10 Reasons Why I Love Doodling With Sidewalk Chalk (Even Though I’m a Grown Up)

It’s been almost 13 years since I became a mom and I still haven’t gotten tired of pulling out our bucket of sidewalk chalk whenever I visit the park with the kids. In fact, I usually look forward to it with a sort of secret jolt of energizing excitement. Here is why I enjoy it so much (even though I’m a grown up). I hope you enjoy this list along with some of our favorite doodles. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration to dip into that chalk bucket as well!

1. It’s pressure free.

I never sign my doodles, so they are always anonymous. (Though some people know who did them at this point.) If I don’t like it, it’s not that big of a deal. No one is coming to the park expecting to see amazing chalk art, and they usually go away after a few days from rain or sprinklers anyway.

2. I get to practice using my arm and elbow to draw instead of just my wrist.

I’m used to drawing using my wrist and fingers on a small screen or sketchbook, so using my whole arm to draw is really freeing. The lines become instantly smoother and curves and straight lines are way easier to draw, (as long as my piece of chalk is not a tiny stub!) :p

3. It opens up a “flow state” very quickly.

Putting down those first huge lines is all it takes to get in the creative zone, where I barely have to think to make something I like. As I keep adding new shapes, it becomes exciting to see how the doodle spreads and gets more interesting. I move fast and make decisions without stopping for more than a few seconds. I really like working that fast. It’s the opposite of the way I illustrate, which is usually slow and methodical, with a lot of erasing and redrawing.

4. It’s a great way to trick my body into doing squats.

Nuff said. ;P

5. I love creating unexpected delight for the people who come to the park after me.

It makes me smile to think of kids coming into the park with their parents and saying “Wow! Look at that big pretty drawing! I wanna draw too! Do we have any chalk?”

6. I love collaborating with my kids.

I make the shapes, and they color them in, or the other way around. Or sometimes we just spread out and fill the whole basketball court! It’s magical when we step back to see this giant colorful art show we made together.

7. It’s an easy creative outlet for days when I don’t feel up to painting.

Sometimes I just don’t have the mental space in my head to do the problem solving that’s involved with creating finished paintings and illustrations. I just am hoping for a quick win when I’m drawing, so chalk doodling is a great place to start.

8. It inspires new design ideas for other art pieces.

I enjoy putting flowing patterns into my art whenever I can, and the experimental chalk doodles bring new life to my “creative bank account” or mental/visual library. I have these new shapes at hand when I’m ready to explore new concepts in my sketchbook at home.

9. I get to share chalk with strangers.

It’s so great when a kid we’ve never met before comes and asks to draw with us. I am so happy to share and get a chance to encourage a young artist to make awesome things and have fun. Everyone involved feels this positive connection to other people in their community too, which is a lovely thing. :)

10. Doodles make a pretty awesome backdrop for kid photos.

Just sayin. 😏

3 Things I Had to Learn When I Became an Art Mom

My role as a mom is closely tied to my work. Not just because I usually create paintings that portray moments from childhood, but because my kids are ever-present during the process.

People are often surprised when they find out that over half of the digital paintings I've made so far were created with a baby asleep in my lap with my iPad carefully balanced on a nursing pillow.

Sometimes I work on the kitchen table in squeezed-in moments between requests for snacks and diaper changes.

There are occasional times I get "in the zone" while sneaking a few minutes to paint on my bed with the tablet propped up on my pillow. This usually means letting the kids completely run amok in the house. Oh, what epic messes that come from those sneaky blissful moments to myself... 😅

To be honest, most days, I'm just too tired to paint by the time things are quiet and stress-free (this only happens after bedtime), so I wait for the next chance and I opt to rest instead. Some paintings have taken many months (or even yeeears) to finish because I’ve just been wiped out and discouraged by the feeling like none of my time is my own

I used to struggle (and still do at times) with the feeling that I'm not a "real" artist because of this limited time for my art. It's tricky to create consistent work when you have young kids that you stay home with, and I'm so much less productive and prolific than other the myriad of other illustrators out there.

Social media outlets only work to compound that feeling as you can endlessly scroll through millions of artwork posts. While hanging out in these places, it’s easy for a slow moving “art mom” to feel lost in the shuffle. (I’m looking at you, Instagram!)

I’ve even had times when I’ve doubted myself and felt awkward calling myself an “artist” because I didn’t seem to put out enough work.

BUT!!

By God’s grace, I’ve come to realize three important truths about those "less-than" feelings that crop up:

1. Comparison is a trap that robs you of your sense of your intrinsic worth.

You lose out on recognizing what you have to offer the world when you see yourself as less capable, valuable, or worthy. No one can take that from you but you. Don't give it away by looking at other people and measuring your accomplishments against them.

2. It’s not about the "artist" title anyway. Who cares?

How I feel about how “legit” I am doesn't really matter in the long run. What’s more important to focus on is what inspires me, what I'm making with that inspiration, and what I want to say through it. My true goal in my creative work is to pour my heart and soul into work that I love, and to spread joy to people through my paintings. That’s it!

3. Balance is better than productivity.

When I slow down to think about it, I’m actually happy with going slow in this crazy season of life. Sure, I have days when I wish I had more time to myself to paint, but when I think about it, I'd rather have happy, healthy kids with a mom who is present for them than a booming but all-consuming art career. There's a healthy middle ground, and I'm happy to get there at my own peaceful pace.

The best part of being an artist mom is getting to show them what I do. They get to see the things I see as I share my pieces with them. They're constantly teaching me how to be more openly creative and imaginative. (Seriously, I think they're better artists than me.)

I'll keep on whittling away at my pieces in the cracks of life, letting life itself be my inspiration, and enjoying the satisfaction of gradual progress and a finished piece here and there. I hope this encourages other creative parents out there to keep going! You've got this! Let your kids enjoy seeing you make something you're proud of and inspire them to do the same.

Blessings,

Rachel

Start somewhere. Even if it's just a chalk doodle at the park.

This is the story of how I got back into making art after I became a mom and stopped being creative.

I've always known that I wanted my vocation to involve making art. Whether it was designing decorative papers or fabrics, creating beautiful paintings, or maybe perhaps designing stunning lamp shades, I've wanted to create and share beauty since I was a kid. The margins of my school papers were often my mini canvases, filled with the distracting sketches and doodles that were far more interesting than most of class. 

Fast forward a few years through community college art classes, getting married, and the pursuit of various business endeavors... In 2009, my husband Jed and I had our son, Jadon. What a gift! My focus changed, as is natural after becoming a mommy. In the busyness of caring for the needs of my little one, I noticed that getting time to practice my drawing and painting a rare thing, something akin to a precious (but unattainable) gem.

Over the course of three years, I found my skills slipping away. I still had an inner pull to create, but didn't know where to start after so long.

That's when I discovered the joy and freedom that comes from a cheap bucket of sidewalk chalk. 

    One day while my 3 year old son was playing on the playground of our nearby park, I started to make doodles with the sidewalk chalk we brought along. Since it was probably the only chance I had  to create that day, I took it as a challenge to create something that would surprise and delight the next park visitors. I made a large design with curving spirals, radiating lines, and multiple patterns that flowed out from each other. 

Over the weeks following, the park doodling became a regular thing. It became a meaningful thing. Kids started coming up to me and saying "Are you the person who did all those other doodles???" It was so much fun to see their face light up when I said yes, and invited them to doodle with me. :) I was invigorated with finally creating something again, something worth doing, something I could share.

When you know in your heart you were made to create, you must let yourself start somewhere. Don't look down on any starting point, because as simple as it is, it could be just what you need to flourish. 

The art you find on this website is a product of letting myself start years ago, and then loving myself enough to keep going. Thanks for being here, and for being a part of my story. God bless.