is that a tear on your cheek?

I sold a drawing recently that was kind of a big deal when I made it. It took me years to figure out what was hidden in all the lines. Two years it hung on my wall, and in the end I finished it in a week; it just flowed out of me finally. Each detail I found put the stakes higher, if I fucked it up now, I’d be devastated. But I didn’t.

Delivering it to its new home was bittersweet for me; this was the first time I ever got emotional about selling something I made. What a heartfelt goodbye I had.


I am thankful I documented the process of this piece and get to look back over drawing journey:

The second photo is as far as I got before it sat for nearly two years!

What ever possessed me to keep this for as long as I did, I am not sure. I hated it and could see no way out from my feelings about it.

Fast forward to December of 2024. I was staring down a deadline for a solo show that was scheduled with little time for me to make enough work to fill the gallery. This piece would take up a good amount of wall space so I decided to find what was in it and make it finally come alive.

It was the last drawing I made before the show and I finished it on my deadline for framing. There was no time to fuck around.

The way this drawing came alive was one of my few experiences of euphoria while drawing. I never know when I’ll hit that feeling, but when it does – it is electric.

At the time of this time lapse it is feeling so perfect. As I said before, I was terrified of fucking it up. However, there is no way to find a breakthrough unless one is in this exact situation, so I let it all go and trusted my creative spirit and birthed this pivotal drawing:


“In Fear of Losing You – Storyboard”

“The Secrets I Keep In Fear of Losing You” also has an accompanying storyboard. This one is super tender and explores what came about in the drawing. Not only was this a drawing I took chances on and had some breakthroughs, it also helped me process a moment in my life that was meaningful and painful. I am thankful for the opportunity to have made this work in response to my experience and happy that it is all out on paper.

Thank you drawing, you helped me keep the memories I needed and let go of the loss I was holding onto.


If you are interested in the storyboard you can purchase it here. If you would like to purchase a fine art print of the original drawing please email me at raven@ravenrohrig.com


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Responses

  1. I love reading about your process and how it affects you.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for reading along. It is fun to write down more about my experiences.

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From the blog

Raven Who?

A limited list of what and who
the author, Raven Rohrig, is:
Artist
Lover
Goof
Trans Nonbinary Queerdo
Traumatized Millennial
Reluctant adult