The 50% rule has a simple objective. Uncomfortable doesn't want you to burn out by just studying all the time. It is very addictive to do tutorials and study sessions because it make you feel like you are learning. I have been guilty of this.

Also he wants you to spend time drawing for the sake of drawing. Think of the way a child draws with crayons. They are drawing just for the sake of it. For the fun of it. They don't beat themselves up because their drawings aren't as good as professional artists.

I think Uncomfortable created the rule and spends so much time explaining it because students will push back on doing it for various reasons. He has had enough experience to see why it is so important for future success. That's what a good teacher can bring to the table.

While I do agree that the instructions might seem complicated at first, but they are actually really simple after thinking about them in the context of drawing as a hobby not as a skill. Draw freely for roughly the same amount of time you would do tutorials and exercises.

At first it won’t be fun and you will hate it because you are drawing „badly“ in your mind. But it doesn’t matter, as the rule wasn’t made so one could specifically „have fun“ or make beautiful art with it. It‘s to experiment and learn and stay motivated for the learning part.

I stopped it for some time during the 250 boxes challenge and I regretted it immensely, as I didn’t wanna draw as half as much anymore. Drawing became this tedious thing instead of this hobby where you just draw without worrying about the end result too much.

And I guess it a way that‘s the whole idea. Just draw for same amount of time even if not all of it is in the same session or setting.

You will eventually start having fun and wanting to do it even more than the exercises part.