So you want to become a more skilled artist?
First things first, you need to be drawing regularly—pretty much every day! However, just like any New Year’s Resolution, most of our daily drawing resolutions fall short too.
After years of drawing myself, I’ve established a regular drawing routine, which means you can too. Here are my quick tips to boost your motivation to draw and be creative:
1. Tidy up your workspace
Get rid of all the clutter and the dirt around your room/workspace so that it feels fresh. An ordered outer environment will make your inner thoughts harmonious as well.
You’ll find this is a very therapeutic process. At the end of a good tidy up, you’ll feel more motivated to get to work—I promise you!
2. Use visualisation
Vividly imagine a positive outcome from the action you’re trying to execute. Do not let any demotivating, pessimistic thoughts get in your mind.
You could envision the satisfaction of calmly sketching and creating, or visualise the mastery and prowess of your artistic ability over the long term. Or, imagine wild dimensions or fantastical creatures that you can’t wait to record on paper—anything that makes you eager to draw.
3. Promote positive self-talk
Awareness is key to achieving something your body doesn’t want to do. Creative motivation can arise through simply giving yourself a quick speech on what you want to be doing and comparing it what you are currently doing in the moment.
For example, let’s say you’re watching TV. Give yourself a speech—talk yourself into realising how much more beneficial it would be to work on your craft. Emphasise the negative of watching TV in that moment, and verbally remind yourself the positive outcomes from pursuing your creative goals.
4. Don’t think, just do
The more you think about and feel guilty over whether or not you’ll start doing something creative, the more demotivated you can become. Instead, we just need to make a start—just do it—and pay less attention to your thoughts.
In other words, focus on the doing and allow your body roll into the rhythm of creation. Suddenly, your creative motivation will spike.
Adding specific goals in combination with these 4 techniques can be very powerful. Start with one goal, and set a due date that’s not too far away. Then use these tips to stay motivated. Even if you are not naturally disciplined and intrinsically motivated, you will be amazed at how more productive you can be!
Special thanks to Diran Suraj for sharing this post! For articles from Diran, please visit sketchacks.com.
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