My 100-Day Drawing Project
I’ve long lamented the fact that I don’t have a consistent creative practice. I can probably count on one hand the number of personal creative projects I’ve done since getting out of design school 11 years ago. I’ve looked winsomely at people who kept a sketchbook or created something (anything!) just for fun without the pressure of needing it to be show-worthy or even good at all. For many years, I made excuses for my lack of creative output, like how I didn’t have the space (due to roommates), didn’t have time (that’s debatable, but really comes down to priorities), or didn’t have energy (valid, but again…this also comes down to prioritizing how to use my limited energy).
Earlier this year, I read Atomic Habits by James Clear and was so struck by his notion of identity-based habits. He states, “Your behaviours are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are – either consciously or non-consciously. Research has shown that once a person believes in a particular aspect of their identity, they are more likely to act in alignment with that belief.” (p. 33-34)
So, I decided that I was going to BECOME a person with a consistent creative habit. I started to implement the idea of Atomic Habits…making a commitment to myself that I would draw for 5-10 minutes daily for 100 days. The goal was not to draw anything amazing or to produce something sellable (isn’t it kind of ridiculous that we think everything we make needs to be sellable?!)...it was ultimately something I was doing for myself, strengthening the creative muscles that have atrophied after so many years of neglect. The project would be a success simply if I showed up at the table every day and made at least a few marks on the page.
In order to create a good habit, Clear encourages four things: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying. Here is how these played out in my scenario:
Make it obvious – I already had a fairly structured morning routine going on. I sit at my table to do a bit of reading and journalling, so I was easily able to add the drawing into this time. This is called habit-stacking, where a new behaviour becomes associated with other things that already consistently happen. I also made sure to set out my books and materials ahead of time so that they were ready to go in the morning.
Make it attractive – The novelty and excitement of the project definitely wore off after some time and there were many days I didn’t want to draw. Admittedly, I did occasionally skip days (but never more than 2 in a row), so the project actually spanned 115 days (Feb 28-Jun. 22). But the idea of becoming a person with a consistent creative habit remained attractive to me, and was still the ultimate motivator. I really admire people who embody this quality, who are committed to their art and who put in the time to hone their craft.
Make it easy – The bar was very low for this project…I committed to only 5-10 minutes of drawing per day, not aiming to have anything “good” at the end, but simply showing up and being willing to try. I drew in my book “642 Things to Draw” which has handy prompts on each page, eliminating the need to come up with my own idea.
Make it satisfying – After each drawing session, I would write the date and the day of the project, take a photo and add it to an album on my phone. Seeing that number grow was incredibly satisfying, and I did feel a sense of pride each day knowing that I was keeping my commitment to myself.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it actually is big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.”
JAMES CLEAR, ATOMIC HABITS
Overall, the project was a really satisfying experience for me. I’m proud of myself for seeing it through to the end, for showing up to draw each day even if the outcome wasn’t the best. I proved to myself that I can be a person with a consistent creative practice, and I think that’s really cool. I will definitely continue to use the idea of Atomic Habits in other areas of my life too.
Check out the gallery below for a few selects from the project.
