I ride the metro trains a lot and love to sketch the riders in my sketchbook. It’s easier to sketch on the Red Line since it’s a smoother ride. Every now and then I sketch on the Orange Line. It’s a super bumpy ride. Every time my pencil hits the paper, my hand goes flying all over the place. It’s a humbling experience. It makes me realize that I am always a student in life and life has a lot of ups and downs and you have to go with the bumps. In my head I say, ” Hey bus, throw me around all you want but I’m gonna keep drawing. You may be able to run fast but I’m focused here and I’m persistent and even with your speed, you still have to stop at every red light. My pencil stops for no one.” 
As I write this, I am sitting in bed thinking about my day. My friend, Salvatore (Salvo) picked me up from the metro and we went to a couple of parties. He bought me a Starbucks coffee and we ate cookies on the way. I have an obsessive personality and made a lot of cookies yesterday. Sometimes we get into these long philosophical conversations and end up getting off at the wrong exits. As he talked I realized how lucky I am to have him as a friend because he makes me laugh and I think I make him laugh too. At the parties, I hung out, talked with friends and caught up on their lives. I think the stories we tell each other is a way to make sense out of our lives. As artists we strive to create something bigger than ourselves and to take our life and make a permanent record of our existence. We want to be heard and understood as we get on each bus to a new destination.
Life is a bumpy metro line. The trick is to hold on tight and not let the bus trip you up. Hang on, don’t forget your tap card and eventually you’ll find your stop. You’ll breath and say “I made it”. But life isn’t just one bumpy ride or just one metro stop. It’s a zillion of them and the beauty is that you get to choose each new stop.
Jodi Bonassi: Art Creatures and Other Madness 