In this introductory YouTube video, artist‑architect Jason Nicholas demonstrates how he creates an "Inkling" – a spontaneous, free‑form sketch made at his kitchen table. He starts with a blank page, lets lines emerge without a predetermined idea, and explains that the purpose is to transfer thoughts and energy onto paper, helping to unclutter his mind. He shares examples of how an Inkling can evolve into recognizable forms, such as a flower that emerged after subconscious exposure to a friend's posts. Throughout the sketch, he identifies recurring personal symbols – three sailboats representing his family, and lighthouses symbolising safety and his architectural passion – and reflects on their meaning. He likens the act of drawing to kite‑flying: liberating and freeing. Jason signs the piece, outlines plans for future, non‑technical videos on watercolor and sky painting, and encourages viewers to express themselves creatively without fear. The tone is conversational, instructional, and personal, with an enthusiastic, supportive sentiment toward creative exploration.
Chapters
Hey, good morning everyone, how are you? Welcome to my first Inkling video here. I'm going to actually show you how I create an Inkling. It's very simple, so join me at the table. As you can see, I do a lot of my sketching here right at the kitchen table. I don't have an art studio per se, but I believe you could have an art studio anywhere. All you really need to have is, you know, a sketchbook and a pen. And that's your art studio right there. So as you can see, I have a blank piece of paper here in my sketchbook. Nothing's drawn on it yet, and I have no idea what I'm going to draw. So all I do is I sit down and I just kind of, I just start, you know, making lines and whatever comes to my brain, I just kind of let it go. I mean, right now it's really not looking like much, but that's okay. Inklings are really just about getting it out of your head and putting it onto paper. I wouldn't consider myself a realist artist. I don't really— I don't draw things that are realistic, meaning I'm not trying to capture a I'm not trying to reproduce a photograph on paper here. I'm really just kind of trying to put my energy, thoughts, whatever's running around my head, I just get it out onto the paper. And in the end it may not even look like anything, but that's okay because that's what makes these a lot of fun. Sometimes I'll draw an Inkling and it'll turn into something. You know, if we look at this one here that I did yesterday, you know, it's a flower and it didn't start that way. I had no idea I was going to draw a flower. I had been looking recently at some posts that one of my Facebook friends has been doing and she's been putting up pictures of flowers and I think that got into my subconscious mind and that's what led me to draw this picture. This really started with me sitting down and doing this here, this here, and after that it just grew— pardon the pun— it just grew into this flower sketch. So you don't need to have predetermined ideas of where you're going with your drawings. That's okay. In the end it may not make sense, but like I said, you're getting stuff out on paper. So as I'm sketching here, I'm kind of— I'm actually kind of seeing a kite. You know, I'm kind of seeing some kind of kite in the sky. Maybe, you know, this kind of diamond shape that came out when I was sketching looked like a kite to me. And maybe that's because it's been so beautiful out here the past couple days that I just really want to get outside and enjoy the weather. You know, we've had some nice breezes. Maybe I could take up kite flying. I did do some kite flying, I think last year or the year before, with my son, and it was a lot of fun. I think maybe we really should try to get out there and do it again. Just something about the kite drifting in the wind, it's just free, it's liberating. Kind of like the drawings I do, you know, my Inklings are liberating for me because it helps me to actually unclutter my mind. You know, every day we all tend to get stuff in our brains from the world around us, you know, good thoughts, bad thoughts. It just gets cluttered. And for me, sketching really is a way of getting those things out of my head, uncluttering my mind. And by uncluttering your mind, it really frees it up to allow for more creativity to happen. And I'm all about the creativity. As you might know. So, you know, I kind of see a kite. I, uh, you'll notice in a lot of my drawings I sketch sailboats and lighthouses. I've been doing that for as long as I can remember, you know, 7, 8 years old. I would always love to make birthday cards for people, and I always had sailboats and lighthouses. I love the ocean, I love the water. I'm not a sailor, but I do love being out on the water and out on boats. So I always draw 3, I should say most of the time I draw 3 sailboats in my sketches. And the sailboats represent to me in my brain, they represent my family, me, my wife, and my son. So that's why you'll see 3, typically see 3 sailboats in my drawings. You know, lighthouses are a symbol of safety, harbor, overlooking people, they're protecting people. And, you know, I never really figured out why I love them so much. I mean, I'm an architect, I do love their architectural beauty. I think I may— I think a lighthouse in some ways might represent— it might represent me. You know, I kind of feel like I'm that person that is always trying to look out for other people and make them feel happy, um, you know, make sure they're being taken care of and protected. So that's just my analysis of why I think I draw lighthouses a lot. So this is kind of coming together here. I'm sorry, I'm going to push this up on the screen a little bit more so you can see it better. So that's really just a real quick inkling I did this morning. I just wanted to give you a taste of what the process is, how I do it. I really start with nothing on the paper and just kind of go with whatever comes out. Of course you have to sign your art, right? So this is my signature down here. And that's it. So I hope you guys enjoyed this first look at Inklings and what they're about. I'm going to be doing a lot more videos for you. I've been planning on doing a whole video series that will show color. You know, I love to do watercolor and skies. I'm going to be showing you how to do that. They're not going to be in-depth technical videos because I'm not a trained artist. I just do it out of passion. But I think with the passion comes the knowledge, or just the feeling of expressing yourself. And I truly believe there's no wrong way to express yourself in the art world. So thank you very much for joining me. I hope you like this glimpse into my brain and it didn't scare you off. If it did, I apologize. That's it. I hope you guys have a fantastic day, and remember, Just be aware of your surroundings, look around you, let the beauty in, and live creatively. I'll see you next time.
