The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
Cathedrals are like paintings. They're never really finished. St. John the Divine is the fifth largest church in the world, and it's still under construction. Has been for 127 years. Feeling overwhelmed in the middle of drawing, I tried hard to embrace that thought. I focused on what was around me. People reading on the cathedral steps. Nurses walking home in their scrubs. Tour buses stopping for a quick photo, then driving away. Guys sitting on tree guards smoking. A brother and sister playing on a patio, making up songs to annoy their dad. Every few minutes the light was changing, alternating between light cloud cover and the deep yellow of the evening sun. A man came up to me and asked "Shot?" He handed me his giant, expensive-looking camera. I took a photo of him in front of the cathedral. He took a photo of me drawing. Then he got out his phone and took a selfie of us together.