Hey — I just wanted to share a quick 2 step method to get better at anything. It’s how you will get the most out of these 10 minute practice sessions.
You may have noticed I’ve been adding videos to these posts over the past few days?
My primary purpose of doing so is to get better at making videos. I’m making a course later in the year — which will require me to produce videos. So I’m using my 10 minuted drawing time, to also practice making a video.
How will making a a minute video of yourself drawing improve your skill in making videos you might ask, and that’s what I want to answer today.
It probably won’t .
Well it might, but it would take a really long time, to learn just by doing. The thing that will accelerate the process is giving yourself feedback.
A cynic working in an office might call this process eating a shit sandwich. Where you get a piece of of criticism sandwiched between two pieces of praise. But you’re not a cynic in an office.
So I want you to take this, with a positive attitude — if you do that you are going to get a ton of value from your ten minuted drawing practice.
OKAY, so the first thing you got to do is try things, I’ll use me as an example.
I’m making a video every day.
Next, you need to ask yourself 3 questions.
What did you do great here?
What is one thing you could do to make it even better next time? And why will that be considered an improvement
What else did I do great here today?
So Adam, what did you do great here? (Here being in making a video)
I actually did it, I didn’t feel like it, but I pushed through, I know I’m capable of doing it, and so I did!
What is one thing you could do to make it even better next time? And why will that be considered an improvement
I could start by saying hello, maybe have a general structure, of the things I want to mention, this would fill some of the dead air, and some of the repetition of doing this would create a confidence in starting these videos.
What else did you do great here today?
I created the video and uploaded it to youtube rather than substack, I tried a new thing, so I have that experience, and I can decide which workflow works best.
Here’s why it works!
Instead of focusing on all the things that make my videos bad or comparing it with the very best videos made by teams of people with decades of experience, I’m focusing on the little good I’ve accomplished. That weight of focusing on the wrong thing can quickly derail a creative practice, that is fuel for the artist’s arch nemesis ‘Resistance’. In short, I made myself feel good about doing it rather than feel bad, and that is SUPER IMPORTANT!
It gave me something to try differently the next time. This creates momentum, I’m already assuming that I will keep doing this, and I know exactly what to do next, again I’m giving myself a positive focus, some thing I know will make this better.
I feel a sense of progress, and that is often better than a feeling of accomplishment. One of the big aims of this 10 minute practice is to make regular progress, and that keeps you moving forward.
How do you give yourself feedback, how do you feel when you try it this way? What other benefits can you think of that will come from giving yourself 2 pieces of positive feedback and 1 area of improvement for next time?
"There was a breath of air and a noise of wind, but the forest-roof was as dark as ever."
Speaking of focus, thinking about this quote, imagine what it means to focus on the breath of air and the noise of wind rather than the darkness. How beautiful and profound is Tolkien’s writing?
If you want to watch the video of me drawing this, you can do so here
Every day I write a drawing prompt and meditation or open letter.
The prompts are meant to be done in 10 minutes, the goal is to build a daily practice in as little as 10 minutes a day.
Some do this for the pure joy of it. Others do it to bring more creative joy into their existing practice. Some are starting the journey, others have drawn over 500 pages, 10 minutes at a time!
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I’ve create a gallery for you to share our hobbit drawings, and chat about the journey:
I have to be honest: I like The Hobbit so much that I am intimidated to start illustrating it (even if it is just a 10 minute x26 exercise)! There, I said it. 🙈
I have to be honest: I like The Hobbit so much that I am intimidated to start illustrating it (even if it is just a 10 minute x26 exercise)! There, I said it. 🙈