Just Draw!
Do any of these statements apply to you?
- I have trouble keeping my portfolio up-to-date.
- I never have new artwork to show.
- I’m behind in my postcard mailings.
- I can’t paint/draw as well as I’d like.
- I often get stuck in a rut and don’t know what to paint.
- I haven’t created any good paintings lately.
- Most of my sketchbooks are only half-full.
- My blog hasn’t had a new post in weeks.
- I am having trouble coming up with ideas and staying creative.
- My work has stopped evolving/improving.
etc., etc…
Well, here is your solution…
Just Draw!
Paint! Sketch! Scribble! Doodle!
It doesn’t matter what it is or if it is any good. Let your brain brainstorm. A lot of what you come up with is going to be terrible, horrible work - but that is the only way you are ever going to get to the good stuff.
Creatives and freelancers suffer the most when they are not PRODUCTIVE. You have to find ways to keep your brain and hands working. If you are always producing artwork, a) you will become better at your craft, and b) you will always have new artwork.
One Main Goal
I’ll admit, I get distracted very easily. I have promos to make, emails to answer, blogs to write, housework, business work, and every different kind of work that doesn’t even include drawing. I get discouraged really easily, and in between getting pulled from here to there, I’ll get little or nothing done. Very frustrating.
So one day I took a moment to evaluate myself. As an illustrator, my entire work and business and living comes down to one thing - my art. If I can continue creating and painting and illustrating, everything else would pretty much fall into place. You can’t create postcards, update websites, or improve your work if you are not constantly creating new art.
Now, when I sit down to work every day, I have one goal and one goal only: to draw.
Example: The Daily Doodle
As part of my new strategy, I implemented a personal goal called the Daily Doodle. If you follow my sketch blog, you’ve probably already seen some of them. The task is simple; every day, no matter what else is happening in my life and no matter how much other stuff I have to get done, I do one little personal sketch per day.
I have no rules or theme for this daily exercise, other than the doodle can’t be for any job (just a sketch for me and me only), and it has to stretch my creativity or skill a little bit. It usually takes only a few minutes.
And you know what a few minutes per day gives me?
- A break - I draw a lot of the same things every day - children, animals, and basically anything cute. Well, with the Daily Doodle I am able to draw whatever I want without a client to please.
- Creative practice - If you have ever stared at a blank piece of paper, you know how hard it can be to fill it. This goal has given me that challenge every day. It’s like a small rehearsal for getting out of the bigger ruts.
- Unusual results - Vampire clowns. Zombies. Monsters. I don’t draw these things very often, but they have all seemed to come out in a doodle these past few weeks. Who knew I had it in me? Give yourself the freedom, time, and effort, and hidden parts of your creativity will start to emerge.
Now, go draw!
All artists will go through down-times and ruts. The mediocre, undedicated artists never make it out, but the good ones succeed because they know how to work their way through it. In the artist’s world, that means drawing, drawing, and more drawing. It’s how you stay productive, move forward, and become a better illustrator.
Every time I get confused, and life starts to bog me down, I put it all aside and just draw. And you know what I’ve found? The other stuff actually gets done too.
Just draw. Every day. Produce. Sketch. Create. And the rest will come.
All of my Daily Doodles can be viewed on my website at http://www.danijones.com/dailydoodles.html. The archive is updated weekly.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Thanks for this. I am so glad I am not alone :). I was in a nasty rut for about a week . I was able to shake it but man is that a dark place to be at.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:41 am
This definitely applies to me, I’ve been in a bit of a block for a while and always get distracted with making more tea and web coding. Thanks for this advice and great site
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
This is very true! A couple of months ago I decided to do a “daily ink”. Same concept, just inks and a brush. It’s turned into my favorite time of day and a very strong part of my portfolio. So yes, the daily “just to keep the juices flowing” idea is a good one.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Yes, I was having trouble, all the things I drew were bad..then came a freelance job, 300 drawings… I finished exhausted, but I’m back!! the drawing skills were asleep… hehee. This Post is SOOOOO true. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:03 am
As an emerging artist and art student, I heard that this is true. An artist must make art everyday if he/she wishes to develop and stay inspired. I’ve produce many personal works this year everyday and found great development. DaniDraws is becoming one of my favorite artist-inspiring bookmarks in my browser.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 am
You? Get discouraged easily? Impossible! Your work always looks so effortless and joyful to me, even your quick sketches, it’s hard to imagine you not feeling motivated to draw and create lol! Thanks for the great post, it’s very true and what we all need to do.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Thank you very for sharing your knowledge with us. I’ll take your advice and post some sketches on my blog which I’ve recently updated with a new look. I’m still working on how I want its functionality to work. Everything you mentioned in this post is very thought provoking and I will have to create some postcards to send out to prospective clients. I need a marketing plan which don’t know how to create. And, there’s a lot of research I’ve got to do.
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Thanks for the advice , Dani, its a good reminder. I set it as one of my personal goals - then I kinda slacked off. Sometimes I really get bogged down with stuff, I guess I need to take a breather a draw a little bit more - you know, just for fun. I heard that it does a world of good.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Well done Dani. The first, and probably the only piece of advice any budding artist would ever need.
We tend to forget that the greatest moments in art have been preceded by lots of small bits and pieces along the way. If you keep waiting for The Big Strike of Inspiration to come, it probably never will and you’ll get nothing done. We cannot pretend each and every sketch in our books to be a show masterpiece - in fact, most will be simply awful and not remotely close to what we’d consider portfolio material. But consistency teaches us that it may take 10 (or more) blah drawings to come up with one that we can be really proud of. It’s just the way it is. Keeping going and going like the Energizer bunny is the only way to get things done, and fulfill your goals.
October 24th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I’ll echo what other people here have said - wonderful advice! I’ve been reading your blog for the past several months and I’m especially inspired and heartened to read this particular post. In fact, I’ve downloaded it as well as your post about 101 things to do creatively (pardon the paraphrase) so I can keep them handy in the sketchbook I am using at the moment to remind me to keep on keeping on, to just draw, no matter how much life tries to get in the way.
Thanks, Dani! You are a terrific inspiration.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
You get discouraged?!? What a relief! (Not that I want you to get discouraged! But, you know what I mean…)
November 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
So true, so true…
About a year ago i decided that I should sketch something everyday, but somehow never done it on a daily basis.
A couple of days ago i decided to finaly deal with my laziness and start working… No jugment, no critics, just sketching without making it perfect…
I must admit that todays 3 hours of work were not just fun but also very productive.
And then i’ve read your post.
So thank you for the encouragement, Dani.
I make it my own challenge.
BTW - i LOVE your work…
November 28th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
hiho
i just recovered your site, have to say i love it!
keep up ur amazing work and articles, you re a great inspiration to me
thx!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Is this true after a 10 year hiatus? I’ve been away from it for so long I don’t know that I will ever get back. Start by doodling I guess. Thanks, Rickyn
May 15th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
You’ve just said it all.
Wonderful advice.
It does help a lot.
I’ve heard once that Practice is the mother of Skill and you just confirmed it.
Thank You Dani!