Scratching Away Stress

Day to day life can often lead to stress and personally, I find the best way to cope is with creative hobbies. At my core I’m an artist who dabbles in a variety of fields. By day, I’m a supervisor and trainer for a non-profit organization trying to assist those being evicted from their homes during the pandemic. Then, by night, I find myself being drawn to scratching away my stress. It’s not as violent as it sounds, I assure you or self destructive for that matter.

Scratch paper is a black piece of stock that typically has different colored prints underneath. You can use a special tool or even for those desperate to get to work a toothpick, to begin carving out their ideas.

When I was in the eighth grade, my art teacher Mrs. Tope had us do a project with this type of paper. At this age I was interested strictly in the art of japanese animation. However, she was very impressed and sent me home with a stack at the end of year to practice on. For years, I’d put down the art form as I broadened my abilities with painting and other mediums. It wasn’t until I was 26-years-old, going through a chest of old art my mother had kept from my youth that I discovered these drawings.

An idea struck me. I’m an adult now! I make adult money! I can purchase my own supplies and try this again. Now, I will be honest, my interests haven’t evolved entirely but expanded with my skills. When I began to do scratch art again, I was interested in drawing animated characters as well as elaborate nature scenes. Most of my general audience loved the first more rather than the latter. However, I cannot begin to tell you the doors it unlocked for me diving into this hobby again.

It’s 8:00pm on a Thursday night. My heart is aching and head pounding as I sip on my herbal tea. Turning down applications for people in need while jumping through hoops for those I can assist can be quite a daunting task, especially while pregnant. Closing my laptop I leave my desk behind. I reach for the grey cloth binder beside my bed, make sure my cell phone is tucked away in my pocket, then head out back while it is still daylight.

Unzipping the portfolio I withdrew one of the masked colorful sheets, also inside a pencil case with my tools that I set out on the picnic table to prepare my work station. After taking a seat, drawing in a deep breath I begin to trace lines into the paper. The sound it makes one might find to be soothing, comparable to ASMR videos found on youtube it strikes a tingle in the brain, resonating down my spine. Using a variety of techniques from cross-hatching to simple shading, with the fine points of each of these pencil-like tools I accomplish visions from my mind's eye or replicate things I see.

Soot from the paper covers my palms, spreading to my clothes and the table as I dust it off with a brush that resembles what one might use to apply blush or foundation but the bristles are much more gentle, delicate not to damage the piece I dedicated hours of my evening to. When I peer down at my finished product, I feel a weight being lifted off of me for the first time in my day. It brings me a peaceful resolution to a long, overbearing day.

I'm 29-years-old, a soon to be mother, an older sister of five, trying to inspire herself and other people in her life with art considered to be a hobby. No matter how tough times get, one should always take time out of their busy schedule to dive into their deepest desires and express their soul, whatever form that might take.