Say "Ahh..."

Draw your woes away.

We’ve all had those days that just don’t shine as brightly as you’d hoped. Well, this particular day began with literally no sunshine. When I woke up to this rainy morning, I immediately felt irritated. The temperature in the room was too cold, my blanket seemed to have disappeared into another dimension and my alarm didn’t go off. I was late.

I rush to get ready for the main event of the day; a dentist appointment. 

Fast forward to the dentist office. I sign in, sit down and eagerly wait to wrap this up quick so I can go back to bed. Only then, I notice that I was one hour early to the appointment. Sigh.

I pull out my sketchbook (I usually keep it handy) and begin drawing my frustration. I wanted to portray this abstract feeling of waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but forcing myself to get up and move on with the day.

The image above is what I came up with. It’s kind of creepy, but also interesting to look at. The larger-than-life teeth were inspired by being at the dentist office, while the sketch-style illustration was derived from the stormy weather outside. I actually finished the illustration of the boy first. However, I felt as if something was missing. I needed a word. One kept coming into mind. 

Smile. 

Why? Because the illustration made me smile. I found myself being free from the negative energy I was facing. It was as if I took all of that negative energy and emptied it onto the piece of paper in the form of an illustration. Isn’t that crazy?

A few years later, I still remember how I felt that day. But now this illustration brings me joy every time I look at it. Just a friendly reminder to draw your woes away!