In the beginning

Creative preparation has very little to do with sharpening pencils, organising materials, or planning a drawing. It is about preparing the mind. Before a portrait begins, the most important question is not "How am I going to do this?" but "How am I going to engage with this?" If you approach a subject carrying expectations, comparisons, fears, or a desire to achieve a particular result, those things will influence every mark you make. They will interfere with observation and weaken your response. Creative preparation is the process of letting go of that interference. It means becoming clear about your purpose. Why are you drawing? What interests you about this subject? What are you hoping to discover or experience? This clarity creates the conditions for genuine engagement. Creative preparation also involves cultivating the right state of mind—one that is open, curious, present, and free from unnecessary judgement. Rather than arriving with a plan, you arrive with a willingness to observe. Rather than trying to control the outcome, you prepare yourself to respond. In this sense, preparation is not about accumulating certainty. It is about creating space for uncertainty. The better prepared you are creatively, the easier it becomes to trust your perception, sustain spontaneity, and allow your own creativity to emerge. You stop drawing from habit, expectation, or imitation and start drawing from direct experience. The quality of a portrait is largely determined before the first mark is made. Because the drawing can only ever reflect the state of mind that created it. Check out my courses: https://www.thejoyofportraiture.com