THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHALLENGE

A Shortcut to seeing.

We all have shortcuts for how to draw things, hands, trees, houses. If I asked you to draw a heart you would give me the icon, you do this for just about everything you draw.

That’s why your drawings of familiar objects sometimes look flat, generic, or somehow “off” despite your best efforts.

Here’s the hack : turn your reference image upside-down and draw it that way. When the subject is inverted, your brain can’t rely on those shortcuts anymore, you start to see pure shapes, angles, and relationships rather than “an eye” or “a coffee cup.”

TEN MINUTE ARTIST PROMPT

Draw a flowchart for your process

Find a photo, turn it upside down and draw what you see.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Share your map in notes and tag Ten Minute Artist: Daily Creative Joy

Or put it in the chat.

---

Many people have tried this exercise, but I wonder how many people use it regularly to engage your brain while drawing.

Do you know of any fun tricks you want to share with the community?

If you found this prompt valuable, why not pass it along to an artist friend, peer, or

And if you know someone who could use some daily inspirations and encouragement, invite them to join us!

---

A Note on Your Ten Minute Artist Subscription

OUR MISSION

At Ten Minute Artist, we’re challenging the “struggling artist” myth.

I believe artists create some of the world’s most important work and deserve to thrive while doing it. Every prompt, sprint, and resource is designed with one goal: transforming mindsets from struggling to thriving through small, consistent actions.

FREE SUBSCRIPTION

You receive 24-25 daily-ish prompts each month (that's 83% of all content) to help you build and maintain your creative practice. Just ten minutes a day is all you need to confidently call yourself an artist.

PAID SUBSCRIPTION

Paid subscribers get everything above PLUS access to our monthly 5-day Creative Sprints. Unlike regular prompts, these special sequences build on each other to tackle a specific creative challenge. Our next Sprint focuses on Financial Sovereignty - transforming your relationship with money as an artist.

STUDIO FOUNDERS

This premium tier includes everything above PLUS:

• Early access to the next 7 months of Creative Sprints in our 12,000-word mini-book: "Ten Minute Artist: 28 Strategies to go from Struggling to Thriving Artist"

• Monthly personalized check-in emails for accountability and guidance

Not sure which option is right for you? Start with the free subscription and upgrade anytime you're ready for more focused transformation. Paid subscribers can become Studio Founders for as little as $1 extra.

Bio | Portfolio

PS: The last creative sprint was about getting unstuck, and you can get it here.