Six years ago, somebody made a snide comment toward me and my art. I didn't realize it at the time, in fact I didn't realize it until years later—that comment changed my life.

Six Years Ago...

I was at a retreat in Colorado with my then-girlfriend (now wife). I had brought along my sketchbook. Most of my drawings were of subjects I knew I could pull off with ease like landscapes, rocks and trees.

Portraiture has always been my biggest weakest. Actually, I've never been very comfortable with the human form in general, which is really bad for an animator... But that week, six years ago, I decided to break out of my comfort zone and draw some portraits. I would never improve if I didn't practice. 

Like I said, the human form is not my forte.

These drawings aren't terrible (well, maybe some of them are), but they certainly aren't anything I would put into a portfolio... (or share in anything other than a blog post about how I'm not very good at drawing humans)

After a bit of practice with mixed results, I tried to sketch a portrait of my girlfriend, Jessica. 

It's pretty mediocre right? Whatever, it was just practice.

Later that day, some friends that I had made at this camp were asking to look at my sketchbook. Soon after, a small crowd had formed. That made me a little uncomfortable. I don't usually show off my sketchbook because there isn't much in there that I'm really proud of. It's mostly planning sketches for larger pieces and practice drawings.

When we got to the sketch of of my girlfriend, someone asked, "Who's that?"

"My girlfriend, Jessica," I replied.

Then some girl who I had never even met before blurted out, "Wow, I'm glad I'm not your girlfriend."

Her group chucked a bit at that.

Thanks a lot. That was a really nice joke.

Honestly, I didn't think much of it. People say things without thinking. People are always trying to impress their friends. I'm sure that girl hadn't considered how mean her statement really was. 

I didn't think about that comment again for a long time. I had moved on... or so I thought. 

The Present...

It wasn't until years later that I remembered that moment and I realized that I hadn't drawn a single portrait since that moment. Not even one attempt. That one little comment that I thought hadn't phased me had actually seeped into my subconscious. 

I found myself suddenly angry at a person and an event that I hadn't thought about in ages. 

That girl had made me feel as if I was an unworthy boyfriend because I made a bad sketch of my girlfriend. 

Maybe I stopped drawing faces because I didn't want her to be right. Or maybe I just didn't want to feel the shame again of having some unknown jerk insult me and my lack of skill. I don't really know. I never made a conscious choice to never draw another portrait. It just happened. 

One tiny comment can influence a person in profound ways, sometimes without them ever realizing, as was the case with me. It's not like she set my life on a totally different course, but she did cause a change in me. And now that I look back and realize how she impacted my mind I can't believe I ever let the cruel words of some unknown girl influence my life. 

So now I'm taking it back, and I want Steemit to play a part in my reclamation of portraiture. 

That's the end of my story. You can see my next post to learn about and get involved in my new portrait project. 

Thank you for reading.

~Seth

Banner Image Source: Huffington Post (edited and re-uploaded by me)