Okay, so, like, being a regular working adult makes it SO hard to do stuff at the same time every day, ya know?
Especially if your job’s got a lot of overtime. Plus, there are, like, a million distractions – drinks with friends, karaoke, wanting to read a book, you name it.
For a total noob like me, if I don’t touch my tablet for three days, my brain just, like, forgets everything.
They say you gotta keep at it to get the hang of drawing, and I get that.
So, I’m gonna try drawing every day for a month.
This post is gonna be, like, super wordy, even though this is supposed to be an art blog. Sorry about that!
Tips for Making it a Habit
This is, like, common knowledge, but making something a habit is HARD. Here’s my take on it:
- Make the first step super easy
- Tie it to something you already do every day
- Force yourself to do it for three weeks
You hear this stuff in business seminars all the time.
First up, “make the first step super easy.” This is, like, crucial. And I mean REALLY easy.
Lowering the Bar for Drawing Itself
For “drawing,” I don’t mean making a full-on illustration. Even just some random doodles are fine.
Just, like, scribble something on the tablet.
As long as you do SOMETHING art-related, you’re good.
That’s how I’m lowering the bar for drawing.
Lowering the Bar for Getting Started
Next up, lowering the bar for getting started.
This is where you tie it to something you already do.
For me, I usually start my chill time after dinner and my shower.
Eating and showering are already habits.
So, I’m gonna make drawing the next step after those.
Basically, use those habits as a trigger.
The key is to be specific about the trigger.
Like, I could say “after my shower,” but there’s still a bunch of stuff I do after that.
Shower → dry off → pajamas → chill time.
I’m a smoker, so I love having a cig after my shower. That’s gonna be my trigger.
“After my post-shower smoke, I’ll sit down at my PC and grab my pen.” That’s the plan.
The Steps to Start Drawing
Just FYI, here’s the usual process for starting to draw:
- Sit at the PC/grab the tablet
- Turn on the PC/wake up the tablet
- Open the drawing software
- Grab the pen
- Draw
There’s, like, a ton of traps in there, like getting sucked into YouTube or TikTok, or spending forever trying to figure out what to draw.
I usually leave my PC and Clip Studio open, so I’ve already skipped a couple of steps. But I still gotta sit down and grab my pen.
So, like I said, once I set my trigger, steps 1 and 4 are done. All I gotta do is draw.
The only problems are, like, days when I don’t even turn on my PC, and resisting the urge to watch YouTube.
Gotta watch out for that.
Trying to Stick with It for Three Weeks, Even if It’s a Drag
This is based on the “21-day rule” from psychology.
Turns out, it actually takes, like, 66 days on average to make something a habit. But doing it for three weeks should at least get it into your subconscious.
Whether it’s 21 or 66 days, the idea is to keep at it until it’s automatic. So, I’m gonna try to force myself to draw for three weeks, maybe even three months.
Wrap-up
I managed to make working out a habit using the same method, so hopefully, I can do the same with drawing.
It’s gonna be tough, especially on drinking nights.
I had the same problem with working out.
The solution is to give yourself some wiggle room.
Sounds kinda contradictory, but you gotta cut yourself some slack.
So, if I miss a day, I’m gonna forgive myself.
But I’ll make up for it by doing a 30-second drawing the next day.
On day one, April 1st, I got home at 4 AM after drinking, but I still did a quick doodle.
Gonna keep at it!
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