insomnia drawings

Several years ago I struggled with bad insomnia. After months and years of spending full nights stating at a ceiling, I decided to just start drawing. Eventually, I fell into a process. I’d spend one whole night drawing- I would start with a shape or simple element and build compositions out from there. The following night I’d be up adding paint. I ended up with stacks of work that I initially believed was evidence of terrible sleep habits and busy hands.

More recently, I started looking back through these stacks and realized that while I was focusing on compositional challenges I was oblivious how much my state of mind was also finding its way in. Now, with the perspective of hindsight and a good therapist, I can see exactly where my head was at within each of these. “Insomnia Drawings” have become a favorite pass-time, sometimes painted, sometimes not, but these stacks are the closest thing to a diary I’ve ever been able to manage.