"Drawing is for feeling, writing is for thinking." A discussion about AI, Blackwing Pencils, & Human Consciousness with Amy Kurzweil

Thank you

The Bob

,

Margreet de Heer

,

Michael deCamp

,

Adele Tedesco

,

Catherine Holmes

, and many others for tuning into my live video with

Amy Kurzweil

! Join me for my next live video in the app tomorrow at noon.

How Two Cartoonists Got Philosophical About Pencils

TL;DR: What began as a pencil unboxing turned into a deep dive on consciousness, technology, and the existential crisis of whether erasers are humanity's greatest mistake.

The Great Pencil Revelation

The ostensible reason for this gathering was to unbox the Blackwing x Waking Up collaboration pencil kit. What followed was perhaps the most passionate discussion about writing implements since a caveman first complained about the ochre stick. Highlights included:

• Amy revealing she wore out approximately 50-100 pencil nubs while drafting her graphic memoir, Artificial. She also made earrings and a necklace out of them. (Commitment level: Extreme)

• A heated debate about whether the mysterious metal thing was a pencil extender or a travel cap (spoiler: it was the cap, but the uncertainty was thrilling. Trust me.)

• Me, discovering Amy's completely unorthodox pencil grip that looks like she's performing surgery while playing piano

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Best Quotes That Deserve Framing

• "Drawing is for feeling; writing is for thinking"

• "You should build the robot you want to see in the world"

• "What is the point of drawing? It's to share the feelings of your hand"

• "Erasing is a trap."

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“Drawing is Hallucinating”

Things took a philosophical turn when Amy dropped the theory that "drawing is hallucinating" - essentially arguing that artists put marks on paper and then project meaning onto them like some kind of creative Rorschach test. This led to:

• The coining of "method drawing" (like method acting, but with more graphite)

• A deep discussion about how your emotional state literally shows up in your pencil marks

• Amy's revelation that the softer your drawing implement, the closer readers get to feeling your actual feelings (which explains why my stick figures drawn with dying ballpoint pens convey only blatant despair.)

The Tech/Art Paradox

Here's where it got really interesting: Amy Kurzweil, daughter of famed futurist Ray Kurzweil, advocating for analogue tools while me, the self-proclaimed former "tech guy" among cartoonists, was nodding along enthusiastically. Key insights:

• Digital tools' biggest crime isn't that they're digital - it's that they're prescriptive (the undo button being the devil's own invention)

• The best way to use technology creatively is to ignore how it's "supposed" to be used

• Amy's household growing up had porcelain cat figurines instead of robot parts

The Consciousness Rabbit Hole

Somehow, this pencil discussion evolved into examining human consciousness, memory, and how we connect with people we've never met. Amy's book Artificial explores her relationship with her grandfather, Fred, through both his physical artefacts and an AI chatbot trained on his writings, creating what she calls a "medium-sized language model". An MLM.

The Grip That Broke the Internet (and my hand?)

The show's climactic moment came when Amy demonstrated her completely unconventional pencil grip - index finger hooked over the top like she's performing precision brain surgery. My attempt to replicate this technique yielded some pretty interesting results…

Our simple pencil unboxing became an accidental workshop in consciousness, creativity and the eternal struggle between analogue authenticity and digital convenience. Plus we learned that Amy can apparently produce quality art while balancing a phone on office supplies.

The Waking Up X Blackwing Collab:

“A pencil is more than a tool—it's a choice, an opportunity to slow down and to connect with the physical world.”

I’ve written about it before, but I have a very strong connection with the tools I use to make things, and the humble pencil is one of them. Blackwing is my all-time favourite animal in the pencil kingdom. Also, Morris loves them.

In collaboration with Blackwing, my friends over at Waking Up created two limited edition sets of precision-crafted tools to complement your journey into mindfulness. Or just drawing funny stick figures on your shopping list. You can order them exclusively in the Waking Up Shop.

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RELATED:

In Praise of the Humble Pencil

Chatfield X Waking Up: The Most Fulfilling Collaboration Project of my Career.

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The Story

“Writing by hand demands focus and intention, engaging your senses in a way that typing never can. The feeling of pencil on paper promotes clarity and calm, grounding you in the moment and creating space for deeper reflection.”

Pencils (Set of 12)

Made from California incense cedar and premium Japanese graphite, each pencil is finished with a smooth matte topcoat that feels great in the hand.
With firm graphite designed for journaling and sketching, these pencils are built to support whatever your practice calls for. The Pencil Set includes 12 Blackwing x Waking Up Pencils with the four imprinted phrases.

Notebook Essentials Set

The Notebook Essentials Set includes four Blackwing x Waking Up Pencils (one of each phrase), a Blackwing One-Step Sharpener inscribed with "Begin Again," a black pencil point guard, and a custom debossed hardcover A5 notebook with 160 blank pages. The sharpener is so sexy. Watch Amy and me geek out about it in the video above.