On drawing confidence

Many people have been told they can’t draw. Yet the same critic wouldn’t say you don’t have a good or important story to tell just because they don’t like your handwriting. In reality, a picture doesn’t have to be beautifully crafted to be meaningful and clear. It’s the thought and imagination behind it that matters. Some of the most important drawings in history have done just enough to express an idea or work out a problem.

Alexander Graham Bell wasn’t a particularly good artist, but his instinct was always to draw in order capture and share his ideas. He knew his sketches didn’t need to have artistic merit as long as they could still convey his ideas. This is proof that even the flimsiest sketch can carry the weight of a world-changing concept. Regardless of your artistic ability, a drawing is likely to connect with its audience more quickly and more memorably than text.

The note below this drawing reads, “as far as I can remember, these are the first drawings made of my telephone—or “instrument for the transmission of vocal utterance by telegraph.”