A Blank Sketchbook

There’s an art supply store called Sunnyside Arts in Sunnyside, Queens, where they often host local artist pop-up markets. When I joined one of their events last time, I noticed a stack of black sketchbooks at the counter.

I learned they were part of a sketchbook project.

There was a well-known The Sketchbook Project — a project that started in Brooklyn where artists fill sketchbooks and return them to be kept in a library, shared with others.

This version at the store is inspired by that idea.

I picked one up and started browsing.

One was filled with crayon illustrations and collage.

Another had thousands of human sketches.

Another was a mix of poetry and drawings.

One even felt like a handmade, self-bound book. (I heard because pages came off while working on)

I was amazed by how creative people are.

But at the same time, I felt something else.

When I see others with strong creativity and unique ideas, I sometimes feel like I’m not talented. Just an ordinary person (Yes, I am). I don’t have a degree in art. I don’t have formal knowledge. Sometimes I even question if I can call myself an artist at all.

I felt a little disappointed in myself.

Then the store owner said to me,

“You should do this.”

The rules are simple:

Buy the official sketchbook, fill it however you want, take as much time as you need, and return it to the store. It becomes part of their library for others to see.

A real, shared creative space.

So — I bought one.

It’s still blank.

And I’ve been wondering… what should I do with it?

Then I caught myself thinking too much.

“No judgment,” I told myself.

“Remember when you used to draw as a kid?”

Back then, I didn’t think about meaning, or quality, or whether it was “good.”

I just drew because it was fun.

Somewhere along the way, I started putting pressure on everything.

If I make something, it has to be finished.

It has to have meaning.

It has to be good.

But wait—do I really think I’m some great artist?

No. Not at all.

So… why the pressure?

Maybe it’s okay to just make something.

To let it be whatever it becomes.

To let people see it however they want.

That’s the whole point of this project.

So, I’ll start.

I hope this blank sketchbook becomes something fun.

Sketchbook project