Draw together this Friday!

Hang out and sketch or collage with us on September 13

Three recent illustrations by C. Arnold/Snowseasons.

Earlier this week I registered for a free, virtual, one-hour intro to playwriting class taking place during my lunch hour.

At the last minute I nearly canceled. But then I opened Zoom.

There was the usual rush of a few faces and folks with their cameras off.

A local playwright’s head loomed into view. Before long, he asked each of us to write (and post on Zoom chat) a sentence to cast us into action.

One person wrote, “The air conditioner is whining.”

We wrote and posted three more lines to follow our first line or someone else’s. To this, we each added six lines. At that point, our instructor declared that within the traditional play format, we’d each written one page (or one minute) of a play.

I think many of us may have had two reactions: “Wow, I just put together narrative and dialogue without having to think that much about it; that was fun,” and “Gosh, a 1-hour play is 60 pages.”

A long time ago, I knew that about the minute, but I’d forgotten. More importantly, this week after the play class, I felt like my brain was lighting up with pure joy.

So refreshing to think freely during a weekday break, not feel concerned about getting things as correct as we do in business situations.

After 45 minutes hanging out with folks who love words and conveying life, or just goofiness, on the page, I thought: Gotta do art (whether it’s visual art or something else in the arts) with others more often.

So, we’re hosting Draw-In #1 on Zoom, and you should stop by! Friday, September 13, noon-12:40 p.m. CDT (Chicago time).

It’ll be casual. I’ll share a video still from YouTube and we’ll draw or otherwise creatively express. Feel free to show up prepared with paper and pencils, collage materials, phone, laptop, or whatever you want to use. Choose whether to share your work, and whether to use your camera. No pressure. Also, feel free to bring kids.

I’ve included the Zoom link below for paid subscribers. But if you want to attend, reply to this message and let me know! Then I can send you the link.

Quick reminder: Thank you very much to all subscribers. Refer anyone who signs up for a three-plus month paid subscription and receive cards and stickers of my illustrations. Or sign up yourself for three-plus months of a paid subscription and receive even more cards and stickers. You’ll also be taking part in a worthy fundraiser — half of your subscription (after Substack’s fee is removed) supports a fund for my dad, who lives on reduced Social Security income as a widower. All the best.