Filling a
Sketchbook.

Notes from a drawing challenge — on AI, creativity, and picking up the pen again.

Ballpoint drawing of a tiger's face emerging from darkness, in a sketchbook

Some time back I caught myself asking a question I couldn't shake: how can I be good at something and not care enough to develop it?

Around the same time, it felt like something was quietly being stripped from me — my creativity. I was, and still am, into software engineering. But somewhere along the way it started to feel too easy, too crowded, and mentally tiring in a way it never used to be. AI had a lot to do with that.

I've used AI heavily since the year began — for projects, for writing, for almost everything. It made things faster, but with every prompt it felt like I was burying my own brain a little deeper. The strongest muscles are the ones you train the most, and I was training mine less and less.

Don't get me wrong — I'm grateful for AI. It genuinely makes life and work easier. But it changed my perspective, and it pushed me to reconsider my interests. It sent me looking for things I could build physically — things I could point at and proudly say: I brought this to life. I created this.

Crosshatched ballpoint study of a classical sculpture's face
Study of a sculpture
Ballpoint portrait study with a smoking silhouette in the background
Portrait study

Underneath that longing was a simple reminder: I can draw. And I'm good at it. So I challenged myself to start drawing again — one sketchbook, filled page by page — and to share the work, mainly on Instagram and YouTube.

Stippled ink portrait of a face emerging from a black background
Stippled portrait
Colour portrait of a woman in oil pastel on a dark background
Portrait in colour

So far it's going great — and honestly, it feels like I've found a missing piece in my puzzle of life.

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