(Updated 4/25/22 | 4/4/11)
About My Sketchbooks:
I have a tradition. I keep several sketchbooks for myself and for other people. As of 3/30/11, I have 10 such crowd-sourced sketchbooks, three of which are completely full or nearly full.
2022 note: I haven’t done much with this project since 2011. It would be interesting to continue collecting sketches and scan those that I have.
It all started when I was in 3rd grade. I started to bring a sketchbook in the car, and I would draw in it while riding around with my parents. Sometimes we would drive my friends around, and I would have them draw in that sketchbook as well. After a while my first sketchbook began to fill up with lots of creative drawings from several artists.
Soon enough, I was driving myself, and I would often drive friends and family around. I kept the sketchbook in my car, and I had a simple rule: “if you ride in my car you draw in my sketchbook.” In this way I filled up my first two sketchbooks.
With my third sketchbook, I moved on to college, and I drove much less frequently. Consequently I did not pass on my third sketchbook as often or in the same manner. I started passing it onto friends as the occasion would arise.
My fourth sketchbook was a gift. It traveled with me to Taiwan over summer of 2010, and many Taiwanese students from HTLC took part in this collection. Several friends from the Harvard Ballroom Dance Team also contributed to this volume.
By March of 2011, I grew my collection to 10 sketchbooks. I passed them around the Harvard community and on to other Boston-area friends. With any luck, I considered, the next couple years would have me traveling all around the world, bringing new sketchbooks with me, and collecting original artwork from people who come from vastly differing societies.
Sure enough, in April 2012 I traveled to China and collected more sketches. One was from Julia – now my wife.
Whether or not this ever evolves into a formal research project, a fun passion project, or nothing at all – I hope to one day share the scanned images of the contents with their original artists. If you have not already, then I invite you to take part in my sketchbook project. Ask me about it, and I’ll share one of my sketchbooks with you.
Stay inspired.
———-
Instructions to Participants
(when receiving a sketchbook):
- Open the book to a blank page.
- Sign your name.
- Draw something. Make your page your own.
- Look through at what others have drawn.
- Pass the book around if you like. Take care of it.
- Make sure it one day gets back to Sam.
