Why would you draw a skull?

I went to the Museum of Natural History of Paris today. It’s interesting because when you draw in a public space and when you’re not actually drawing people but rather animals or architecture, there’s quite often someone who comes talk to you. Today I was asked by a lady “Why the drawing of a skull?”. She didn’t understand why I wouldn’t use my camera instead. So I explained that for me, drawing from life is like note taking. I want to draw it to understand it. I want my wrist to remember the motion, I want to feel the forms and understand how they overlap. I want to understand what makes a chimpanzee different from a gorilla. And by understanding what makes you recognise an animal as a cat I can then stylise it without losing its essence. I was always the kid who would take lots of notes at school even when the teacher said his lectures were all available online. But by taking notes, it forces you to really pay attention, to understand deeply so you can translate it into your own words. Drawing is exactly the same for me. If you draw from life, you have to really look. Not just assume how things work. You have to really understand it before you can make it your own.