The Everyday: Thinking about ‘the everyday’

In my A3 sketchbook, I used some of the starting point prompts to explore the concept of ‘the everyday’. Mainly, my focus was my everyday; the people I encounter, the places I go, the objects I use and the words or phrases I say. I also used a Roget’s Thesaurus to list some words linked to ‘everyday’.

The words that stuck out to me were ‘habitual’, ‘naturalness’ and ‘accustomed’ – I want to use these to generate more ideas further into this part of the course. It also struck me how changeable my everyday is; as a supply teacher, I do not have a consistent place of work, or journey to work, and sometimes I only work for a morning or an afternoon, meaning the time of work changes. The only points of consistency are my room (waking/art/sleeping) and my car as a space that takes me somewhere potentially unknown.

Another theme is the music I always have playing in my room or in my car; this is a key part of my day and a comfort in between jobs or socialising. The times when I am alone are the routine parts of my day; everything else is changeable. I hope to capture this in my first sketchbook assignment.

Sketchbook feelings

Do you feel anxious about starting your sketchbook?

A little. I feel anxious when the whole book is blank and pristine and new; it is all about taking that first step. As soon as I start, I am no longer nervous. It’s almost as if I am giving myself permission to be messy. I tend to become less precious about my sketchbook as I work through it.

Are you worried about showing your tutor? Are you afraid it won’t be “good enough”?

I am not too worried as I know it isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing processes, a journey of ideas, experimentation, trial and error and refining. Also, my tutor keeps sketchbooks and so hopefully will be able to empathise with any worries or hesitations about sharing sketchbook pages.

Are you concerned that you haven’t used a sketchbook ever, or for a while?

Yes, I don’t carry a sketchbook at all times, but it is something I want to do. I have sketchbooks that I work in at particular times (for specific projects, usually with a concept already in mind), but not a constant sketchbook companion for recording everything. That is the aim.

Are you confused about the “right way” to do a sketchbook?

I’m pretty confident that there is no right way. Although I often compare my work to others, I think I need to allow myself to experiment, let my own creative voice come through, while still being inspired by others.