five reasons you need to create a sketchbook habit
Confession: I am not an organized person.
There are very few habits I’ve formed to make my life easier. I’m still trying to figure out a laundry day, and my husband swoops in to save my dying plants most weeks, because I can’t seem to make a habit of watering them regularly. BUT, there’s one habit I’ve been disciplined with for about two years.
Making a habit of exploring, playing, scribbling, and marking in a sketchbook has been the single best thing for my art over the past two years. In fact, I’d say it’s been one of the best things for my personal growth as well. If you’re into self-care, I’d label this as a very good form of it. And if you have a tough time finding where to fit creativity into your schedule, or you’re not sure what kind of style you’d like to pursue as an artist, I’d say you need to form a sketchbook habit.
Why? Glad you asked— here are five of my favorite reasons for keeping a small sketchbook and art supplies on hand at all times.
1) CREATIVITY becomes portable
When I began to form a sketchbook habit two years ago, I no longer needed a dedicated space for creativity, and I could fill up my creativity bucket anywhere I happened to be. Grab a big pencil pouch (or a makeup case, if you’re like me!), fill it with some Tombows and Posca pens, take your Moleskine Art Plus journal and you’re good to go. My favorite places to draw are my daughters’ ballet classes, during the sermon at church, while my kids’ climb around at the playground, and in the middle of homeschool lessons. Even just a few minutes scribbling and scrawling can make a huge difference in my attitude and outlook for the day.
When creativity becomes portable, it becomes second nature!
2) Create your own INSPIRATION
Ok, I’ve totally been there! It can be tempting and even easy to scroll Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration as you start to create a new piece of art. That can feel icky, especially if you’re copying fellow artists, and diluting your own powerful voice in the process. By forming a habit of sketch-booking, you’ll be creating your own inspiration images to reference. You can create pages and pages of inspiration to draw from - brushstrokes to try on canvas, florals to recreate in a different medium, color palettes to explore in a new composition on a larger scale. The work you put into your sketchbook can take on new life later on!
3) Build your own SAFE PLACE.
The great thing about your sketchbooks is that no one has to see them! It’s a safe place to experiment, play, try new methods and styles. Play around without having to make “art” or a finished product. As soon as you open your sketchbook, you can enter your own safe space with no judgment or expectation. What would you create if you knew that no one else was ever going to peek? What would you make if you knew you didn’t need to produce a masterpiece, or something sellable, but that you could just play?
4) See yourself GROW
The sketchbooks I started in 2017 look quite different from the books I’m working in now. I can see a marked difference in my style, the brushstrokes I gravitate towards and even my subject matter. My style has become more refined and my color palette more ‘me’! Working on collections of work on large canvas paintings isn’t generally where I’m doing my exploring— the work is taking place in my sketchbooks, and it’s getting translated into my collections. Even though I cringe a little bit to look at work from even just a few years ago, it’s encouraging to see my own growth, and pushes me to continue to create and learn.
5) Preserve MEMORIES
One of my favorite ongoing sketchbook projects is the book where I illustrate and draw quotes from my kids’ mouths. Silly, profound, ridiculous- I love the things they say, and this is a fun way to preserve those sayings besides in the Notes section of my iPhone. Start a new sketchbook for a trip, reserve one for your nature walks, sketch your children as they play in front of you. A sketchbook can be more than just doodling and scribbling- it can become a time capsule of a season of your life. Make it messy, write thoughts and memories, make it yours.
So, do I have you convinced yet?! If you’re wondering where to start, check out my highlights on my Instagram profile, or wait until next week when I share all of my favorite supplies for creating a habit of sketch-booking!
PS. I used some Amazon affiliate links on this post. That means if you click or purchase from those links, I get a tiny commission! My earnings go straight back to purchase more art supplies, so thanks for supporting my art and creativity!
