How to talk while drawing

[Gloomynoon]

My host draws a lot. Often when she is drawing to make something instead of practicing, she will listen to music and be focused on it. It gets hard to talk to her when she draws, and talking while she’s practicing is off-limits. Afterwards she’ll lament how she could’ve maybe talked to me while drawing! 

 

Obviously convincing her to play calmer music or no music would be the first thing I should do, but I was wondering if there was anything else I could do to talk to her while she draws? Also I’m not the best at coming up with conversation ideas, so I was also wondering what I could talk to her about aside from her process.

[TurboSimmie]

I would suggest instrumental music or even no-talking ASMR for the background, that can help set the mindset and mood without being too distracting. As far as conversation ideas that's harder to suggest, as it has to be something that's personally interesting to both of you! I would suggest hobbies or interests that capture one of both of your attention! For Phil and I, we'll sometimes chat about animals and nature, an interest we both have but particularly me; we'll talk about music since we're both into it, or we'll talk about something Phil's into, like his road nerd interests. Or you can even be catty and gossip about other people to each other. I'd be lying if I said that Phil and I were above doing that sometimes. 😄 As far as being able to talk while drawing, this works the same mental muscle as when you were young and chatting with friends or siblings while playing video games. (I'm assuming you had something like that experience in your childhood, but I understand some people don't). Tap into that!

[Slipper]

Picking a topic or posing a question before your host starts drawing may make it easier. Having a strong start can possibly carry you through her focus. I know when me and my tulpa talk, times where we are discussing something in particular often leads to a longer and deeper conversation than us just chiming in with pleasantries. Also, for the host, check in with your tulpa throughout the drawing! Sometimes it's hard for them to break through, so giving them a moment of focus can help them speak up.