It’s my eight year anniversary of creating art every single day.
I never missed one. Not holidays. Not vacation. Not sickness.
Some of us can’t say we’ve even showered every day of the year. :)
So how did I get here?
The simple answer is one day at a time. I refer to them as marble moments.
I have a jar of 365 marbles on my desk that I use when speaking or teaching. It represents one piece of art for every day of the year.
A single a marble by itself doesn’t look like much. But what of you grouped seven of them together? Then add seven more? It’s by adding time increments on a daily basis that leads to a daily creative habit.
But instead of talking about principles and methods I’ve learned along this journey (like finding my style and voice as an artist, gaining confidence & momentum, refining my craft, unbelievable opportunities…) I’d rather tell you the story of WHY I began this journey. (If you’d like to read an older post check out my year five post.)
After all, you might be thinking, “that’s great that you have accomplished this, but what does your experience really have to do with me?” Perhaps, a lot.
But I need to bring you back to the beginning….
I found myself sobbing and broken on the side of this hiking trail in upstate New York during a retreat for ministry leaders. Life had unraveled and ironically, I felt emotionally like a knotted up and twisted ball of twine. I couldn’t determine what the issue was, and so couldn’t “fix it”. Which only made matters worse.
After some counseling, it was determined I had been suffering from a form of mild depression called Dysthymia. A full time ministry role where I held responsibilities outside my gifting and a misplaced identity in my work only compounded my problem.
I found myself needing to leave the church I helped plant. My wife and I had to sell our home. We didn’t know what would come next. Ultimately, it was a move out of state. What should have seemed like a fresh start, felt more like intense loss. We lost our house, left our friends and some family, left our faith community & jobs. It was during this transition that my father was also diagnosed with cancer, and quickly passed the second week into my new job.
I had often wondered to myself “is this it? is this what life looks like now?” It felt as rock bottom as I could imagine. And climbing out of depression seemed like a slippery slope, when circumstances threatened to weigh me down.
During this time I began to journal daily, intensely listening and praying. I didn’t know how to do much else other than dumping my emotions like modern day Psalms. Every day, I had just enough energy to keep showing up.
Through this process, I began to have this internal prompting that was calling me to return to art. Not the graphic design work that was part of my previous life’s employment, but rather a getting back to my roots, tactile experience of handling some art supplies that I hadn’t interacted with in since the days of art school. But how could I start creating art again when I had taken a 10 year absence and was battling depression?
My journey back started when, on a whim, I took a printmaking class at a local art center. While attending this 3 week course, I was turned onto a book called “The Creative License” by Danny Gregory. Little did I know this would stoke the internal creative fires within, that were dormant for far too long.
I decided to try my hand at 365 days of drawings and painting. Danny Gregory wrote “a five minute drawing is better than none”. Somehow these words were liberating. Surely I could manage five minutes, even if I had no clue how (or if) I could get to 365 days.
I was off and running, or more like stumbling. It was forced and awkward at first. My very first drawing was of a Starbucks coffee cup (pictured below). I both hate this drawing, and love it.
I hate it because it’s embarrassing. It’s a sucky drawing of a coffee cup. But I love this drawing because it signifies a rebirth. A phoenix moment. The moment I decided to push past my fear, those voices that told me I couldn’t draw because I couldn’t draw photorealistic renderings. The moment I choose to get back to my art because I needed it, for my soul.
Day one, year one of my 365 day daily art making practice.
I kept going. At first, filling pages and pages of my Moleskine sketchbooks, then branching out to individual pieces on canvas, paper, and even creating digitally as my confidence grew.
Early on, I decided to post my daily work on Instagram as a way of keeping accountable, and even posting the work, that in my opinion, was sub par. It wasn’t about creating “masterpieces”. I wouldn’t let that perfectionist voice discourage me from keeping on my journey.
The more I kept going, the more I felt life returning. Depression started to fade. Drive and passion filled its place.
Beyond the work itself, this journey has changed me. It has given me more confidence in creating and sharing my art. It has helped me identify my style and tools I like to work. It has connected me with new people and opportunities. It has challenged me in ways I’m not sure I can really express properly. As I kept taking the right next step, it evolved into steps of who I was created to be.
But it’s not all about me. It’s about you too.
My experiences and journey is only really redeemed if it serves to help others. So it’s not just my story, but ours.
Through this journey I discovered my deeper why — to tell stories and connect through my art. While the expression and themes of my creating may vary, it’s always with the intent of making a connection with others.
All eight years of daily consecutive art making.
What is it for you?
What have you wished you could accomplish? No matter how hopeless your circumstances may seem, keep showing up. Do that thing you need to because it’s life giving. It will give life to you, and then through you. Start where you are right now.
And to celebrate my eight years, I’m inviting you into an opportunity. I wanted to offer something practical, not just encouraging words.
So, i’m launching one-on-one hourly coaching, and a separate mastermind group for creative people (Artists, Makers, and Content Creators as I say on my podcast). Anyone who is ready to start taking action in their creative pursuits.
Perhaps it’s:
Writing and self-publishing a book
Launching a podcast
Creating a body of work with painting, drawing or visual art
Establishing your own daily creative habit
Getting help with personal branding
Whatever it looks like for you, I can help you identify some next steps.
In our one-on-one hourly coaching, we can deep dive into your current creative struggle and formulate an action plan. We’ll meet via zoom and you’ll even get a video and audio recording of our call for easy reference.
For the Creative Action Takers mastermind (yes - CATs) we’ll meet weekly for 12 weeks to discuss each members creative problem, resulting in an action plan in the context of group think-tank and accountability.
And for those who want to dive even deeper, I’m offering an Elite package that combines the power of the mastermind and the personal one-on-one coaching.
You can apply for your coaching and mastermind spots by filling out the form. It’s first come, first served. Spots are limited. Application does not guarantee a spot.
Your Day One is waiting.
What could it look like for you?
