashion. Like with a drawing, things have to be allowed to take shape through the process of becoming whatever they are. I never did a drawing that didn't have a load of 'mistakes' in it. Mistakes make the drawing more successful because they are made when I am figuring out what I am trying to do. When the drawing has mistakes, then it has an organic, non-linear character; it has not just appeared, fully formed and perfect, instead, it has evolved and taken shape.
Mistakes are great! Without them there wouldn't really be a drawing at all, just a demonstration of neatness, of pre-existing knowledge, safe, predictable, an impressive performance, but still just a performance, not really very real. This is sometimes fine of course, there are times in life when it is absolutely necessary for me to show the best of what I can do - I am a Teacher, so when I am teaching kids or adults I need to demonstrate my professionalism and get things right first time, ideally. However I learn and evolve and improve my knowledge and my skills through struggle, through error, through courageously going forward into the unknown. That is what observational drawing teaches me, that is the skill I am developing here. Observational drawing is a challenge, it is an opportunity to improve and progress. It is a great way to practice resilience. It is a great way to practice flow.
