first impressions are everything

First impressions are important, yes?

They are important for many things:  interviews, when boyfriends/girlfriends meet the family, when you meet someone new, etc.

In just a few seconds, someone can make an opinion about you based on your appearance, demeanor, and mannerisms.

But what about cities?

Places?

Spaces?

Shouldn’t first impressions apply for these too?

Besides appearance, there are textures, sounds, people interacting, maybe even animals interacting, and many more things that influence those first impressions.

Living in Charlotte all of my life, I’ve never thought about how Charlotte would look to an outsider, same thing is true for Raleigh.

In Rome when I sat in my bus seat heading for the hotel, I thought of the great view I would see.  

First impressions are everything, right?

I was so excited!

I had my sketchbook out.

Marker at the ready.

Even got a window seat.

I was going to draw whatever stood out to me as we drove around…..assuming everything would be fantastic to draw.

Most of the ride showed the “back streets of Rome.”  Everything looked run down, and not the Ancient Rome kind of run down, but unclean and unkempt. Most things looked as if they were forgotten.

But once I drew certain things, I noticed something special about each of them. Whether it was its shape, its texture, its proportion, its color, or even how it fits within its context.

Even though the drive wasn’t the best at all points, I had a lot of fun drawing what I saw. It makes it far more exciting when the roads are bumpy, constant stopping and going, and trying to capture something’s essence in a few seconds.

And nothing says Italy like the song “Call Me Maybe” playing from the bus’ radio.

Tour of Rome starts tomorrow!