Even Pros Gotta Practice
Do you have a hard time doing the nitty-gritty practice of art? The hard, unglamorous things, like working on skills in which you’re a bit weak or swatching your art materials to get a better idea of what colors you have and how they work?
Practice can seem boring and uncomfortable, and it’s easy to choose to skip it. But think about it:
Every pro athlete spends time warming up and practicing their sport for hours every day.
Professional musicians need to spend a lot of time doing scales and practicing their instrument daily.
Actors don’t just show up to the stage and perform—they spend most of their time rehearsing and expanding their skills.
Just like these other professionals, visual artists need to practice. It’s not a waste of time to warm up with contour sketches. The time spent honing your drawing skills will pay off. And practicing color mixing will save you time in the studio and give you greater control. There are so many ways to both warm up and practice your art!
You wouldn’t think badly of a golf pro who spends two hours a day practicing putting, would you? In fact, you’d admire their hard work and have high expectations for them to succeed.
Think about the amount that you practice art now. If you had a coach, what would she say about your level of warm-up and practice? What are some ways that you could increase your practice—and what do you think the payoffs could be from them?
I think that the professional athletes and musicians would agree that their hours of practice give them pleasure and positivity. There’s such a rush when you see yourself improve, and there is honor in putting effort into your craft. Perhaps simply shifting your thoughts about practice is all you need: I get to practice rather than I have to practice.
How do you warm up and practice your art? Do you love to practice, or have you been avoiding it? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me and let me know—I promise to write you back.
And speaking of an art practice, have you checked out my art mentoring program Art Practice Accelerator? In this program, I’m here to help you make your own art—I’m not here to teach you to paint like me—and I have a track record to prove it. I’ve been teaching this program since 2018, and it has gotten better with every iteration.
I know how hard it is to make your way as an artist and I take everything that I’ve learned and pour it into this program. This is my life’s work. The program is effective. You will get results. See for yourself here. And schedule your inquiry call so we can talk about your practice!