Like I said the other day, point-of-view is everything. And while flying isn’t my favorite way to travel, I absolutely love it when the weather is clear enough that I can see the landscape below. I love being able to draw the scene below like a map, and—especially in places I know well—follow along with the changing scenery, like reading a living atlas.
People always ask me why on earth I’d rather take a road trip when I could “save time” and fly. And sure, sometimes flying is fun—especially when I’ve got a clear day and a window seat. But while I could go on about all the annoying things about flying that drive me nuts, or extoll the virtues of getting to know the geography between points A and B, or wax poetic about how for me it’s not actually about “saving time” at all, but about “journey” vs. “destination,” etc. etc. blah-blah-blah…
Yeah. All of that is true, but really I just need to show them this sketch:
This. This is why I’m no fan of flying. There’s only so many times I can draw the same airplane wing, or so much detail I can add to a beige plastic wall, before I completely lose my mind.
We don’t get a lot of snow in my part of Washington. So if I want to see winter weather, I usually have to do some traveling first. I always seem to feel this urge right around now, the first of the year. Maybe it’s just the white of the snow—or the hush of winter—but something about a crisp winter day feels like a blank slate.
Here’s to a fresh start—or if you’re like me, a blank page in a brand new sketchbook. Happy new year!