Pinterest Distracted Me From Drawing

Just one more scroll — 😊 i swear this is the last one imma really going to draw 😭

Hmm… what is the perfect time to draw? Maybe the afternoon. Not too early, not too late. Wait, late afternoon feels a little off today. I’m not really feeling the vibe, but at the same time, I kind of am. Okay, whatever. I’ll just get started.

I set everything up: pencil, sketchbook, eraser, references — all ready to go. Then I noticed my desk. Why did it suddenly look so messy? I couldn’t draw like this. Obviously, I needed to clean first.

After all, I had the entire day ahead of me, right?

One minute I was moving a few things around, and the next I was organizing shelves, sorting papers, and creating piles that I promised myself I would deal with later. By the time I finished, my motivation to draw was still there, but my focus had already started to wander.

So I told myself I would quickly open Pinterest for inspiration. Just a few minutes. My mind felt blank, and surely looking at a few references couldn’t hurt.

The moment Pinterest opened, ideas started appearing everywhere.

I clicked on one of my saved boards. Hmm, this looks interesting. But maybe I should search for a few more references first, just to make sure I pick the best one.

A few minutes turned into endless scrolling.

Then a viral recipe video appeared. Why was it even there? I wasn’t hungry, but it looked interesting. It was only a short clip anyway. I could watch it quickly and go back to drawing.

A few videos later, I was looking at dumplings, pizza, room decorations, random life advice, and somehow completely forgetting why I had opened the app in the first place. Then it hit me.

Oh right. I was supposed to draw!😫

So I made myself a promise: one last scroll, and then I would finally start. (Looking back, that’s probably the biggest lie I tell myself whenever I open Pinterest😅)

Eventually, I found a reference image that seemed simple enough. Nothing too complicated. For once, luck felt like it was on my side.😇

I wasn’t in the mood to paint, so I decided to focus on sketching instead. Just getting the outline down felt like progress.

Surprisingly, it was turning out better than I expected.

The paper was already beginning to wrinkle from all the erasing, which I didn’t love, but I kept going. As I sketched, everything seemed to slow down a little. The distractions faded into the background, and for the first time that day, I was completely focused on one thing.

It was peaceful tho. Moments like that remind me why I enjoy drawing in the first place. Not because every drawing turns out perfectly, but because for a while, everything else becomes quieter. (Maybe you should also try drawing when you want to relax, it doesn’t have to be perfect even doodling is enough😊)

A few hours later, I finally reached the stage I always struggle with the most.

Hands. (can you guys relate too?(╥﹏╥))

Why are they so difficult?

And eyes aren’t much better either! No matter how many references I use, they always seem to challenge me in new ways.

The final result wasn’t exactly what I had imagined when I started. Some parts looked better in my head. Others turned out differently on paper. But that’s how drawing usually works.

In the end, I kept the face simple and added a small smile without drawing the eyes. Somehow it fit the sketch better than anything more complicated would have.

Finally, it was done.

Not perfect, not exactly finished, but done enough for today.

Looking back, I spent far more time getting distracted than actually drawing. Still, I don’t think the day was wasted. I cleaned my desk, found some inspiration, and managed to finish a sketch I almost never started.

Now I was hungry.

The only logical solution was instant noodles — one of the few things I can confidently cook without creating a disaster in the kitchen.(I know some of you people would prefer instant noodle as snack too, don’t lie) (•⩊•)

But I realized something. Drawing isn’t really about waiting for the perfect mood, the perfect idea, or even the perfect amount of motivation.

Sometimes it’s just about starting, getting distracted five different times, and somehow finding your way back to the sketchbook anyway. ❤ :)