Blog from a Fog

I considered not posting this week because I knew I would blog from a fog of post-surgery medication.

But routine wins over ego’s cry to play it safe.

I like to stretch—to do creative things just outside my comfort zone. Sometimes I sketch with a Sharpie: markings, beginnings, neural drawing, faces, asemic writing.

Once in a while, those markings collapse into a blob that leaves little room for rescue.

I might wad the page and toss it into a fire, recycle it, or simply keep doodling in whatever space remains

Either way, it isn’t failure.

The effort—not perfection—is the point.

The effort to
trace an idea,
capture a face,
remember or invent a landscape.

Working from a fog loosens my grip on perfection. My blobs hold that truth.

It’s less important to be perfect than to try.

Sylvia Plath wrote, “Perfection is the enemy of creation.”

Margaret Atwood confesses, “If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.”

Is it a coincidence that my Sharpie markings most often collapse into blobs when I begin with a stubborn mind—determined to make this one perfect thing?

Blobs rarely appear when I begin open and curious.

So that’s my blog from a fog.

A reminder to stay open. To stay curious. Even when I can’t see far ahead.

To show up anyway

And to trust the page and the pen.

©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2026.