So last January 2022, I started a practice of daily drawings. My goal was 365 days of drawing and writing. I used these little 4x6 simple journals and jumped in. My only rule was I wasn’t allowed to use ANY pencil or eraser...just my black drawing pen. I was learning to let go of ‘perfection’ and to practice drawing, something I wanted to get better at. Everyday after work, I would draw a simple drawing or get inspiration from drawings I found on Pinterest. And then I would write something about it, like what I was thinking about how I did with the picture or what I was going through at the time. The journals became so much more. It was an emotional journey that continues today. I’m on year two, notebook #11, and I’ve even branched out to add watercolor to my simple drawings. But still, no pencils or erasers. I even added blind contour drawings and tried to come up with my own inspired drawings. I actually stopped recently for a few weeks because the end of school was exhausting, but have picked it back up...And I’m also one of those who has Julie Camron’s book ‘The Artist’s Way’ and have been doing morning pages at 5:00 AM since last summer :) Thank you Wendy for your continued inspiration...
“As we get older and things can start to feel narrower, how do we continue to create the life we want for ourselves? In the midst of change and hard times, how do we let go of stuff we no longer want, and how do we create habits of those we do?” THIS!!
this is exactly what I need right now. finishing a terrible year at school and waiting on a new job, my entire summer feels up in the air...
but I know if I draw ten minutes everyday it will ease this anxiety and at the end of it the awkward transition will be over one way or another. Thank You!
James Clear's newsletter is a delightful complement to Atomic Habits. I also enjoyed Make Peace with Your Mind by Mark Coleman, which addresses our inner critic that tends to accompany a daily drawing practice. I've been drawing daily for more than a year now, and I believe both books helped maintain my habit! 😊
Totally in! In my practice there is a so no shame in not quite getting to every day. It has been a practice that I have stuck with more than any in my adult life. Other than walking the dog. I draw everyday, except a few days when I don’t. Great inspiration to start GUT off!
School got out today. I’m a third grade teacher and it’s been a tough year. For a variety of reasons, next year may be even tougher. But before teaching, I used to draw and paint daily. I did morning pages. I slept. I completed paintings on a regular basis. I miss all of that, and the use of the creative part of my brain, terribly. This summer is a great time for me to pick up the drawing habit again. And I also have hope that in the fall I can use Draw Together with my next community of students!
Day 3 - i have an early morning routine for whenever i wake up,(starting with reading Heather Cox Richardson on Substack for my historical context morning fix) now i follow that with my circles and lines and a few more full breathing in.... breathing out....I like it!! I do not have a very steady hand so i find the circles more relaxing. although today i looked at the slightly squiggly lines as more like swinging crinkled ribbons than shaky lines. I am super novice at all of this drawing stuff - yes i can do circles and lines - but it's all very peaceful, veeerry challenging yet rewarding (most of the time). Wendy, your broad permission 'you do you', which i can easily say to my grandchildren, and humor and energy (I don't know how you keep this up at such a pace) keeps me hooked. my deadened imagination just might be stirring. GUT, along with my Tai Chi, has awareness* creeping back into my life. (*I assume it was there as a child)
I have been drawing daily since January of 2014 -- have probably missed no more than ten days during that time. So this assignment to draw daily was a natural addition to the practice. My sketchbook drawings run the gamut from quickly dashed off scribbles to carefully rendered comics. My only rule for the sketchbook is NO SHAME. Over time I’ve begun drawing more extensively -- am working most recently on memoir comics.
This quote hit me like a punch in the GUT - “as we get older and things can start to feel narrower, how do we continue to create the life we want for ourselves?” I’ve been feeling overwhelmed thinking about this, so I’ll start by drawing some circles. Thank you 🙏
I am in the middle of The Artist’s Way now. I have being doing the Morning Pages even before without knowing for 2 years.
I am in a long journey to feel more creative in every aspect of life. I did 30 day’s challenge inspired by Austin in the past and they always bring a lot of good feelings. Let’s how this one goes!
I am really excited to start this practice tomorrow morning. I have been struggling to find time in my week to draw the weekly assignments so this feels like the perfect time. I have been doing Morning Pages regularly for about a year and a half and I'm curious how this will be different! I feel much more comfortable writing than drawing so this feels more outside my comfort zone but in an exciting way!
So last January 2022, I started a practice of daily drawings. My goal was 365 days of drawing and writing. I used these little 4x6 simple journals and jumped in. My only rule was I wasn’t allowed to use ANY pencil or eraser...just my black drawing pen. I was learning to let go of ‘perfection’ and to practice drawing, something I wanted to get better at. Everyday after work, I would draw a simple drawing or get inspiration from drawings I found on Pinterest. And then I would write something about it, like what I was thinking about how I did with the picture or what I was going through at the time. The journals became so much more. It was an emotional journey that continues today. I’m on year two, notebook #11, and I’ve even branched out to add watercolor to my simple drawings. But still, no pencils or erasers. I even added blind contour drawings and tried to come up with my own inspired drawings. I actually stopped recently for a few weeks because the end of school was exhausting, but have picked it back up...And I’m also one of those who has Julie Camron’s book ‘The Artist’s Way’ and have been doing morning pages at 5:00 AM since last summer :) Thank you Wendy for your continued inspiration...
“As we get older and things can start to feel narrower, how do we continue to create the life we want for ourselves? In the midst of change and hard times, how do we let go of stuff we no longer want, and how do we create habits of those we do?” THIS!!
this is exactly what I need right now. finishing a terrible year at school and waiting on a new job, my entire summer feels up in the air...
but I know if I draw ten minutes everyday it will ease this anxiety and at the end of it the awkward transition will be over one way or another. Thank You!
James Clear's newsletter is a delightful complement to Atomic Habits. I also enjoyed Make Peace with Your Mind by Mark Coleman, which addresses our inner critic that tends to accompany a daily drawing practice. I've been drawing daily for more than a year now, and I believe both books helped maintain my habit! 😊
I’ve always lamented that I never go back and re-read my notes or journals. So I’m going to draw over them!
I’m obsessed with Agnes Martin. Her work is what finally drove home the importance of abstract art to me. Happy to see her here again.
Totally in! In my practice there is a so no shame in not quite getting to every day. It has been a practice that I have stuck with more than any in my adult life. Other than walking the dog. I draw everyday, except a few days when I don’t. Great inspiration to start GUT off!
School got out today. I’m a third grade teacher and it’s been a tough year. For a variety of reasons, next year may be even tougher. But before teaching, I used to draw and paint daily. I did morning pages. I slept. I completed paintings on a regular basis. I miss all of that, and the use of the creative part of my brain, terribly. This summer is a great time for me to pick up the drawing habit again. And I also have hope that in the fall I can use Draw Together with my next community of students!
Day 3 - i have an early morning routine for whenever i wake up,(starting with reading Heather Cox Richardson on Substack for my historical context morning fix) now i follow that with my circles and lines and a few more full breathing in.... breathing out....I like it!! I do not have a very steady hand so i find the circles more relaxing. although today i looked at the slightly squiggly lines as more like swinging crinkled ribbons than shaky lines. I am super novice at all of this drawing stuff - yes i can do circles and lines - but it's all very peaceful, veeerry challenging yet rewarding (most of the time). Wendy, your broad permission 'you do you', which i can easily say to my grandchildren, and humor and energy (I don't know how you keep this up at such a pace) keeps me hooked. my deadened imagination just might be stirring. GUT, along with my Tai Chi, has awareness* creeping back into my life. (*I assume it was there as a child)
I have been drawing daily since January of 2014 -- have probably missed no more than ten days during that time. So this assignment to draw daily was a natural addition to the practice. My sketchbook drawings run the gamut from quickly dashed off scribbles to carefully rendered comics. My only rule for the sketchbook is NO SHAME. Over time I’ve begun drawing more extensively -- am working most recently on memoir comics.
This quote hit me like a punch in the GUT - “as we get older and things can start to feel narrower, how do we continue to create the life we want for ourselves?” I’ve been feeling overwhelmed thinking about this, so I’ll start by drawing some circles. Thank you 🙏
I am in the middle of The Artist’s Way now. I have being doing the Morning Pages even before without knowing for 2 years.
I am in a long journey to feel more creative in every aspect of life. I did 30 day’s challenge inspired by Austin in the past and they always bring a lot of good feelings. Let’s how this one goes!
I am really excited to start this practice tomorrow morning. I have been struggling to find time in my week to draw the weekly assignments so this feels like the perfect time. I have been doing Morning Pages regularly for about a year and a half and I'm curious how this will be different! I feel much more comfortable writing than drawing so this feels more outside my comfort zone but in an exciting way!
Hooray! I think I may use plain old printer paper on a clipboard. Otherwise I get too precious.
And I just got a new sketch pad with exactly 30 pages! Kismet!
Yes!! I need this so much. Have been trying for literally years to maintain a daily drawing habit and keep falling off, so thank you for this!