This evening, on a whim, I decided to try my hand at drawing for the first time in about 7 years. I'm surprised by how much better an artist I am, after 7 years of no drawing at all.

The last 4 years of studying literature and dallying about, looking at art and design have made me a much better creative person. I know the basic theory behind many techniques, even if I don't have the practiced technical skill possessed by others.

Here's the facade I drew. Not great, not even proportional, but I'm surprised by how nice it does look.

This image, drawn by someone who never took an art class in college, is a great testament to the benefits of a liberal arts education. When I decided to formally study literature, it was under the impression that the works would seep into me in mysterious ways which would help me as an individual and as a writer. This has been the case. But I didn't expect the arts and humanities education to seep in the same way.

Additionaly: If I hadn't consistently insisted on making time available to step back and consider the wider world outside of my immediate tasks and environment, I would never have been able to accomplish things like this. Creative management of Quasi-Slack^(tm) is an important part of my life.