R ~I have a confession: I did not enjoy public school. I don’t blame the teachers–they had a room full of 20-30 kids, and there wasn’t time to cater to the one who learned faster than some of his classmates, but only if he was paying attention. Spoiler: that wasn’t often. What was I doing instead of listening to explanations about the Spanish Missions in California or how to deal with significant figures in chemistry?
I was doodling. Or reading. But mostly doodling.
Sometimes it was something recognizable, but not usually–people are hard to draw, and I wasn’t trying to create art, it was just to pass the time. Lectures and punishments didn’t even slow me down. I filled pages and pages with squiggles and lines and monsters and flowers and machines.
Fast forward to about a month ago, when we opened up our Etsy shop. I know writers frequently get the question, “Where do your ideas come from?” or “Where do you get your inspiration?” and the answers vary based on the person. I wasn’t expecting to get the same question regarding the jewelry I make. I think I gave my friend some sort of non-answer like, “Oh, you know, all around me” or something equally blank, because I hadn’t ever really thought about it like that.
Here’s the answer, though, my friends. I owe it all to Public School. Without it, I wouldn’t have spent years honing my squiggles and lines!