why art matters

Why Making Art Matters

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Last month, a group of people gathered at a public library to hear why making art matters.

Sketchbook Skool co-founder Danny Gregory gave a presentation at the Ridgewood Public Library in Ridgewood, NJ, making his case for creativity—why people who may not even consider themselves creative can, and should, make art. He did this by telling his own story, starting with his life as an advertising executive, a husband and father leading a busy life a notch or two above average. Then, in a single morning, everything changed. That story is told in Danny’s first illustrated memoir, Everyday Matters, and continues through his other books—a life told in drawings and words.

The Myth of Talent

During the talk, Danny dispelled the myth of talent, the notion that if you don’t have it, you can’t draw. “That’s like thinking, ‘If I can’t win the Indy 500, I’m not going to drive,’” he said, “or ‘If my cooking isn’t on the level of a four-star restaurant, I’m just not going to cook.’”

For Danny, and Sketchbook Skool co-founder Koosje Koene, the SBS fakulty members, and thousands of Sketchbook Skool students around the world, making art has been a revelation. You can tell the story of your life in pictures that you draw, and that imbues the moments with deeper meaning. “Drawing,” Danny concluded, “makes a life.”

We can’t wait to see the stories of your life.

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