slow habits for artists ‧₊˚❀ chill sketch & chat vlog 

I am a disabled artist and used to feel so much shame around the fact that I could not keep up with the insanely fast-paced demands of the algorithms and the industry. The more I have washed away the shame, stayed away from the internet, watched less short-form content and more cinema, spent more time outside, embraced my boredom, etc., the more I've felt my love for art coming back in droves. I haven't had this much excitement and passion for art since middle school. I've even noticed a significant increase in the speed of my improvement and growth in technical skill as an artist as I have become more comfortable letting go and enjoying the moment.

I'm into art since I was 17, now I'm 35, and still working on my style cause I don't have one. But I'm always trying and improving, testing materials and experimenting to see what gives me more freedom to create. Everyone's pace is different

It takes me around 1-2 months to concept and create new original oil paintings. This means I only create around 6 new pieces a year. I have received pressure online to create more, but when I’ve made the mistake of bullying my creativity I quickly descend into a bad relationship with myself. Art is like nature, it needs time to slowly grow and bloom when it’s ready.

Somewhere along the way, many of us forgot that the reason we make art is because we have fun making art. The demands of social media got us to forget that, and it stopped being about "am I having fun" and turned to "am I going fast enough and putting out enough work?" I think it's part of the art journey to wrestle with this, and it was a big step in my development. I finally made peace with myself and my art and, for the past two years or so, have gotten back to making art because I enjoy myself doing it. Often, I feel like I spend hours to create work that I just throw into the void to a world that doesn't care - and that feeling has become liberating. I'm no longer making art for others - I'm making it for me and then sharing it with others. What a beautiful journey.

Being okay with creating slowly is something I've slowly been coming to terms with. Realizing you can just take your time and enjoy the process is so freeing!

“Let yourself exist slowly.” I love this so much. I’m disabled and have a family and I just cannot keep up no matter how hard I’ve tried. I’ve been more patient with myself because I don’t want to burn out so I’ve accepted that posting a video a week is likely too lofty of a goal for me. The hobby thing has really helped me too. Thank you for promoting slow art and sharing your wisdom.

Listening to this kind of made me cry. I am a disabled artist, and after finishing college for art I just was so burnt out, and I felt so frustrated that even now after close to a year of being out of college I got nothing to show for it. No job and my portfolio rather sucks. So hearing this is very comforting, and I hope I can actually put the tips into action and actually improve mentally and love art again

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS!!! I just wrote an article about ways we can cultivate a creative community that's closer to what I think a lot of us want it to be. So many of us pursued art because we wanted a slower, more fulfilling life instead of a fast-paced competitive career and sometimes it feels like the art industry is just as fast-paced and competitive as corporate-life now. I'm so glad I found your channel!

Love this. I take to heart the 'slow is fast' mantra. If I work fast, then I know something is wrong and not only that, it sets off my carpal tunnel and then I can't even draw anymore at that point.

as a chronically ill person who also works a 9/5 and wants to become a full time artist/content creator this video really changed my mindset a lot!!! thank you so much for coming back to youtube so we could meet🧡

Thank you for this reminder. I've been making art since I could hold a pencil and its been only recently that I realized there truly isn't rules to art. I don't have to like everything I make. If an old sketch bothers me enough, I paint over it. Try new techniques because there will always be another page to try out others. I have to remind myself often in order to not get stressed, but even that shows that art is much more than just ink and paper. Emotion is tied so deeply with art, that's what makes it so beautiful and individualistic

im a slow artist myself. im glad to find someone like me. appreciate your words

This is what I need at this moment. I often feel like I'm not good enough and not creating fast enough. I just need to realize what works for me, stop comparing myself to others, and just enjoy the process. Thank you for the reminder!

Thanks a lot for this. I'm trying to be kinder to myself because I often get impatient about my art progress and when I see people around my age or younger on the internet making GORGEOUS illustrations while I'm still having to practice my fundamentals makes me very envious and self-critical. Like I'm falling behind. Also, I'll take the tip of putting the social back in social media and interact more with other artists. Thanks a lot.

This video made me feel a lot more validated in being slow at art. I work full time so it can be hard to make art quickly. I really appreciate the reminder that it's ok to slow down and that it isn't a race.

Thank you for this video. I needed it. I’m a poet, and I work slowly as well. I am still trying to get out of this extreme creative burnout because I expected myself to “hustle and grind” and do everything perfectly all the time, kind of like you were saying happened to you. It’s just not me. The standards I had for myself were way too high. I still feel self conscious about not being as “productive” as others in several areas of my life, but this video helped me. It made me feel less alone in my “slow creative process”.

Overjoyed to meet a fellow ‘slow’ artist! Hustle culture is overrated. 🌞

Thank you for this video! I've been trying to be more mindful slowing down and just looking, hearing, feeling the nature and things around me. My issue with my art is never thinking its good enough, or what's the point?! I have to tell myself my art, at least for now, is for me no one else. As an art witch its a big part of my practice. I am realizing that my methods and results only need to make sense to me!💜🌱

I love the idea of existing slowly. Thanks for sharing!

I absolutely love your suggestion of being more intentional on social media by meaningfully interacting with content -- as an artist who relies on social media I feel like I can't avoid it entirely but this is such a nice way to "put the social back in social media" as you say

The whole "putting the social back in social media" just makes sense, yet it's something I dont really do. I stopped interacting with posts after lockdown, but I want to implement that now!

I'm a 35 year old artist and in my slow living era. Definitely resonate with reclaiming our hobbies, I'm making plans to go skating more often and even take some classes to learn how to skate backwards and do dances and stuff! I've also been scaling back social media and I love the idea to leave three comments and actually engage! ❤

I really like the point about stopping to engage with the art you see online. So many artists put a lot of time, effort, and thought into pieces that will just be scrolled over

As an artist just finally getting into RU-vid/Patreon, your videos have been so inspiring. I am very much a slow artist, it’s my process, and it reflects how I live. I definitely relate to all of this! Especially in the day and age of posting an original piece everyday

I never thought about how mindless scrolling on social media as something that takes away from the “social” aspect of it. I really like your tips on slowing down to actually interact with people and build a more positive communication and connection between artists. So thank you for making this video, it inspired me to comment when I usually never do!

I LITERALLY STARTED CRYING when you talk about born out phrase because Im middle of something like this too it felt too relatable Im glad I clicked this video

I really loved this positive and honest reflection! Felt some real similarities with the burnout you mentioned.

this is exactly what i needed to hear. so many of your msgs landed like a healing balm for my soul… gentle reminders that it’s okay to move slowly. thank you so much for sharing your heart and process.

I’ve been feeling this same calling to slow down, get off screens, and engage with more long form content this year. There’s a lovely sense of permanence from that format that’s a refreshing contrast to how temporary social media creation feels these days. I like to think of it as investment in creative longevity, even if it’s the longer duration I get to enjoy creating it, but also perhaps the amount of time that art exists in the world. Thanks for sharing.💗

as an aspiring author who has been going through consistent cycles of burnout, this video was really helpful to me & a great reminder 🥺 thank you for sharing 🌷🤍🌷

This video has been very validating! I've been feeling a very similar way and I keep telling myself to slow down, take a step back, and enjoy the life I have.

The hidden life of the trees YESS!! It is on my reading list!! Thank u for the video, take care💗💗

Thank you so much for this video. Ive only started my art journey a year and half ago and at first my progress was very fast but I now I feel stuck and it's like no matter how much I draw, there's no progress. When you said "exist slowly" that really hit me. Such a nice thing to say. Thank you again

people like you are the reason I still have faith in the art community. Thank you for sharing, love the perspective and reflection

i love your earrings!! this video was so sweet and a really necessary reminder for me. i’ve been so busy and burnt out recently that now as i’m trying to get back into creating, i’m taking that restless/busybody energy with me and it’s making me feel so rough. thank you for this reminder and reassurance that it’s alright to take it slow

This is such a helpful reminder since I’m poor and I love to make art. I don’t want to push myself more than I do but I want to create a space for me to be creative that doesn’t involve too much effort because I’m trying to “stick to the grind”. Great video!!!

It really brought some calm and ease into myself after watching this video and reading the comments because I couldn't agree more! I have been into drawing since I was a toddler, but started practicing art "non-stop" since I turned around sixteen. I'm twenty now and I recall putting so much pressure and hurry onto my shoulders because other's my age already have really developed skills at art, I want to get there so hard and so quick... The fact i'm algo this kind of hyper-perfectionist that It really had made it difficult for me to just draw or paint for fun. There's always so much to learn, and don't get me wrong I love learning about art, but I would often force myself to keep study rather than actually drawing because "i'm not good enough to do this yet." That type of mindset is so self-destructive it can take away all the joy from the process. I'm a slow artist, really, I get like very tired after a few sketches or just by a single draw, yet putting it to perspective i'm almost drawing 2 hours per day besides my art classes; my skills may not be as great as I want them to be yet, but that doesn't means i'm not improving. Some people will say more = better, but that's not entirely true, specially when we're not really learning anything nor enjoying what we are doing. Right now i'm trying to get to terms with it, being kinder to myself and just go with the flow, accept i'm not as fast as this world wants me to be and knowing that that's okay anyways, it's fine. I'm still learning and i'm having a great time doing so.

This is such a needed video amidst the sea of advice to produce as much as possible as fast as possible. I’ve tried forcing myself to create and made myself miserable. Thanks so much for all your advice!

I just began taking weekly art classes and appreciate you for discussing slow progress. It’s purely a hobby and I want to keep it that way. Maybe a commissioned piece once or twice a year. I want to always ENJOY my work. Thanks!

you look amazing in yellow and orange!!! and I totally agree I'm not built for the hustle bustle I like to take my time and not feel rushed 😭😭

Thank you so much for this kind video, it's so relatable with the things I'm thinking and living in this moment of my life. I've finished my college's studies last year and after that it was the first time in my life that I really stopped for a moment and could give myself some time to think differently. I've always worked and studied since I was a teen, so a could pay the bills and help my family, and now that I've some time to myself, I finally could also give me some time and space to understand my art, my process and myself. It was so important to me when you said that we have more than ours technical skills to show with our art ❤️ thank you again and I hope you have a lovely journey ✨

I needed to hear this as I'm sure many others do too. Giving myself the space to be less productive somehow in turn makes me more productive. Thank you for sharing your perspective and advice. This was really nice and helpful to hear.

This video is so helpful and insightful. I'm far from where I want to be as an artist and from time to time I get impatient so I try to spend more of my time doing art but it just doesn't feel like it's working, and I actually feel a lot more miserable. I already know that I should have a life outside art, but I know I also need reminders so thank you so much for this video! Slow and steady :)

Lately, I was constantly in a hurry somewhere, I wanted to do a million things at once, but your video calmed me down and convinced me that it is okay to do things calmly and have rest or idleness if it is necessary. I’ll gain strength and sit calmly and peacefully to draw

Working slow has been the best for me. Before social media created more demanding algorithms in order to force us to create more content for their platforms in order to even have an opportunity to have our art seen by others, I use to take my time making things for myself. If I blasted through an art piece it was because I was in zone, not because I had to meet unrealistic deadlines mired in this NEED FOR MORE CONTENT. A couple years ago I got intense burnt out after failing to finish a comic commission I got (they gave me ridiculous deadlines and the other artists who was supposed to to help me abandoned me without saying anything, I never heard anything from the client so I burned myself out for nothing) and I’ve never been the same since. It got so painful that even if my spirit wanted to draw, I felt mentally and physically overwhelmed even looking at art hurt. Then AI Art happened and that overwhelming feeling only got worse as I spiraled into depression. I decided that I wouldn’t do art as a career anymore and that was heartbreaking for me, being an artist is my childhood dream. Thankfully this year things have been changing. I got a job doing graphic design for a company that works with other artists and my boss is so sweet and kind and being able to be creative again and not having to worry about money has given me the energy to make art again. This time though I’m being selfish with me art, it’s just for my eyes only until I’m ready to share my art with the world at my own pace ❤️

The tree analogy changed me😭 Thankyou so much for this video it was needed!💛

love this. thanks for the wisdom. and normalising a 3hr morning routine😁 my vibe x move slow and find your flow

I feel like I finally found someone who I can really relate to. I struggle a lot with the same types of challenges and I think I want to implement some of your struggles as well so thank you you are awesome

fellow slow artist here! loved everything you had to say in this vid, thanks so much for making this!

Socials are so fast paced and it's such a relief to accept that we're allowed to be slow and value our enjoyment and spoons more than speed 💜

Thank you so much for posting this. I’m still trying to figure out my art style. Most of the times I find myself sketching or doing little random doodles. I do want to take it more seriously though. At times I don’t always feel inspired or even have the desire to draw. But I’m thankful you posted this video because I def can be hard on myself when it comes to creating art. Whether I feel I may be taking too long or I feel like I’m just not getting the right idea or inspiration. It’s about the journey and I’m learning to be comfortable and more compassionate with myself so I can be in that state of flow to create unique art. Thanks again ❤🫶🏾

Never have I ever watched a more relatable video. Are you me? ☺️

This is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you for helping me allow myself to really relish making art and living life

This is the realest, most relatable video I've seen in a long time!!!

Thank you for sharing! It’s great to have this perspective around enjoying the process of art ❤

I love this. This is so wholesome. This is the kind of content we need 🥰🥰

Yes for slow! I’ve been through a couple of burnouts so yeah, slow is how I go now.

Wow, I really needed this perspective! I’m definitely taking your words to heart and trying to slow down and be kind to myself about where I’m at as an artist. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect that it often stops me from even trying. 2024 is definitely the year I’m going to challenge that thinking.

Love this! I would love to hear more about your morning routine! I have one but feel I may want to change it up a bit &/or add as mine is shorter than yours. I also need to be slow but sometimes feel impatient with my progress. I try to do a lot & go for a few days, then I want to keep being productive, then I crash & can’t do anything, then I feel frustrated instead of having a regular pace.

I'm about to be mom and I know many things will have to be set aside these next few years which is very hard for me. I needed to hear this, thank you. ✨

If it make you feel better I wake up between 11am and 1pm, don’t start work until 4pm. Never stop work before 3am (where I really have to drag myself away!). People might think I’m lazy but my work hours are good, my home is clean and tidy.

i usually do not like this style of video but i like the way u spoke in this one. good video thank you for your thoughts 🤍

Thank you so much for making this video! I was in the routine of sketching multiple times a day until I had to move and my art supplies got packed and have not been unpacked yet in 2-3 months. This video is inspiring me to get my art stuff put away and unpacked, and starting that routine again. I also can’t wake up early, can’t post consistently, and struggle with too high of expectations for myself. I needed this video.

Thanks for sharing. This slower approach to life and art definitely resonates with me.

i can make myself pump out digital art pretty quickly but if i’m honest with myself that’s just not what i’m interested in making. i’ve been lille scared to admit that my real artistic passion is fiber arts because of how slow they go. i never update my art socials because it takes a number of months for me to finish a single cross stitch piece and i’m scared of never being able to create a community around it. but cross stitch is my greatest artistic love and i want people to see how beautiful it can be

your plea at the end for us all to please make art honestly made me a little emotional. thank you for sharing your perspective on this, it was honestly much appreciated and i feel really validated! and i hope others do too

I loved your video! I am saving it for reminder of being compassionate with myself everytime I feel I should do art faster! Thanks for sharing Ps: loved the tips on the attitude towards social media ❤

I've never seen this much wisdom packed into a 19-minute presentation. The process is definitely working. 😊 Love the social media tips and tree analogy too. Unrelated, your look - beautiful tropical flower in a cozy little garden 😍

Thank you for this video, I’ve been trying to make this change recently in my art practice, this video is really concise and the that hack to log out of each app is so good ! 😊

Very thoughtful and mature message , you are wise beyond your years.

Love the tree analogy ❤

I've been feeling really regretful and bitter about my art practice recently and this video feels like a warm hug. I normally avoid art content because it reminds me of my regrets, but I this is one of the few I felt better after watching. Thank you

thank you for mentioning the greyscale setting! it makes a world of a difference!

Thank you so much for making this video🦋✨I have chronic fatigue and it is so challenging to make art quickly. Sometimes I get so frustrated at my body’s limitations, but I am trying to accept that moving at a pace that’s best for me will be the most sustainable in the long run. 🙏🏽❤️‍🔥

Haven't watched the whole video yet, but wanted to comment on how much I LOVE your outfit! Love the colours! and the matching eyeshadow 🤩

Fantastic advice, thanks for sharing your thoughts & feelings on working with your natural rythms in creativity 🎨 and life! 💃 Plus, how to make artistic growth sustainable 🌱 Love ,love, love! 😊❤️🧡💛

Truly needed to hear this message (again)! Thank you for sharing!! Being on the receiving end of high volume art content is equally hard, thinking that I should be working as fast as them (all of them, all the time). Obviously, it’s impossible, so hearing your message made me take a breath and remember that slow is good 😊

Thank you so much for the beautiful reminders!!💛🌻💛 (Also I love your aesthetic!! I have really been into the mustard shade of yellow lately.)

For many years my feelings towards social media were like "don't go there, it's a trap" but now I realized I actually have to be there to make my art noticed (long way there haha). I get your point. When I decided to avoid social media and not use my phone at all I was way more productive and creative. Wishing you all the best on your art journey!

Your message is the one i need. Subscribed. Thank you so much!! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear more about your morning routine - your experience sounds so similar to mine, and I have not been able to make my routine

Thank you so much for this lovely video! I have been feeling kinda dissapointed, as I am currently working with my mom, creating things with cross stitch decoration, and I really like it but it takes some time to get the orders completed. I started comparing us to another people, and how fast marketing works now days and I really hate it, because it feels like you have to be on that level of massive production to get richer but that as an artist just does not feel right. Art is a human ability to create things that can make others feel something when they see it, that is why we take our time to get them done, as everything is on the details. However, I know that to some people it has worked creating something in massive production, I feel like that definetly depends on the product you are offering as the process might be easier or faster than others and that is okay. The general issue to me is that life now seems to go so fast that any minute that you use in yourself instead of working feels bad, as it seems as time wasted. We might be our own boss but we also have to let ourselves have human rights , if that makes sense (?) hehe. Again, this was a helpful video and made me feel better so thank youu💗

I struggle so much with feeling like my identity as a musician is so deeply tied to my sense of self that it's hard to separate and remember that there are many other aspects to who I am. It's partially because I truly do feel like music is my life's purpose--and I enjoy it of course, so that makes burnout REALLY difficult to deal with.

Hi, I just stumbled across your video today. I really appreciate you sharing your experience & emphasizing taking your own time. I’m a huge dreamer so I put a lot of emphasis on the end result rather than the process. Thank you for your tips & openness to talk about this in a fast paced society, especially as an artist. I’m about to go outside to take a walk and get a new sketchbook :) just subscribed!

Absolutely loved this video and it felt like a warm hug around my heart. 💗 I am slower at creating as well and I’ve always felt so bad about myself for it. And definitely has stressed me out with trying to post consistently to appease the algorithm and it’s super frustrating cause if I haven’t finished anything new then what do I post. I’m still trying to work out solutions But I’m slowly trying to get myself out of that nasty habit cause I know I’d rather take my time and enjoy the process then rush it and be stressed the whole time. Thank you so much for the video 💗💗💗

When i first got into drawing in high school i got burnt out so easy to keep up with my 2 friends that would get masterpieces out in a few hours it felt like (it really took them days but i didn't realize that). So i grew out of practicing because i wasn't improving in my art and felt stressed over the quick process turnaround i was forcing on myself. Now at 32 I'm teaching myself to learn the basics and I'm falling in love with art again because i have no one to prove myself to but myself and i feel like I'm actually good at it finally.

I always beat myself up over how slow i am with art. Thank you for this video, ill def take some of your tricks :)

This guy looks like an artist ❤

This helped me so much, thank you ❤ looking forward to what you create next 💞

Glad I found your channel! I needed to hear this 🌸💕💓

Thank God for the slow artists. Hassle culture over rated.

This is very reassuring. Thank you for posting! 🧡

Just found you. Thank you for your messaging and sharing your art. So much great advice / thoughtfulness here. Thank you. Subscribed. 🎨🖌

Fantastic. You are right on target! thank you for this.

"Go touch some grass" 😂 Loved hearing your story. It was very heartwarming and a friendly kind reminder to take things at your own pace. I had you on in the background talking and it made me slow down a bit as I was stressing out trying to write a post on LinkedIn, and I'm happy your video was selected by RU-vid on the autoplay. Have a lovely day.

I love your mug!

I really needed this video, as a aspiring artist sometimes I am very hard on myself when I do things slower than others! I guess I am just a slow artist

Thank you for this! I am fast when I actually sit down to make a piece but I am slow to get ideas and inconsistent with practicing, so I’m slow too 💕 I’m also a perfectionist so I basically won’t test or practice because it has felt pointless - I also definitely resonate with your burnout feelings! You have a new sub 🥰

I really love what your shared in this video! Also, your frog mug is adorable 🐸🌼

My method of having so much I want to do is just do a brain dump into a book, onto paper doesn't matter, sometimes I keep it sometimes I burn it, just as long as it's out of my noggin'!

Thank you so much for making this video!!! It really helped me. Thank you!!! Definitely gonna follow ❤️❤️❤️