How to Build Consistency in Your Art Practice with Matthew White

When Matthew White, Ep102, first started painting, he thought of it like the gym: You don't always want to go to the gym. Instead, you trust that once you get there, you'll feel really good having done it.

So on the nights he had energy, he went in and painted.

And on the nights he was exhausted, he still went in and painted.

He treated it like an appointment he intended to keep.

And two things happened through this consistent way of working.

First, he got better. Even when some weeks all he had was 15 or 20 minutes a night, through consistent practice he saw improvement.

Second, it helped him not get derailed by the very real obstacles that beginners face.

There is a lot to learn as a beginner. Which means some weeks were very frustrating for White. For many new painters, that frustration would become the reason not to show up.

But because White had committed to the time itself, he showed up anyway. Even if he was frustrated he showed up. And by showing up he could problem solve and push through the frustration and grow.

Put it to Practice:

This is the power of putting the habit FIRST. When you can make showing up the most important part, you give yourself a vehicle to push through frustration.

Frustration isn’t a sign of being on the wrong path. It’s a sign of being on the right path. But even when you know that, it still doesn’t feel good.

If you let how you feel decide if you’re going to show up on a given day, there might be a lot of days you don’t show up to your practice.

There are many ways to decide if you should show up and paint on a given day. Let’s look at two: emotional and logistical.

Option one is to do a gut check: Do I feel like showing up today?

And the answer might be, “No, because yesterday was frustrating.”

Or, “No, I’m kind of sad and need some comfort and the studio doesn’t have that right now.”

Or, “No, I’m tired and want to rest in front of a TV instead.”

Those are all valid emotional reasons to not paint on a given day. AND also, it means you don’t paint. Which means you don’t improve.

Option two is to take out the emotional choice and instead make it about logistics.

Choose a time you work every single day and then when you get to it you ask, “Is it time to work?” If the answer is yes, even if you don't feel like it, you go and get to work.

This might be hard some days. On the days you’re traveling, tired, sad or sick you may not FEEL like painting or drawing on a given day. But it’s not an emotional question. It’s a logistical question. And it’s painting time so you go paint.