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Any tips on learning to enjoy the process drawing?

6:29 AM, Monday March 15th 2021

In the "I'm not ready to draw that" video from lesson 0 (which angered me when I first saw it because of how eerily it seemed to be speaking directly at me), Uncomfy remarks on the importance of learning to derive joy from the process of drawing rather than from the end result.

But this is easier said than done! Try as I might, I still find the process of drawing to oftentimes be frustrating and tedious. The quality of the finished drawing might not be a healthy motivator, but at least it was still a motivator. Prior to stepping into Drawabox, the joy I got from drawing something decent was the reward I got for going through the agony of drawing it in the first place. If I am to take what is normally a slow and agonizing process and turn it into something that I can directly and deliberately derive joy from, I think I'm going to need some pointers on how to do that.

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4 users agree
7:37 AM, Monday March 15th 2021
edited at 7:38 AM, Mar 15th 2021

Hi! This takes time, probably a lot before you can embrace the 50% rule fully with a sense of joy and liberation. And, at least for me, it hasn't been a linear process.

But as with everything new, you can start slow: 5 minutes a day, just doodling if you like, or drawing something you are a little bit more comfortable. Draw plants, stones, whatever you like that doesn't feel like an impossible mission. Then 5 minutes become 10, 15, half an hour and you tackle more difficult drawings without agonizing on the end result.

Also a very important point: If you keep at it, you do become better at drawing the stuff you like, because these are the only moments when you really put into practice what you have been studied so far. As much as a basketball player puts into practice his training during a game and not throwing the ball alone endlessly.

Hope this helped, but keep going! Drawing for fun is a muscle of the mind that must be kept in shape!

edited at 7:38 AM, Mar 15th 2021
2:09 AM, Tuesday March 16th 2021

Thanks; it does help. I saw some other threads that asked a similar question to what I asked, and the connecting theme to the answers appears to be similar: learning to enjoy the process of drawing is a skill, just like everything else taught in this course. You're not going to be able to have fun with it right off the bat, nor are you going to be able to draw without care for the quality of the end result. But you can practice adapting the mindset. The more you practice it, the more naturally that mindset comes. And the more naturally it starts to come, the more it will start to integrate itself into the stuff you do draw seriously.

Am I correct to interpret the carefree drawing in the 50% rule as another exercise? Obviously it's not the same type of exercise as the others in drawabox, since there's no guidance and no expectations and no grading. But it's a tool that you are expected to use in order to develop a necessary mental muscle, just like the other exercises in this course.

11:48 AM, Tuesday March 16th 2021

You can start considering it a sort of assignment, sure. A necessary step in your art journey!

1 users agree
9:35 PM, Monday March 15th 2021

I like to listen to podcasts while I'm doing the homework. Recently I've been listening to Supernatural & Crime Junkie by Ashley Flowers if that helps :)

1 users agree
9:09 PM, Friday March 19th 2021

It's normal to struggle and be frustrated while drawing. Without the struggle you can never be good. Yes drawing can be very time consuming and agonizing however that process reflects the results. If you hate the process and only want the results you are probably not going to get far in developing your drawing skills. That's why Uncomfortable emphasize the importance of the process. The process is challenging and frustrating. It makes you a better artist. I think to derive joy from the process of drawing you have to understand how important the process is. No process no results. The results don't matter half of the time. Ok yeah you get joy from drawing something decent, but if you want to improve you have to trust the process. I hope this helps you.

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