I have lost a favorite book. Many years ago, I knew exactly where to find it. But a fire that ripped through my house a couple of years back took it away from me, along with everything else. All was lost. The fire destroyed about 6,00 homes in Sonoma County in the fall of 2017. Such a tragedy.

I looked for the book on Amazon, but the search engine didn’t turn up any leads. The book was about drawing, and the community that surrounds it, those people who devote a couple hours a week to dropping into a drawing class somewhere in their neighborhood. I thought that this was a local phenomenon, until I read this book. Everyone is drawing out there, and it is beautiful to see. You just drop into a class, where there might be a nude model, or a still life, and for the next hour, you are lost in bliss.

Strangely enough, this pursuit of drawing is particularly helpful to writers, or those who practice a more cerebral craft. Drawing is fundamental, no matter the medium, whether via the pencil or charcoal upon the paper.

I learned a valuable lesson in regard to drawing while living in Brazil.

On one sultry night, I was seated at a bar with a friend in one oof the seamier sides of Sao Paulo. He was happily sketching away in his notepad, taking in the scene of patrons rooting for their country during the European Cup. I found the scene to be particularly arresting, and, given my medium of choice, I pulled out my camera and took a couple of photographs. Suddenly a couple of men were upon me. One even pulled out a gun. They were incensed that I had photographed them. I apologized profusely, and they returned to their seats, after I had told them that I was rooting for Sweden, a distant competitor in the cup.

Once I sat down again, my friend held up his sketchpad and revealed the very same frame that I was trying to capture on film. “Look!” he said, “you should learn to draw. So much less intrusive. No one notices.”

Ever since then, I have picked up the pencil and sketched out my subjects, across the globe. It teaches you about the ephemeral quality of life. It should only be captured within a few strokes. If it is not, then it is lost forever, much like the book I lost several years ago.

Drawing provides the stimuli for creative expression. Start sketching in your journal. It will take you somewhere. Guaranteed.