Though I have sketched and designed many interesting objects, this sketch was a breakthrough for me, embodying a concept more than anything else.

It was a sunny day on the Notre Dame campus and my art instructor decided to take us to the art museum for a day of rapid sketching. I was nervous about the idea since I was used to working on a drawing for days or weeks on end, refining the shadows, shadings and textures.

This was to be different.

Stopwatch in hand, I was to create a complete sketch in a limited amount of time. No time to think, just focus on the object in front of me and feel my way through the session. Five minutes, 10, and 20. Those were the time frames.

Turns out, that was the perfect afternoon. I was “in the zone.” The sketches filled my book and became the embodiment of an idea; creativity comes in bursts. In the end, my favorite sketch was the shortest one. It was the purest sketch I had ever created. A minimum number of strokes so easily captured the stone sculpture in front of me. I hope you enjoy viewing this sketch as much as I enjoyed creating it.