Is it a left-brain/right brain meld, an ability to focus or even his experience pitching baseballs that led to Bruce Budd’s unique talent?

For Budd, who can quickly and adeptly draw portraits using both his hands simultaneously, it’s a combination of factors that led him to this unique place.

He credits the flow state—a focused, almost meditative place his brain goes when he’s in deep concentration—for opening this creative ability.

“When I was on the pitcher mound throughout college or high school…you got hecklers out there, you got people yelling and all that, and you pretty much got to go internal inside yourself to kind of focus your own self. And that to me is a meditative state. If it just so happens to work and you're doing well, then yeah, you're in the flow state. The same thing when you're drawing live,” Budd said.

In fact, Budd said he feels more inspired to draw when he’s in front of a crowd, like during the busy dinner rush at his family’s restaurant, the Nook Smokehouse and Grill, outside Massillon.

“If there's more buzz, then it's almost better. I truly believe in the connection to people. And if you got more people and if they're appreciating it, it's almost like more people showing up to a ball game. I mean, it ups the ante in that kind of way, and it's more interesting,” Budd said.

Bruce Budd can be found at the Nook most weekends around dinner time. He’s the one with the charcoal and the easel, rapidly drawing with both hands.