Coffee and Confidence by B.B. Rich

Coffee & Confidence

I like coffee.  I always have.  I also like fall.  It's my favorite season of the year, when the colors light up and the weather gets nice and cool.  When I drew this, though, it was still August; I didn't care.  I was done with summer and its insufferable heat and ready for a change.  So, autumn vibes and the simple fact that I like coffee gave me all the inspiration I needed for this drawing.

When I started drawing this lady, I wanted to capture that feeling of confidence that comes after you've had that morning coffee.  If you're a coffee drinker, you've probably experienced that feeling of "before and after."  

Before the coffee:  "Why did I get up this morning...?  I wish I could just go back to bed..."  

After the coffee:  "Alright, I can handle anything the world can throw at me now.  Let's go!"

That's what she represents.  She's cool, collected, and striking just the right balance of confidence without arrogance or smugness.  She's ready for anything, but still down-to-earth and humble.  

This has become one of my favorite pieces, so much so that I've had the original drawing reproduced on merch - starting with, naturally, a coffee mug.  I hope a little bit of her cool confidence comes across to anyone who looks at this artwork.  Even just a little bit of confidence can be such a powerful, uplifting thing.  It can do wonders for a person, as long as they use it the right way.

- B.B. Rich