“Incorporate yourself into whatever you make.”

Don’t I do that every time? Creating, to me, is intensely personal. I pour a bit of myself into everything I make—whether it’s a poem, a cake, a presentation, an invoice, or even a mess.

But taking today’s “make something” prompt literally, I spent some uncomfortable time studying my own face.

First I took a photo with my laptop, then edited the image it to strip away most of the color and surrounding clutter. I printed the image and looked at it for a bit. Actually, I thought, I like this picture (this is not always the case, as you may have experienced when gazing upon your own image).

I wanted to sketch my portrait. But I lack confidence when it comes to drawing. So I cheated. I took the printed image to a window and topped it with a blank sheet of paper. Even near dusk, the outdoor light coming through the window was just enough to expose the darkest lines. So I roughly traced the outline of my face and features. Then I took both sheets of paper to my desk and, studying the original photo, did my best to shade and pencil in a few details on my sketch.

It’s not bad. I’m not destined for life as an illustrator, but I’m not too embarrassed to show you the result (as well as the photo, below).