February 22, 2015 things changed. For many years prior, the last thing I did before bed was read for an hour. Not fiction but rather on topics for which I have a great appetite – computation linguistics, knowledge engineering, and and philosophy. Unfortunately, my profession as a manager of software engineering (also for which passion exudes from my pores) doesn’t provide for extracurricular time necessary for full immersion into academics. While this is still a profound interest, my intention with these studies was to produce software to do some good.
Frustrated by constantly consuming information I had a conversation with a close friend of mine. She said:
“Sometimes your brain needs to consume, but other times it needs to produce. A balance of both is healthy.” -Paraphrased, Heather John
The epiphany struck me – I need a creative outlet. I painted in high school and for a few 
years after – but always abstract oils on canvas. I had recently tinkered with oil painting for a couple of months. I never quite produced the art I wanted. Frustrated, I quickly abandoned the endeavor and the unstretched canvas was folded and sat next to the 8′ x 8′ frame I built.
But this epiphany led me to produced the charcoal drawing on the left. The first charcoal I ever created.
The next evening I drew another sketch. Then the night after that and the night after that until it had become a necessity. I had to draw what I experienced that way – whether it was a direct reflection or some freudian interpretation distilled from brain to paper.
This was exactly what my mind needed. I found a way to express myself which words could not do. From March through July I kept my nightly routine (I hate calling it a routine because it is more of a necessity for a healthy life.)
And the drawings got a bit tighter in their composition. Until I was communicating an emotion.
But I lacked color in my new world. September of 2015, I purchased a few tubes of watercolors. I practiced with color values.
One of the most gratifying experiences it to connect with another artist to either inspire or be inspired by them. Everyone is an artist in their own right. You just have to find your medium.
“Everyone is an artist in their own right. You just have to find your medium.”
Thanks for reading.
Cheers and Much Love, and Happy Creating,
Jake
Art for Sale: Etsy
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Jake Miller 