fears

The Sketchbook Project, which I had written about in several previous posts, finally concluded and had its exhibition on October 27. Over 200 notebooks were returned of the 500 that had been sent out and the exhibition was a great success. I was truly amazed at some of the entries; events like these show me how far I have yet to go to achieve true success in illustration or art in general. I feel like I am only at the very surface of my potential at the moment.

The image I chose to close my posts on The Sketchbook Project represents my fear of deep water. I’m not talking about the mere 10 or 12 foot depth of swimming pools, either. I’m afraid of deep water. The kind you can only find in the ocean, where you can feel the cold currents sweep up from below. Who knows what’s lurking down there, so far beneath you?

To view the rest of the images from my sketchbook, visit my Sketchbook Project portfolio.

This is not an irrational fear. Automobile accidents are the highest cause of accidental death in the United States.

But what scares me isn’t that I die in an auto accident. My biggest fear is that I kill someone with my car. That’s why I drive such a tiny car. It’s about as safe as a mid-sized car but it’s much less likely that I kill someone with it. Large SUVs and trucks, on the other hand, are safer for the driver but much more deadly for everyone else.

Continuing with my fears theme, and a direct opposite of my previous post, this image represents a fear of being left alone. This is the kind of fear that sits in the pit of your stomach and can make you weary for days.

I don’t think this is a very personal fear. Humans are social by nature, so a lonely soul is an incomplete one. However, I had severe self-image issues when I was a kid, so I believed that I would grow up alone. Thankfully, I’ve gotten over most of my self-image doubts and am now happily married, so this particular fear has subsided greatly in me.