Running Lines

I don't get drawn very often. And I don't like to pose for pictures unless I'm taking them myself. Nisi did this one last week out on Lafayette.

Years ago, back in Austin, soon after I had first started taking my drawing seriously I brought a bunch of sketches in to the Kinko's on Red River for copying. The woman working the desk looked at my stuff, looked at me and said, "you've got some serious control issues."

"Err. How do you know that?" I replied uneasily.

"You work in ink. People working in ink are desperate for control. Don't like to let go. Have a hard time playing. Clever--even funny--but serious about everything."

About the same time, Kay had listened to me describing what my mind said my heart wanted, sighed, smiled, looked up from my drawing pad and, with the love of a mother, said, "Michael, you don't know yourself very well."

So, here I am nearly a decade later, a few lines short of the complete picture, still drawing in ink, but a little more capable of letting go and a little clearer about what I'm drawing because I'm a little clearer about who's holding the pen.

Seriously.