Welcome to week 103 of the Draw or Die Newsletter for visual artists.
Real quick housekeeping: The daily live streams have been fun! We’re back to 7AM EST Daily Drawing streams Mon-Fri next week. Catch replays and set reminders over at https://www.youtube.com/@DJCoffman/streams - And if you have any questions or request for art topics, let me know!
Hit a wall? Feeling like tossing your art supplies into the abyss? Hold up!
Before you do anything drastic, let's get real and tackle this head-on with some straight-shooting advice.
1. Just Do Something
Big masterpiece overwhelming you? Forget it for a minute. Focus on the small stuff. A line here, a scribble there—it all counts. Don't get caught up in the grandeur. Progress is progress, no matter how small. Keep your hands moving and your mind will follow.
In my experience, a pencil in motion stays in motion. If you feel like you’re totally dragging try this trick….
set a timer for 30 minutes.
Force yourself to sit and scribble, or draw mindless bullshit.
Draw a million eyeballs. Draw some birds.It doesn’t matter really what you draw just sit there and scribble through the pain.
Don’t judge or overthink what you’re drawing. JUST FLOW through it
Now when the clock hits 30 minutes, you brain has probably accessed the “flow” state, or what I call THE ZONE. And when that feeling hits, it’s hard to let it go. You can keep drawing if you wish, or walk away with your new inspiration.
2. Change Your Game!
Comfort zones are creativity killers. Step out of yours and see what happens.
Switch gears. If you're painting, try sculpting. If you're drawing, try photography.
Mix it up! New challenges spark new ideas. It can be as simple as switching tools.
In yesterday’s members only stream I decided to mess with Adobe Fresco for the first time and explore it together. I usually use Procreate for digital art, but I always want to stay sharp and at least try some new things. I won’t lie, I felt like quitting after 5 minutes in when I felt frustrated that I couldn’t find tools like I had in Procreate.
I took my own advice and set a timer, and by the time 30 minutes were up ,I found myself wanting to go watch some more tutorials on Fresco, or maybe want to challenge myself to try making a full comic in it.
3. Talk It Out
Going solo in your art journey can be a dead end. Connect with others! Share your hurdles and listen to theirs. A fresh perspective can kickstart your stalled engine.
Remember, it's not just about venting; it's about exchanging ideas that could light your way out of that tunnel.
Before you even think about giving up, test drive these strategies.
They're straightforward, no fluff. And they work 99% of the time.
A good reminder we have a free DISCORD community with different channels for tool-talk, work in progress, and there’s also a mental health chat if you need it. I don’t think anyone understands our issues better than other artists. Join that here.
Please Check On Your Art Friends…
This week a NYC Cartoonist, Jon Medwick, jumped to his death after dealing with deep depression. He had a good job, a side cartooning gig. His acquaintances and neighbors all thought he had it together.
Creatives, maybe even more than others, keep things bottled up and suppressed. Imagination can be a double edged sword. Please don’t let this happen to you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts and thinking about checking out, please dial 988 and talk to someone.
OR… like i said, tap into our community of POSITIVE artists. Many of us have all been through some stuff, or are fighting battles people would never know. Let’s do better as fellow artists to try to support each other.
Damn, stories like that make me so sad… and mad. I don’t want to say our little drawing club might have saved Jon, but I wish I could have known him. The thing that stuck out to me was other well-known NYC artists I know who linked to this story, they all said “He looks familiar but I never knew him.”
I wish he could have known a community and vibe like ours.
RIP Jon.
🔥Today’s Drawing CHALLENGE!
Today’s drawing prompt is…
“Breaking Through…”
Post what you draw on social media or over in the Discord community!
✏️☠️♣️ The Daily Drawing Club is only 16cents a day!!!!
Yep, just 16Cents per day! Level up your art and spirit with daily drawing prompts (5am!), an exclusive quarterly sticker, members only streams AND more! JOIN HERE!
I hope you start every day doing something for YOU. See ya soon.
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