Sketching in Silence
The First Mark
Every creative act begins with a single mark. It might be a line drawn in the sand, a pencil touching paper, a brush meeting canvas, or a sentence appearing on a blank page. It seems so small, almost insignificant. Yet one mark leads to another, and another, and before long, something begins to emerge that wasn't there before.
I think that's true of creativity in every form. So often we hesitate because we don't know where to begin. We tell ourselves we don't know what to draw, what to write, or whether what we create will be "good enough." We wait for certainty before we allow ourselves to start. But the magic isn't in knowing. It's in making that first mark, even if it's only a dot. What comes next is the interesting part.
Perhaps that is why I am so drawn to what artist Joan Hanley and I are creating together for Sketching in Silence, the next Tahilla Gathering here at Tahilla Farm on September 12. We'll step quietly into the gardens and woodlands, slowing down long enough to really notice, to listen, to look, and to allow the landscape to suggest where we may begin.
There will be no pressure to create a perfect drawing. In fact, perfection has very little to do with it. Each guest will receive a sketching board with four blank shapes waiting to be filled. Joan will guide us through a series of simple exercises, encouraging us to trust instinct over judgment and observation over expectation. A line, a shape, a shadow, the suggestion of a flower or branch. One mark, and then another.
Each little sketch becomes a conversation with the landscape and, perhaps, with ourselves. One of my favorite moments comes when the masking tape is peeled away, and the four small studies are revealed. There is something wonderfully satisfying about seeing them together, almost like four small windows onto a moment in time. Often there is that quiet surprise: I made that? Not because it is perfect, but because it is honest.
That feeling is what I hope every guest carries home. The rest of the day has been shaped in much the same spirit, with time for sketching and conversation, a beautiful country lunch, quiet reflection, and writing. In the afternoon, we’ll take what we noticed on the page and explore it again in words, using poetry as another way of responding to the landscape. Nothing hurried, nothing to prove, simply to pay attention.
September has always been my favorite month at Tahilla Farm. Perhaps it is the dahlias at their most exuberant, or the way the afternoon light begins to soften. The fields and woodlands seem to settle into a rhythm of their own. The garden we will walk through in September will be entirely different from the one our guests experienced at our June event. Each season tells a different story.
And you don't need to call yourself an artist to join us. Perhaps you have never picked up a sketchbook before. Perhaps you're an experienced painter looking for a fresh way of seeing. You might be a writer, photographer, gardener, or simply someone looking for a quieter day. There is room for all that, because creativity isn’t only about mastering a technique. It is about paying attention. It is about being willing to begin before you know exactly where you are going.
It's about making the first mark.
Joan and I would love to welcome you to Tahilla Farm on Saturday, September 12 for a day of quiet observation, creative exploration, sketching, poetry, good food, and the simple pleasure of seeing the world a little differently.
We are keeping this gathering intentionally small, with just twelve spaces around the table. Two are already spoken for, so if the day feels like something you have been looking for, we hope you’ll join us.
Sometimes all it takes is one small mark to begin.
