A habit that I formed early on is to take notes while I'm sketching.  These notes are often simple observations about where I am, what I'm sketching or something else descriptive.  I like to think of my sketchbook like a visual journal and it helps to include these extra descriptions.
  Sometimes I also like to include philosophical ideas that apply to my method; these ideas could be specific, but they usually apply to the larger idea of art making.

​Some recent notes include:
"Put all your thoughts aside and observe."
"Draw more with your eyes on the subject - less with eyes on your paper."
"Draw lace as if you were making it."
"Ease into it." (By this I mean to take it slow at the beginning of the drawing process.)

  Here is a special surprise right before New Year's!  I'm excited to share this Ridgewood Talks Podcast episode in which we talk about a variety of topics including art, travel, Monet and more!
 Huge thanks again to Jeanne from Ridgewood Walks and Gil from Ignite Creator Studios!  Happy New Year everyone!

  I am feeling really happy because I recently finished up a long-term woodworking project that is a gift for my young niece.  I can't share pictures yet because it's a Christmas surprise, but I feel a deep satisfaction and will share photos after the holiday.  But this reminded me that the satisfaction of completing long term projects is an incomparable feeling.
  I find this with books also.  Reading longer series like Poldark by Winston Graham was a deeper experience because of the length and time required.  And last year, I read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky.  It's a fairly long book and it's deep writing that takes time to process; after finishing the book, I had this same satisfaction--so much so that I don't know if I'll ever read a book that powerful again.
  As a painter and teacher, I also feel this payoff when I complete a long-term painting (even though "finish" is a tricky term to use for a painting).  And my goal of bringing Eric En Plein Air to TV audiences has resulted in milestones that bring me this same feeling.  (I can't wait to share Season 1 which is looking like spring of 2026!)
   It's not novel to say that most things nowadays are here for a moment and then discarded.  I know part of this is by design to keep us buying and upgrading, but I feel this same expendable nature in conversations, relationships, news, art, writing and so much more.  In an age when faster is better, I also feel that modern people desperately want something real and truly satisfying.
​   The point that I'm making is that I cherish the difficulty, concentration required, ups & downs of a long-term project.  I've learned that the real things take time so I'll wait, tinker, re-write, go back, contemplate, be patient, get frustrated, try again and keep heading towards my distant goals (the farther the better!)

  I'm excited to share a collaboration video that I created for Buddha Board.  They're going to post it on their instagram, but I'll share it here since I don't have social media.
 I first got a Buddha Board as a gift and I've really enjoyed using it - especially since I began studying Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy).  It's a great way to practice mindfulness and "the art of letting go".  I'm very inspired by Eastern philosophy and I hope this video inspires others to enjoy these ideas.