Drawing

My mom is an art teacher.  I grew up doing all kinds of art projects and was a really creative kid.  I loved making things but at some point the computer became THE place where I made--almost all--things.  My paper- and physical-material-based project time became greatly reduced.  Over the years I became more and more capable on the computer, creatively speaking, but I became less and less creative in the physical world.

One day I determined that I'd start drawing again and doing things on paper before I produced them on the computer.  I still see the computer as my "medium" and the true tool I use to create quality things...but it's not everything.

It's been a process for me to return to paper-based input methods but I think it's very positive for me, creatively speaking.  The holy grail for me is to start on paper and then be able to "map" that drawing into the computer for whatever purposes.  There's tools out there called graphics tablets that allow the user to draw and have the input go into the computer.  Of course scanners are other methods.  Tracing hand-drawn lines can be done in programs like Adobe Illustrator.

The computer is a really appealing and enticing tool; it can do so much!  But sometimes it hampers the creative process.  Develop a balance here.