Dear Creative Diary,
I don’t stop nearly enough.
Not in the real way. Sure, I pause—scroll through my phone, stare into the fridge, zone out mid-email—but actual stopping? That’s rare. That kind of stillness feels like a luxury I forget how to give myself.
But in July, I’m doing something I’ve been craving without knowing it: I’m taking three Thursdays for 2 hours each evening to sit down, breathe, and sketch some roses.
The class is called Stop and Sketch the Roses, and it’s being taught by Kirt—who, let’s be honest, is one of those quietly brilliant people that make you want to pick up a pencil and try again. He’s got this way of teaching that feels like a gentle nudge rather than a critique. People leave his classes feeling lighter, like they remembered something about themselves they didn’t even know they’d lost.
It’s two hours each week. That’s it. But I can already feel the stretch of time opening up around that space. The permission. The focus. The quiet joy of sitting with something as dramatic and ridiculous and completely breathtaking as a rose and really looking at it. Letting my hand follow the shape instead of trying to fix it. Letting the pencil dance instead of dominate.
I don’t expect perfection. I don’t want it. What I want is time. And a sketchbook. And maybe a cup of tea and a soft breeze and a flower that reminds me I can still slow down when I want to.
They say to stop and smell the roses.
I say—sit down, sharpen your pencil, and draw the damn thing.
I think I need this.
More than I realized.
—me. the one trying to slow down.
The classes are being held on July 17th, 24th, and 31st. They will run from 6-8pm on those Thursdays.
CLICK HERE to register for a Stop and Sketch the Roses class now!
