The Great Outdoors (+ Pen)

I’ve said it a hundred times–broken record and all that–but I mean it: the best place to write is outside.

This year, it’s also a fantastic place to work on my digital art. Whether it’s an iPad, a phone (which is, I’ve discovered, my favorite method of drafting new work), or a laptop, there’s nothing quite like it. No chattering of the TV, the fresh air, the grass under your feet…

I always tell young readers (during virtual classroom visits, mostly) that the best place to write is outside. I tell them if you’re in an area with no walls, it will make you feel like you have no walls on you, either. No walls on your imagination or possibilities. No idea is too silly or not worth pursuing. That inner critic gets reeeeeaally quiet.

Every spring, during my first outside write, I’m reminded of just how true that is.

That first outside write came this week. It’s a recharge of the battery, a lightening of the outlook.

It is, I think, the most welcome part of spring.