Do you want a more consistent creative practice?

Do you have a consistent creative practice? I struggle with consistency whether it’s showing up to my art practice or exercising. For the record, I’m very consistent in flossing my teeth. 

But let’s talk about showing up regularly to your art practice. I have a few ideas for you to consider if you struggle with consistency, too.

Make it a priority

Schedule a creativity date with yourself. I’m pretty good at keeping promises I make to other people, and not so good at keeping the promises I make to myself! However, if we consider ourselves artists, we’ll want to prioritize finding the time to create art. So figure out a time and place for your daily creative practice. Unless you’ve given your commitment a day and time, it’s not a priority! 

Keeping this promise to yourself is much easier when it becomes a habit. Attaching your new practice to something you already do every day is super helpful. I learned this technique at Tiny Habits. Using Tiny Habits, I was finally able to estable the morning routine that I wanted. Now, I anchor my daily creative practice to lunch (never miss that!), committing to draw a little piece of art every day after I finish eating.

a stack of supplies: a black pen, a hardcover book and a box of soft oil pastels

Make it easy

Gather a few simple supplies and a substrate and keep them nearby.

And by a few simple supplies, I mean a very few. I use only three things show in the photo above. Narrowing the choices you have will help you avoid analysis paralysis. Having all the art supplies leads to overwhelm - it is too exhausting for your brain. Just select a few and keep them nearby, removing the obstacles to using them!

Nearby what exactly?

Your answer will depend on your chosen supplies. Liquid media, like any kind of paint, will require a place where spills and splatters are allowed. Dry media, like colored pencils, opens up more possibilities; you can even create while sitting on the living room couch! I have been using oil pastels and an old book. Oil pastels don’t spill or splatter but they do smudge, so the kitchen table works well for me.

Which substrate should you use?

I work in an old book instead of an official sketch book. An old book is a very non-threatening and non-precious container for me. A sketchbook somehow carries expectations of real “art” (whatever that means and whoever gets to define it).

Sometimes I find a proper sketchbook quite intimidating what with all its pristine white pages. But an old book is more gracious, welcoming the opportunity to be opened again and be of service, even if only to receive marks and colors, instead of as originally intended. It beats sitting on a shelf forgotten and dusty! And I do love the look of book text peeking through my art. Sometimes the art transfers onto the facing page, making a ghostly impression!

a chalk image of a face on a page in a book with a ghost impression on the facing page

Make it quick

We have so many commitments and obligations calling us. But a commitment to yourself is important, too, so here’s my hack: Set the timer. Creating quickly in 15 minute spurts helps you fit this important activity into your calendar. And it pulls you out of overthinking. With the timer counting down, there’s no time to ruminate. There’s no room for perfectionism. Just make a mark to begin. You are not being graded!! Beginning is the hardest part. Once you’ve begun, you may be enjoying yourself so much that you choose to keep going after the timer bell buzzes!

Make it fun

Why do I take time for this little bit of creative play (and why you might want to! 😉)?

• Playing with art materials - creamy pastels on thick cotton pages with a deckled edge - is an embodied practice - the smell of the pages, the feel of the pastels, and of course, sight, activate the senses. This grounds me in the present moment and keeps me out of overthinking.

• I’m keeping a promise to myself to move the line daily. Keeping promises to myself increases my ability to trust myself.

• Playing with colors makes my soul happy! Creating art fills me up like a delicious meal.

• And it’s fun! It is more fun than cleaning bathrooms or doing the laundry, for sure. And it stays done. When my kids were little, I felt the dread of being on that cleaning-feeding-washing treadmill, where everything had to be done again and again. I didn’t mind cooking dinner; I just didn’t like the everyday-ness of the task. However, once a piece of art is done, it stays done which is more than I can say for cleaning or washing!

You can watch a flip though of the book I am using right now for my creative practice by clicking here. 

Do you need help being more consistent in your art practice? 

Let me know which of the above ideas you will try first!