About annette standing. drawing matters

 started drawing because it was the only thing that quieted my mind.

When I pick up a pencil, something shifts — the noise in my head drops away, and I slip into a kind of calm focus that’s hard to find anywhere else. It’s not about words or explanations anymore; it’s about seeing, feeling, and responding.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the act of looking closely. A hare’s watchful stillness, the flicker of light on a surface, the small mysteries hidden in everyday things — drawing helps me connect with all of that.

People have sometimes called me an illustrator, and I used to resist that label. It felt too small for what drawing means to me. But I’ve learned that what matters isn’t the label — it’s the act itself. Drawing is how I make sense of the world. It’s how I think, how I focus, and sometimes how I breathe.

I didn’t start drawing to make art. I started because it felt like home — and it still does.