Wednesday Night Sketching

Hey, how you guys doing? Wednesday, December 17, 2025. I'm Jason with the inspired life. Hope you're having an awesome Wednesday. Getting closer to Christmas Day, right? One. Yeah. One week from today. This year has gone so dang fast, it's crazy. I hope you're having a good night. I'm streaming here on Facebook tonight and YouTube and Instagram is not working. Last night was Facebook, tonight's Instagram. Idk. What is up with social media? Well, it's probably my computer, Internet connection, who the heck knows? Anyway, let's do some sketching tonight. And here's what I want to do. I whenever I go into New York City, I like to bring sketches of the Statue of Liberty torch. These are awesome. I love doing them and I usually carry them in, do some show and tell. I carry them right here in my lock B folio. So I just keep them in this pocket here. And when I'm in the city I'll, you know, take them out and I'll just give them. I'll give them to people and yeah, I've given them to a few people. One of my favorite donut places in the city, dough donuts. I've given one to them. So it's a lot of fun just to hand out these sketches. So I'm gonna do one tonight. I'm always practicing, always working on them and I'll block one out tonight and then I think tomorrow I want to come back in. And we were using gouache last night, which is cool. So we did this church here and it broke out gouache kind of for the first time ever. And I think I'm gonna do a torch in gouache. So let's see how it goes. Let's put some music on, do some sketching. Not for too long because I need to get to bed soon. I am tired. But I wanted to wind down with some sketching. All right, let me know if you have any questions, comments, where you're watching from and sorry, Instagram. You can't see me live. That kind of stinks. Let me click some buttons and try one more time. Yeah, it says I'm live on Facebook and YouTube. I don't know what's up with this error starting. I'll try one more time on the Insta page. No biggie if we're not there. Oh well, no insta. Alright, I'm gonna put a playlist on here. This is actually music that I created on a site called Suno. I'm really loving that. Yeah, it's just really cool. So I kind of created some Christmas songs.

In the corner of the cafe by the half lit tree sits a guy who order coffee open it fixes we snow stick to his jacket like it does.

You know what? I am actually going to do something different. I'm not going to start with a black Sharpie. I have this kind of blue Sharpie. Let's use this tonight just for fun. Do something different. The whole thing's in frame. It looks like it is. All right, let's do it.

Hope to function and just enough doubt to stay caffeinated he's married and mildly over caffeinated Trying to make sense of the season he's never gated Holiday tears on sale but he still hasn't located a way to feel less Mary and mild Completely over caffeinated. He watches couples taking photos pretending every moment's gold Then his latte foam collapses like same dude same getting old Someone's caroling too loudly Someone's peppermint is burned he whispers this is fun Fine I'm fine in that tone where you know it isn't but he keeps sipping like it's medicine Warm hope in ceramic form because sometimes joy just needs a spark and sometimes it needs to be poured Outside the world looks perfect Anxiety still updating his feelings Depending their delivery date fluctuating he's merry and mildly over caffeinated Trying to make sense of the season he's navigating holiday magic surround but he hasn't located a moment that feels less merry and mildly over caffeinated but then a kid spills cocoa and laughs like it's a win anything okay, fine maybe joy sneaks in the life FL around and his heart ths just a bit Turns out holiday spirit sometimes shows up uninvited but it fits. He's marrying mildly over caffeinated Finding little sparks in a world that feels overrated Coffee warms his hands and somehow he's upgraded to something. Mary and maybe kind of slightly elated he walked into the cafe like hope was on sale Holiday playlist humming some emotional betrayal Order something festive Peppermint pick me up please A cup that promised joy and delivers season I need the barista said it sweetly with a wink that felt prophetic he should have known right then it was all Too Witt and Zetty1 sipping in his heartbeat started auditioning for Riverdance his left eye twitch helped me he's right I said we take shape dances all the peppermint lot say the lot to me said a cheer not anxiety Tasted like Christmas with a side of regret why am I sweating? It's 10 degrees Explain that Internet oh peppermint latte part of the season you made me believe for absolutely no reason it smelled like hope, tasted like chaos like any kid having a midlife crisis Every sip felt jolly every aftertaste you could honestly he wasn't but the phone kept saying he tried to act normal. Tried to smile plaster but his face did not agree look like an elf on overtime trying to scream internally oh the peppermint latte they lied to me promise the vibe to live the velocity tasted like Christmas with emotional whip flash Someone's out my hands they don't need to vibrate this fast Peppermint latte a seasonal menace you broke my PE but improve my fitness he whispered to the cup like buddy were we ever friends but the latte said nothing as latte often doing these as the snow drifted softly outside the fogged up glass he realized the truth of life Some drinks kick your holiday spirit it happen. To a crash symphony tasting like winter dressed up as chaos and now my soul is jittering for reasons obvious so peppermint latte wild invention thanks for the memories and the cardiac tension. Snow slammed hard against the windows like the weather had opinions the cafe door froze shut at nine and nobody liked that decision he claimed his usual corner seat Table seven survived rival moan Meanwhile a stranger whispered loudly about mercury retrograde oh no. A college kid was crying softly over finals and caffeine dead and a guy in a suit kept insisting he was as close to inner end not yet. He wrapped his hands around his latte like it might explain explain the day but all it said was buddy breathe in a steamy sort of way Snowing at table seven listening in on accidental confessions Holiday chaos wrapped in quiet and somehow he's okay snowed in at Table 7 stories drifting like powdered heaven Strangers sharing warmth in their mildly caffeinated way. A woman wearing three scarves said she'd run from a bad blind date he brought his mom she sigh and a t upperware of cake Two teenagers argued endlessly about which reindeer was the fastest they both agreed on gliton but only because he seems the sassest A man with ear but tapping mud about late stage capitalism while a barista wiped the counter like she regretted every day decision and through it all table seven gently and sor he wasn't part of the stories but so now he if winner's meant to slow you down then finally let it try there's something kind of sacred about a day you didn't design Snowing at table seven Listening in on accidental confessions Holiday chaos wrapped in quiet and somehow he's okay Snowing at table 7 stories drifting like powdered heaven Strangers sharing warmth in their mildly caffeinated way. Snow eased up around noon but no one made a move they built a tiny universe A temporary group we looked around and realized maybe this is winner's plan Trap a bunch of weary human till they soften where they standing at table seven not alone, just unexpectedly present all these messy little lives crossing for a day Snow in At table seven he felt the world get slightly gentler Sometimes the sweet, sweetest moments Are the ones you never choose to make. I just wanted one quiet sip Steam rising slow for my crack paper cup but outside the window they're already added A choir of elves who never shut up they're harmonizing like their lives depend on waking the dead and my last nerv and all the carolers outside are too loud not even know why are they so proud I'm begging the universe for five minutes apiece but they're belting out joy like it's a full Broadway piece yeah, the killers outside are too loud and I'm one verse away from losing it now. My lot stays warm but my patience is thin Someone just hit a high note that rattled the bin A kid with a bell keeps shaking it wrong the timing's a crime but he thinks it's a song the barista shrugs like me man, what can I do? I swear the drummer's got something to prove all the carolers outside are too loud it's not even noon why are they so proud? I'm begging the universe for silent reprieve but they rolled up in costumes I didn't believe yeah, the carolers outside are too loud Someone save us please I'm tapping out now. I love some holiday cheer but now not full volume this time of year can we try self caroling as a trend? Just a whispery home maybe no. Cool.

Great.

Perfect. Carry on. All the Carolyn. I raise my cup like a white flag of foam Dreaming of peace or at least noise canceling headphones yeah, the carolers outside are too loud but hey, happy holidays I guess somehow Sam. It's Christmas eve at the 24 Hour Cafe Neon flickers like it's had a long day the Barista's on his 12 straight hours coffee tastes like exhaustion Power outside snow piles up like unpaid dues Inside we're all misfits avoiding the new Someone's crying in the peppermint foam Someone else just says they can't go home Me, I'm just staring at my cup Waiting for caffeine or a miracle to show up Christmas eve at the 24 Hour Cafe where the brother broken buzzing all drift away Steam it the lights like a worn out halo and the holly playlist glitches to jingle hello yeah Christmas Eve when nothing feels okay but the coffee keeps pretending it'll save the. The stranger walks in with the ripped red coat says Santa fired him Long story, end quote he orders black coffee with a side of peace Barista laughs yeah, we're all out of that. At least a couple argues softly by the pastry case Then apologizes to a gingerbread face of me all my slaves adorned for the sound Someone else buys lattes for the whole damn crowd of me I'm just here trying to decide if holiday spirits and just hide it inside Christmas eve at the 24 Hour Cafe where the lonely and caffeinated all stay Snow keeps screaming against the window pane and the espresso machine sings like it sings in pain yeah Christmas Eve where chaos finds a way to feel like comfort when you've got nowhere else to stray maybe it's sad, maybe it's a bl maybe we're all just killing time with crack Red comes and shaking hands try to rewrite winter's demons but for one weird night in this caffeine shrine we all feel a little accidentally alive Christmas eve at the 24 Hour Caf.

All right, I think that's a wrap for part one of the statue sketch. So I'm kind of blocked out the the torch with some line work and I'm filling it in with using some gouache tonight to fill it in to pop some colors. I actually broke out some ballpoint pens as well and Sharpie creative markers. And I guess after it dries, I'll come back in, I'll use my Sharpie black Sharpie. I'll pull out some of the shapes more so you can, you know, so it gets a little more definition to it. Make it a little more scribbly looking. You know, I love kind of really loose scribbly style. So we'll add that as well on there and yeah, this will be good to go. So I probably just need another, let's say ten minutes on it. Just some rapid fire finish finishes on it and we'll call it. Call it done. All right. Thank you for watching me. I'm Jason with the inspired life. I love sketching skills. Sketching, architecture, Statue of Liberty, many, many different things till we meet again, Sketch boldly, live creatively and inspire endlessly. See you.