I am an artist, whether you think so or not.

So, last week I met a mermaid who lives about a half hour from me and she said something that bothered me. She said that she doesn't feel like she deserves to use a sketchbook for her drawing practice. I understand what she means - we think of "those people" as being "real" artists and we think of ourselves as NOT artists.

You know what? There's not such thing as a real artist because that would mean that there are "fake" artists. There is no such thing as a professional artist because there is no such thing as an amateur artist. I don't make money from my art. Maybe I will someday, maybe not. It doesn't matter. That's not why I make it. It gives me pleasure. It clears the cobwebs out of my head and helps me align my thoughts when they're darting all over the place. It's for me. NO ONE ELSE has to like it or approve of it.

These are the sketches I did yesterday, trying to decide what I want my mermaid to look like. Do they deserve to be in a sketchbook? I have no idea. But where else would they go?