No. 13: Age Is Just A Number
A brief birthday reflection and appreciation post
I have always enjoyed the date and time of year that I get to celebrate my birthday. It’s spring, the air is fresh, the school year is coming to a close, I can start to wear sandals and dresses, the summer has been planned, and the energy in the city feels new and exciting. I share my birthday month with so many friends and family members, so it’s a busy time, and I enjoy buying gifts and sending cards. When my husband and I lived in Canada, my birthday was a holiday—“May Two-Four”—the big start-of-summer weekend, with the “two-four” referring to a case of beer. I don’t drink beer, but it was fun to share my birthday with Queen Victoria and lots of partying Canadians. Also born on May 24 is Bob Dylan—someone who has provided me with excellent music and quotes to add to my birthday sketch journal pages year after year. And finally, May 24, 1883 was the opening day of the Brooklyn Bridge, which I am so lucky to see from my windows. Sharing my birthday with this iconic part of the city has always helped me to feel even more of a connection to the bridge, as if we were meant to be friends and neighbors.
This year I celebrate my fiftieth. It hardly feels possible. While I am incredibly grateful that I feel younger than my years (and most people tell me I look younger, but at five feet tall, I have always been told this), I am not particularly excited about this milestone. My mother bought me a necklace with a Tinkerbell charm when I was around twelve or so, because I was never excited about getting older. I am not stuck in childhood, but I have always had this feeling that I wanted time to slow down. My dislike of getting older is not about fearing my mortality but instead about dreading the passage of time, especially since becoming a mother. It has always felt to me like time is moving too fast, and it is the lightning speed of life that has made me want to draw my days. The drawing helps me to reflect and appreciate where I am in the moment. My birthday pages seem to always be a jumble of notes and little drawings — nothing too profound. It’s fun to see many of them together in this post. I am still not sure if I will fill a page today, but I am making sure to spend the day doing things that will inspire me if I decide to.
I have so much to be thankful for. I have an amazing husband to share my life with and two sons that challenge us, make us proud, and keep us young. I have published three books so far, and I get to make art and teach people about their inner artist for a living. I can still run for miles. I have incredible friends and family and I am able to live in my favorite city in the world, which kicks my butt and inspires me daily. And I am grateful for you, readers of my posts, wherever you are.
I’ll leave it at that, and tell a bit more through a few words and drawings. To anyone reading this who is also celebrating a birthday around this time, I wish you a good one.
Love, Samantha
Handwritten Invitations with Derwent
In this free one-hour class, we will work on creating unique and personal invitations using your own handwriting as a starting point. I am so excited to share how even the messiest handwriting can be used with intention to communicate and create keepsake, celebrated and useful pieces of art. We will work with pencils, fine line permanent pens and Derwent Inktense paint pans or pencils. Bring an open mind and let’s play with our handwriting and transform it into lettering. Click here to reserve your spot!
A new week-long retreat and a new Skillshare class will be announced very soon!
Ambassador and Affiliate codes
If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I am a loyal fan of Blackwing pencils. I have one or two (or even three) in my bag at all times. I am really honored that they have just added me as an official ambassador for the brand. If you’d like to try out the pencils for yourself, and also help support my work, please shop using my unique link, blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!
Additionally, all Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10. They just introduced a mini light, so there are even more options to choose from!
The next Draw Your World meet-up will be shared via my Substack chat. These casual talks and drawing sessions, that I host via Zoom, are a part of the paid subscriber portion of this publication. If you upgrade today you will be sent meet-up invitations and have access to all posts that have been sent to paid subscribers.
Happy birthday! 🎈🎁🎉 Thank you for sharing your pages from past birthdays. They are beautiful! All the best to you for your new decade!
Have a very happy birthday! Hope you enjoy being 50! I have enjoyed it and wish I had sketchbook pages to capture my own memories and feelings so your illustrations are inspiring and motivating to start.