How should you create seems to be a popular topic that so many newer artists are asking, and part of it I think spurred from the Inktober challenge created by Jake Parker in 2009. Inktober is a month long challenge during October, where you draw in ink everyday based on a prompt list. Back when it first started gaining traction, artists were pushing themselves to create a finished art piece everyday for an entire month.
Now a days, artists may decide to plan their drawings weeks or even months in advance just to try and keep up with the challenge. Even then, there are some who decide to only create a few pieces to celebrate Inktober instead to save themselves from the pressure.
How Often do I create?
The Fantasy: I’m creating a new piece everyday!
The Reality: I try to sketch everyday, even if it’s just a loose sketch. And because I have a separate day job, and life liking to spontaneously throw curve balls, I may only create a new finished piece every other week or one per month.
I wish I could say that I stick to a set schedule, but unfortunately that doesn’t work for me at this time. It might be when I can go full-time with my art business. Believe me, I have tried endless times to set a schedule and prep ahead to complete month long challenges like Inktober, or Mermay, but the pressure to create a finished piece everyday within the short time frame I was able to allow myself lead to burnout early on, and incompletion of the challenge.
Until I can manage my time more freely, I am sketching or creating while I have something else going on. That may be while I wait for my finished pieces to go through art protection programs, or it might be while I’m waiting for food to cook, and sometimes its when I am watching a show or movie. Anytime I can multitask or have a little bit of free time you can bet I have some piece of art in front of me to work on. That is, if I haven’t fallen into doom scrolling while finding reference pictures.
How often should you be creating art depends on your individual situation. Consider how long it takes to create a piece, time availability, and your other responsibilities. If you find that you have zero time, look at how you are spending your days and where you can trim down other things, or multitask. If you are just looking to build a habit, set a time every day to sit down and commit to drawing for 5 minutes. If you feel inspired to keep going, then keep creating, otherwise hit the five minute mark and check it off your habit tracker for the day!
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