The 30-Day Drawing Habit starts Jan. 1

Let's do this together

Dec 29, 2023

Hi all! I’m popping up mid-week with big news: I’m starting a new round of the Grown-Ups Table’s 30-Day Drawing Habit on January 1.

If you’ve been wanting to grow a more creative life for yourself - one where art, attention, process, joy, care and connection become the foundation of your days - you’re not alone. I DO, TOO.

That’s why I’m starting a new 30-Days of Drawing January 1: I want to develop a new habit that will help me be more present today, and prepare myself for what is bound to be a challenging year ahead. And you are most welcome to join me.

GUT Member feedback on the 30-Day Drawing Habit

WHAT is the 30-Day Drawing Habit?

The 30-Day Drawing Habit helps introduce the life-changing, world-transforming power of daily drawing (and painting and doodling and general making) into your life and gives you the tools to maintain it long after the 30 days are over. What makes the Grown-Ups Table (GUT) program different than every other program is that we do it in community. And not just any community. The GUT community is the best most kind, most creative folks in the world. Just the kind of safe, supportive space where we can take a leap and grow.

The 30-Day Drawing Habit started as a personal experiment last Summer to try and bring more of what I wanted into my life, and let go of what I didn’t. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who was looking to make this change! Hundreds (thousands!) of us did the 30-Day Drawing Habit together last Summer, and according to the art people made and the friendships forged (and the pre-post survey I took) it worked.

Like, a lot.

GUT member feedback to the 30 Day Drawing Habit

What is the GUT’s 30-Days of Drawing exactly? It works like this: Every week for 30 days I send out fun, accessible, evidence-based lessons and assignments that will give you everything you need to do establish a daily creative routine. Every day you draw for 10 minutes, then share your drawings in the Grown-Ups Table chat room. There you’ll meet other likeminded creative folk from all background and skill levels, and receive tremendous encouragement and accountability and community. (It’s kind of the best.)

All you have to do is subscribe to the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table and check your email on January 1. I’ve knocked 20% off annual subscriptions for folks who aren’t yet members and would like to join:

Get 20% off for 1 year

WHY develop a drawing habit?

First, because it feels good. Full stop.

Second, drawing with the Grown-Ups Table helps manage stress and anxiety, improve our focus, attention and memory, process trauma and hard feelings, increase creativity, decreases loneliness and isolation, and builds community. What more can I say? It feels good and it’s GOOD FOR YOU. (There’s so much research to back all this up, including what we gleaned from the GUT’s own research. I’ll be sharing some of it in the 30 days ahead!)

GUT member’s feedback to the 30-Day Drawing Habit

Third, because making things in community with others keeps us sane! As a creative person, you know how crappy you feel when you’re not making stuff. Everything feels a little more stressful, a little less grounded. And with our busy lives and distracting world, it’s so easy to fall out of our creative practices. The GUT community offers a safe, supportive, FUN group where we can start over and get support, accountability and encouragement to keep going.

WHO is involved?

Me! I’m Wendy. I lead this thing, and all things DrawTogether/Grown-Ups Table.

I take drawing very, very, very seriously. (This is both true and untrue.)

I’m an artist and graphic journalist, and I’m trained as a social worker. I’ve drawn everywhere from Guantanamo Bay to high school cafeterias, and published 12 books (three New York Times bestsellers!) including Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat, and The Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul, and my most recent book, How to Say Goodbye. My work (and life!) is dedicated to creating connection through drawing, and offering the tools for others to do the same.

If you know me at all, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I like drawing and talking about feelings, art, life, people, creating a full, meaning full life - all that fun, real stuff - and always with a wink, usually with a smile. (Life is too damn short.)

Your fellow GUT members. Check out the introductions to get sense of who is in the community. Generally speaking, GUT members are “DrawTogether minded grown-ups” from around the world. The GUT is a real, deep community of creative humans looking to create, grow, and connect. (Local IRL GUT groups have even sprung up in different locations around the world!) We use the chat on substack to gather every week and share our artwork - and more, to cheer, support and encourage each other through high times and low. But enough from me, GUT PEEPS! If you want to share a little about the GUT for newbies, go for it in the comments! ❤️

How do I participate?

Become a paid subscriber to DrawTogether with WendyMac (this very newsletter) and that gets you a seat at the Grown-Ups Table. That makes you a GUT member.

Get 20% off for 1 year

Starting on the 1st, GUT members will get a dispatch every week containing a lesson and a new weekly assignment, as well as midweek check-ins and special inspiration throughout the week, and access to the GUT chat where people will share their daily drawings with one another. Your job is to draw every day for ten minutes USING A TIMER (this is key - i’ll explain why!) and ideally at the SAME TIME OF DAY (also key - more info to come.) And then share your artwork in the group chat (accountability and community!) which is super key, and so much fun, and where we make friends.

Note: I’ll kick us off with a special new years assignment, and we’ll end with some special ones to reflect, connect, and set us up to maintain our newly formed drawing habit into the future.

Does that all make sense?

Any questions?