Why I Picked Up a Pencil Again: For the Weird Kids, the Artists, and the Ones Still Figuring It Out

For a few summers growing up, I went to a performing arts camp. I took painting, drawing, and theatre classes. I wasn’t the best artist or the boldest actor, but I loved it. I loved the feeling of making something from nothing. Of trying something weird just because it sounded fun. Of being surrounded by other kids who thought being quirky, creative, and a little offbeat wasn’t something to hide, it was something to celebrate.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped drawing. Maybe it was life busier, getting louder and weirder in ways I didn’t expect. Maybe it was just easier to scroll than to sketch. But recently, something shifted. After seeing (bullying) comments online about AI and "sloppy" art, I was challenged to put down the tech and pick up a pencil.

So I did.

I drew a capybara by hand. And when I looked at it, I saw something more than a capybara. I saw a reminder: creativity isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about process. And it’s about not letting other people define what counts as "real art."

At Capy Life, we make weird things. Some are digital. Some are handmade. Some are just absurd and joyful and entirely unexplainable. But all of it is made with the same spirit I had as a kid at arts camp: make something because it matters to you.

To the kids watching, or to the ones still carrying their childhood selves: You don’t have to be the best. You don’t need a perfect technique. You don’t even need a reason. You just need to start.

Draw weird stuff. Wear weird stuff. Say weird stuff. Make space for your creativity to be messy, playful, and 100% yours.

And if anyone has a problem with that? Draw anyway.

We’re with you.

— The Capy Life Team