Summer Travel: Less Phone, More Sketchbook

Tips to slow down and draw more this summer (and every day)

Hellllooo my fine GUT friends.

For many of us, Summer is a time to travel and slow down. To take a break, pause, and refresh. To relax. And of course, to draw. And that is we’re hoping to model here at the Grown-Ups Table this Summer.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to take a beat to rest, restore and work on a few behind the scenes projects for the Fall. But don’t worry — we won’t leave you hanging! We’re going to take this opportunity to revisit some of our all-time favorite lessons, and see how they have changed for us since I first shared them. The community chat/art share will continue, and

Art Auntie Kathleen

and I will check in to see how the drawing is going. Sound good?

Okay, first up in our GUT Favorites Flash Back…

Drawing While on Vacation.

I imagine many of you are also using this season to travel, see family, have adventures, and RELAX. (Southern hemisphere folks, these can all be winter activities, too!) So we are going to use this moment to bring back these tips for sketching while you’re on the road, in the air, out of town.

While we are all usually tempted to pick up a phone to pass the time or tune out the kids in the car, I’d like to offer a little reminder: travel is a PERFECT time to draw. It doesn’t have to be some grand piece of artwork. Doing a quick sketch of of someone’s hair style while in line waiting for a rental car is just as much a drawing as anything else. Same goes for playing the doodle game with your seatmate on the plane. (Bonus points if they’re a stranger.) It can make the most uncomfortable situations fun. Or, at least, funny.

So, this summer, I’d like to offer you two things that I’ve found to lessen the torture of travel miles while enhancing the quality/quantity of what John Muir Laws calls our “pencil miles.”

1. SET PHONE LIMITS

A year ago, my wonderful therapist helped me realize perhaps the most profound, life-changing insight I’ve ever experienced:

She introduced me to the “limits” function inside an iPhone. And now I’d like to share it with you.

Turns out that iPhone users can set app-specific time limits to (anywhere between 1 minute and several hours.) When you’ve hit your max time on the app, the screen turns black and alerts you that your time limit is up. IF you want to extend your scrolling time, you have that option. But there’s something a little embarrassing about tapping “fifteen more minutes” when you know damn well all you’re doing to do is continue to stare at that little screen and feel like crap about yourself afterward. It’s just enough of a disincentive to actually work.

Since setting my max IG limit to 15 minutes a week ago, I’ve read two books, started a book proposal in earnest, and gone to bed earlier. Life changing. For real. I invite you all to join me (and my wonderful therapist!) and let me/us know how it goes for you over the weekend in the comments.

How to set time limits on Instagram and other apps on an iPhone:¹

1. Go to Settings

2. Go to Screen Time

3. Go to App Limits

4. Tap on “Add Limit”

5. Go to “Social”

6. Check the box of the app that is taking you away from drawing (for me, it’s Instagram)

7. Set the MAX amount of time you want to spend on that app every day.

8. Whenever that black box pops up telling you you’ve reached your time limit, grab your sketchbook. This takes me to Advice #2.

2. CARRY A SKETCHBOOK

If there is one thing that will help make drawing part of your daily life, it’s carrying a sketchbook. All. The. Time.

Your sketchbook is a portable studio.

A sketchbook turns the act of drawing from something an artist does as part of an art practice into something a human does as part of living. A small sketchbook that fits in your bag/purse/pocket ensures that you are ready to draw anywhere, anytime. That means you’re always looking for things that catch your attention. And THAT means means - you guessed it - you pay more attention.

Warning: traveling with a sketchbook is addictive, and drawing can quickly become the main event. But don’t let this deter you! Think of it as something to pull out when you’re stuck in transit or a great way to avoid chatting with certain relatives at the cookout. It’s also one of the best ways to develop a regular drawing habit. It’s the GOOD kind of addiction.

Drawing in a sketchbook on the Bay Area’s BART train.

Finding the just-right sketchbook for you is about trial and error, and discovering your basic requirements. Ask yourself some questions. Do you want it stitched, glued, or spiral bound? (Stitched binding means you can’t remove the pages, so you have an archive. Glued and spiral means you can pull out the pages to remove individual drawings.) Do you use wet or dry media? (That will determine the paper’s thickness or “weight.”) Do you like drawing on a paper surface that is smooth or rough? (That’s called the paper’s “tooth”.)

I drew a film still of “A Fantastic Woman” from the screen on the back of the airplane seat in front of me. This is such a fun thing to do. Press pause while watching a film on a plane and draw from the image. (Try “Netflix and Draw, Baby.”)

The one requirement I suggest for everyone is that the sketchbook be small. It should fit in your pocket or purse. That way, when you are in line, in the middle seat of the plane, or the passenger seat of a car, instead of mindlessly pulling out your phone you can get in the habit of mindlessly pulling out your sketchbook.

Musician Thao Nguyễn driving a van stuffed full of musicians.

When you open up your sketchbook to draw, you can’t help but look around, and 99 times out of 100, you’ll spot something worth capturing. Then start making marks on the page - words, drawings, doodles, lists, whatever! As long as you start moving your hands and making marks, it will lead somewhere unexpected and wonderful. At the very least, it will capture that moment and memorialize the journey.

Some unsuspecting someone sleeping on the plane.

Over a decade ago, I was on a cross-country plane flight disappointed by the “free” snacks offered. What Nabisco called a “cookie” could generously be described as tasting like low-quality cardboard. Examining the wrapper, I noticed a mailing address provided for complaints. Luckily, I had my sketchbook with me.

I got home, put my drawing in an envelope, and sent it to Nabisco.

Months later, this came in the mail:

I mean, I was hoping for some free snacks, and honestly would have been happy with a box of crappy “cookies,” but still was still pretty chuffed to get a response. Turns out there are humans in the machine, after all. Without my sketchbook, what would have been simply a passing thought transformed into a grand demonstration of capitalism at its finest. Rejoice.

So there you have it. Two pieces of advice on drawing your way through the travel of summer (and every season): less phone, more sketchbook. For GUT members, I have a special accountability assignment to help MAKE SURE we draw this summer… Ready?

Everyone else, I wish you luck. Mwahaha.

Drawing on a quick family holiday in Hawaii