I READ in popular journals that writing notes using pen and paper gives a person better memory retention than keying thoughts in palmtops, laptops, android or any data saving digital devices.
This therefore mean that old methods still has its time tested benefits and I can relate to it as a journalist and artist who feels naked and unarmed without a pen and piece of paper. I can draw the face of Dr. Jose Rizal at any given time without copying from an actual reference because I did it numerous times as a school pupil, which I also did it for others who could not draw. My daughter am Jewel who now works at the Baguio Filed Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs maximizes her organizer note book and scribbles names of clients and incidents that caught her attention for her future references should things needed to be recalled even if they have a mounted closed circuit television (CCTV) system installed.
According to a medical journal Psychological Science, using pen and paper, not laptops, to take notes boosts memory and the ability to retain and understand concepts.
To back up the contention, Scientific American, another research portal advices learners to use longhand and not take notes with a laptop because students who used longhand remembered more and had a deeper understanding of the material discussed.
Just this weekend, I had an eventful Sunday morning at a store for used books along T. Claudio Street where art activities such as sketching sessions are held. There, I had the opportunity to interact with young and old artists and sketch a portrait of Danny Acuña, a known figure in the Philippine comics industry who came to Baguio to promote drawing as a basic art form. I also had the opportunity to be pencil sketched by this living icon of comic publications and it pleased me when the master also got my signed sketch of him for his personal collection. Thanks to entrepreneur Maricar Docyogen of the Bookends Book shop for inviting me and offering a corner of her store for art encounters. I also met fellow artist Roland Bay-an and Art Lozano at the book shop which I refer to as Bookends Arts Circle. Maricar’s, establishment which is strategically located between Session Road and Harrizon Road now serves as a gallery cum studio for local artists where they can have coffee, weekend portrait sessions and even art related discussions.
About three years ago, I encountered Danny Acuña, at the Tamawan Artist’s Village and I remember him saying "Ang maganda sa pag dodrowing, maka imbento kayo ng mukha... dapat gumawa kayo ng sarili ninyong likha", The beauty with drawing is that you can create or invent a face but you have to create your own advises artist Danny Acuna to participants to his lecture-workshop during the Tamawan International Arts Festival held in Baguio. Acuña’s advocacy and promotion of drawing as a means and outlet for self-expression may be considered as outdated because of the wide use of computer generated images but I believe that nothing beats hard work. There were attempts to bring back the almost fading art of paper-based comiks illustration and caricature and Acuña is among the stalwart proponents and prime movers.
Incidentally, the 2nd Philippine Coffee Conference will be held this coming November 23 to 24 and I proposed to the organizing agency that a coffee painting contest and exhibit be added as a component. The mechanics of said contest is simple as the only art material to be used are plain coffee products for drawing and coloring on a one-half illustration board. As suggested there will be a screening in the Cordillera provinces through the Department of Trade and Industry and selected artworks will likewise be screened and be exhibited during the coffee conference.
In our discussions with Roland Bay-an, he claimed that he did not only paint with coffee because as a former waiter of the old Dainty Restaurant, he also experimented with soy sauce and even catsup. What immediately sprung to my mind when he said that was maybe I can paint an apron with all the mentioned ingredients, sign it and have it auctioned but I wonder who’ll buy it.