This month the habit I wanted to polish was “Sketching”. The goal, of course, was to rediscover my inner artist. I know you want to see the results but hey wait for it. Let me first tell you the way I approached this sketching challenge and the results I got.

I say rediscovered because I have been drawing, sketching, or painting in different forms throughout my life. But never as consistently as I read or workout. The most I sketched was when I was learning fashion design. Every garment needed to be drawn before going down to garment construction.

The Challenge:

I started out with a plan to sketch everyday for 15 days straight. And you can call it a failure that I ended up with hardly 7 sketches done. Some days I finished it in one ago and some days I continued it to next day. But I enjoyed this challenge a lot. And I learnt that this is not something I will ever will be able to do every day (like running or cycling). Creative things need the right state of mind for execution.

The Results:

So, let’s jump straight to the results of this month’s sketching challenge:

1. Increased Focus:

One of the basic moves in sketching is to use single big strokes. This gives a better finish than multiple connected small strokes. But to get the strokes right, you need focus. This practice of focused strokes certainly improved my concentration in other aspects of my life. I saw improved patience and focus on work throughout the month.

2. Improved Imagination:

A few months ago, a cousin of mine asked me for advice about things to do in free time. I suggested to her a simple idea to start with one fitness activity and one creative activity. The fitness activity helps the body become stronger and the creative activity helps the mind become calmer. I saw the effects of sketching several times when my heart rate slowed down. My breathing was more controlled and my imagination took flight.

3. Sense Of Achievement:

Sketching an idea typically takes me 30 minutes to 45 minutes. It depends on the complexity. I like the raw look of sketching something. The results satisfy me more than colored or painted artwork. You can say I am into the “black and white” look in art. The point is, this short sketching time gives me an instant sense of achievement. The power of having accomplished something beautiful.

Please leave a comment if my experience has inspired you to bring out your inner artist. Share your experience with building any new habit as well. I will keep bringing a blog on habit building every month. Hope you stay with me on my journey.