How to Draw the Perfect Circle

Article written by Kelsey Champagne-Smith

Whether it was ceramic painting, cooking, or drawing my summers were filled with the arts as a kid. One summer, though, frequently comes to mind – the summer I learned how to draw the perfect orange. Housed in an old Victorian I vividly remember climbing the steep, stone stairs and staring up at the massive, wooden double doors. Art classes were often a way for my mom to foster my creativity and, honestly, probably the best way to keep me busy. More times than not my cousin and I went to these classes together the power of which wouldn’t be seen for many years until in our late twenties we both held positions in higher education and had small businesses (Nasseramics and Acorn & Artisan). 

The instructor of this still life drawing class soon ushered us all into the makeshift “classroom” where a bowl of fruit sat at the end of a grand, wooden table. For the life of me I can’t remember if I enjoyed the class or if my drawing was even any good, although you could probably ask my mom who undoubtedly still has the drawing somewhere, but I remember the orange. I remember trying to draw a circle. No matter how hard I concentrated the the wavy lines sprawled unceremoniously across my page in shades of pastel orange. This is where I learned how to draw the perfect circle. Starting with my pencil in hand the instructor had me lightly draw a circle over and over one on top of the other. Then, by erasing some of the lines I was left with a perfectly round shape. 

As simple as this sounds, it’s one of those life lessons that comes to mind more often than not lately. There have been so many times that I’ve tried something new, cooking a new dish, designing jewelry, even challenges faced as a new parent, that I’ve felt I haven’t done quite right the first time. Instead of abandoning ship and accepting what feels like soul crushing defeat, the lesson of drawing an orange comes to mind. Around and around – I find myself trying again and again at tasks that feel insurmountable at first until I make the perfect circle. At the end of the day, it’s all about perspective. Sometimes those wavy first tries are really just the start of something amazing and beautiful. Other times we need to hit pause and remind ourselves that where we are in that moment isn’t the end of our journey, but merely a stepping stone to our next great opportunity. It’s up to us to be persistent and brave enough to believe we are capable and worthy of success. So, as you begin your next big journey or even a small step towards the future you want today, I ask you – Did you draw a perfect circle? 

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