099: No Days Off
099: No Days Off
Wherein we discuss how there really are no days off...
I brought two things back with me from my NYC trip.
#1 - I bought a little pin when I was up in NYC, over at Chelsea Market at the Artist Market section. It says “No Days Off”. It spoke to me and my current chapter in life as a daily comic strip artist.
#2 - I brought back a cold. On Monday, during a livestream I started sneezing and could feel some sickness coming on. And sure enough, I must have snagged a cold in NYC.
I glanced over at the little pin….
“No Days Off…”
I laughed a little.
I knew it was going to be a challenging week...
Welcome to week 99 of the Draw or Die Newsletter… wow… next week is 100 weeks! Time flies…
Now, I like the idea and spirit of “no days off”.
Not in the way you may think. Not “hustle culture” or acting tough about how much you can grind out or overcome.
I like it more in the way of, when you find your true passion in life or art, you can’t imagine a day NOT doing it.
Even on sick days.
Now that I’m fortunate enough that it’s my career again, not just making art, but I’m producing a full-color comic trip 7 days a week for VeeFriends, there isn’t room at the moment for me to take “sick days” or “time off”.
Oddly enough, when I’m sick or have a cold, I find that forcing myself to draw or create actually makes me feel better.
Maybe it’s the breathing, when I get into the zone or flow state.
I’m a little slower, but the process of drawing, the craft, really IS good medicine.
This may not be the same for you, and that’s okay.
But, the next time you’re feeling a bit under the weather, take your medicine, and then bust out a sketchbook and get some lines in too!
My inner stoic reminds me, some day, we all will have the ultimate “day off”. One we never come back from.
It’s my intention to not waste any days. Every day you get to wake up, it’s GAME ON.
I love DAILY routines
You’d be surprised how many artists I speak to who think “Draw Every Day” is some kind of overkill. That it’s going to push you to burn out.
No, no, no.
It doesn’t have to be HARD. It can be as easy as a few minutes. A quick sketch. On good days, on bad days, I draw every damn day. I highly recommend it to you.
Here are a few quick suggestions:
Draw the same thing every damn day. Artist Campbell Walker (Struthless) decided to take this advice and drew an Ibis (bird) every day. He talks about it in his video “The drawing advice that changed my life.”
Write yourself a little prompt list. Set yourself a reminder or even a 15 minute recurring time each day. Just write a very large list of items and then draw that item quickly every day.
Draw Together: Join our Daily Drawing Club! The Raddest drawing club on the planet! We have a daily drawing prompt and fun challenges that come out at 5am EST every damn day! And you can see the other members posting their prompts. Yeah, that’s a plug, but it’s worth it!!! 5 bucks a month.
It’s very simple… if you can’t make a little time to create every day, to work on YOU, then there’s something wrong. And that’s NOT going to be a sustainable way for an artist to live or feel.
🔥This Week’s Drawing CHALLENGE!
This week’s drawing prompt is…
“NO DAYS OFF.”
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you read that? DRAW IT!
Be sure to tag #drawordieclub if you post your art on social media.
Next week… it’s week 100 of the newsletter! Wow, time flies, eh? I want to do something special next week and set the course for the next 100 weeks of Draw or Die. See ya then!
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I bought a book some years ago called 640, or was it 650? Anyway, it’s loaded with prompts to keep you busy. I did almost a month’s worth of drawings from it just one day at a time while at work. Time to dig it out, and see where I left off. NO DAYS OFF! Why do I hear this in that Mommie Dearest wire hanger bit? 🤣🤣