If there is anything I’ve learnt in art, it is patience.

I am the impatient one in my family. I hate waiting, and when I want something, I want it instantly. If I can't get it or see it, I’ll be frustrated and annoyed. I am not pleasant to be with sometimes.

Of course, I try to hide this side of me in public, because I don’t want to have no friends. So usually, people don’t know I’m this impatient unless they know me very well. Except one.

I met this art teacher a couple of months after quitting my job for sketching lessons. In just a few meetings, he noticed. ‘You’re not very patient, are you?’ I was taken by surprise. ‘I see it in the way you sketch.’

Funny how art can reflect our personalities so clearly. After a lot of practices, I understand. Below is a comparison.

Two items done in 60 minutes:

Now I look and this and go, ‘What the hell?’ Yes, I finished it in an hour, but I learnt nothing.

One item done in 180 minutes:

(Notice the smaller and lighter scissors at the top left? It’s a quick draft/ study of the object before I begin. I never do that, until my teacher showed me how he studies the object before sketching it. It really helps with observing the forms and shapes.

**(Drawn on 29 Nov, 2017) Sketch vs Real object**

I was stunned by how impatience could affect my work so directly. A sketch or a painting takes time. For a person who liked to see instant results, working slowly and carefully was out of my comfort zone. Since I wanted an appealing sketch, I swallowed my impatience.

Once I started to slow down, I observed a lot more details in the object I was looking at. I began to pick up little bits and pieces that I had completely missed when I rushed through it. I saw how light reacts on different materials and surfaces, and learnt how an object was made out of simple shapes and forms. I used to look at a pencil and said it’s a pencil. Now I look at a pencil and see its character.

Some more examples:

Rushed sketches:

Patient sketches:

My patience in sketching began to influence my daily life. I used to wish teleportation was real, because I thought commuting was a waste of time. With patience, it is different. While I am waiting for transport, I see the way people dress, walk, talk, or behave. While I am waiting for food, I admire the interior character of a restaurant. They all became inspirations for my art.

A lot of things don’t come instantly in life, and we have to wait it out. When we are thrown into the unknown, we feel lost and insecure. With patience, not only I can cast away these negative emotions, but it also let me walk with the unknown and enjoy it.

Patience taught me the joy of waiting.

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understandings; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.’ - Proverbs 3:5-6

Artist mentioned:

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