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An artist's best friend

A tool to fight overthinking, procrastination, and distraction
12

The most valuable tool in your kit could be sitting on your wrist. It’s the almighty timer on your watch!

Set a timer when you: 

  • Choose a color palette

  • Sketch from a reference image

  • Clean your house

  • Look at your phone

  • Check emails

drawing of an elk in a sketchbook
Drawn with the supplies I packed in the video (and a palette of gouache that I always carry)

Does it feel restrictive and stressful? 

No! The timer makes your day feel more like a carnival. When it buzzes, you know it’s time to get off a ride and move on to the next! 

How can a timer help you?

Avoid overthinking - If you find yourself agonizing over getting that perfect line, set a 5-minute timer and it becomes a race between your brain and your hand. Hopefully your hand wins.

Limit procrastination - Errands, chores, and obligations can call out to us when we have work to do. Put 10 minutes on the clock, do what you can, then practice drawing!

Practice accountability - Social media is a necessity for promotion, but spending too much time there can sap creativity. Manually setting a timer to do marketing is a must! 

If I were getting married, I’d ask my timer to be the maid of honor at my wedding.  It may not be able to throw me a wild bachelorette party, but it’ll ensure I’m walking down the aisle on time.

sketches of a zebra and crocodilesketches of a zebra and crocodile
More drawings from my day at the zoo after 5-minute materials packing. I sketched double what I usually do on a 2-hour zoo visit. I'll definitely set a timer next time, maybe for 3 minutes!

A timer is my most important tool because it helps me treat my creative practice like a career. When I worked for others, I had no problem showing up at 9 am every day. The timer helps us treat ourselves with the same kindness and courtesy others expect from us.

komodo dragon illustration by Beth Spencer
Hollywood Jeff, drawn with supplies I packed on a timer in the video. P.S. We’re drawing him as a ballet dancer in Friday’s session!

TWO sessions next week!

Leaping Lizards on Friday and then a brilliant session with

on Saturday! Nishant’s drawing workshops are WONDERFUL and always leave me feeling inspired and excited to try what I’ve learned. If you’re a paid member of his community or this one, you’re invited!

This post is for paid subscribers

Introvert Drawing Club
Materials
I love trying new art supplies! This is where I share what I'm using and how it plays with other materials on paper. Sometimes, I share the digital editing process, too!