Reading and Drawing

A big thanks to the people who wrote such nice words to me about my previous post. I needed to vent about my problems and am feeling a bit better about it.

Over the weekend I went out with my boyfriend and his friends. After a few drinks, I had this lovely conversation with one of them.

He was telling me how much he's been reading lately because of the fact his X-box broke. I told him I used to read all the time and that I would read a few books a week and how much I loved to read. Told him I don't anymore. Don't have the time to. (REALLY?)

He said that he's been enjoying it and that he's preferring it over the X-box now. That his imagination is starting up again. I told him yah, when I was a kid I was full of imagination, used to draw all the time. Reading and drawing was my thing.

I then quickly realized something.

Maybe, just maybe, the reason I've been in such an art block for the past few years, is because I stopped reading.

Actually not maybe, it is the reason my imagination has been shit for the past few years.

When I was a kid, in middle school, I read at a higher level than the other kids. While they were reading babysitters club and goosebumps, I was reading Stephen King, Dean Kootnz, John Saul, just to name a few.

I drew a ton of stuff. I have back at my parents places binders and binders, and folders FILLED with drawings. I used to draw comics, fashion, anything I could think of. You named it, I would draw it.

When I got into the digital animation program at college, I came up with all kinds of characters, story lines, and illustrations.

I was still reading books then, I used to go book shopping with my grandmother to the used bookstore that was downtown Truro. At that used bookstore my aunt worked there, so from time to time I would go to her place and borrow some of her books.

I loved books. I still own every book I have ever bought all at my parents place. Here though, the only books I have are my drawing, animation and design books. I have 6 reading books here that I have read in the past 3 years. One Stephen King, 2 James Patterson, 1 Jody Gehrman, the Alice in Wonderland book, and the last book of the Harry Potter series.

If my 15 year old self met up with myself today and found out how many books I read in the past 3 years, I would've laughed at myself. Bragged about how many I could read in a week, showed off my book collection and then laugh some more.

Why I stopped reading, I will never know. I tell people that I don't have time to read is a crock of bullshit. I spend hours mindlessly browsing the internet, playing video games and watching tv. No wonder my imagination is shit.

I'm going to get back into reading and see if and how much my imagination comes back. I know it won't come back after one book, but I'll see how it does after a month or so of reading.

So, does anyone have any book recommendations for me?