You’re Not Bad at Drawing, You’re Just Bad at Starting
An honest pep talk on procrastination, perfectionism, and why the first 10 minutes always suck
Let’s just get this out of the way:
That voice in your head whispering “you’re not good enough”? It’s a liar. A persistent, well-practiced liar. And it often shows up when you’re about to start.
And starting is the hardest part.
Those Awful First 10 Minutes
The first marks always feel wrong.
Your hand is stiff, and your brain is stiff. The paper suddenly feels enormous and threatening. You stare at your subject, and your first thought is, “What even is that shape?” quickly followed by, “Why did I ever think I could draw this?”
Every artist you admire, living or dead, has fought that exact same monster. And here’s the thing: they didn’t slay it. They just learned how to ignore it long enough to get through those first ten minutes.
If you want proof (or just a little comfort), check out these nine duds from some very famous artists.
And these? All Rembrandt. Just different stages—from “what the hell am I looking at?” to “oh yeah, I can draw.” I’d bet the sketch in the top right happened in the first ten minutes!
Because after those first clunky, uncertain lines, something shifts. Your eyes start to settle. Your hand loosens. And finally… You begin to draw.
It's Not Talent. It's Tolerance.
People love to talk about talent like it’s some kind of divine gift. But what really separates skilled artists from the rest isn’t just talent, it’s tolerance. The tolerance for discomfort. The tolerance for ugly beginnings. The tolerance for being bad before you get better.
You want to draw better? Start drawing. Start while your inner critic is loud and your confidence is in the gutter.
Good drawing grows from bad drawing. And bad drawing grows from… starting.
What Helps:
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Commit to just starting for 10 minutes. Don’t judge. Don’t erase. Just draw. When the timer dings, you’ll usually find you want to keep going.
Draw with a cheap tool. Grab a ballpoint pen, a colored pencil, or anything that lowers the stakes. Fancy materials can make you freeze up.
In undergrad, I spent a semester doing figure drawing on newsprint with a blue Bic pen. Before grad school, I spent two years doing anatomy studies in college-ruled spiral notebooks. Get over the idea of creating a perfect sketchbook. You’re not going to frame it, and you’re not going to sell everything you draw. Hell, you don’t even have to show it to anyone.
Start with warm-ups. Scribbles, ellipses, boxes. Think of it like stretching for your hands and brain. I have a few small sketchbooks that I have filled with continuous line sketches done in ink. It helps me break away from the perfectionism of my medical illustration style and keeps me loose and observant.
Say (out loud if you have to): “This doesn’t have to be good.”
And mean it.Draw everything and everywhere. And I do mean everywhere!
Don't waste your life waiting for inspiration!
Even if you’ve got natural talent — and let’s be honest, most of you do — talent doesn’t matter if you don’t put marks on the page. Progress is born out of process. And process starts with action, not inspiration. So don't waste your life waiting for inspiration.
The first ten minutes will suck. Then, if you keep going, something opens up.
If you do sports, you've probably experienced this as well. I often find that the first ten minutes of a ride, a run, a swim, or kayaking often feel pretty bad until I get into the flow.
If it helps, know that I still stall. I still clean my desk, recheck my email, and contemplate the nature of mortality (I hate that one) before I make that first mark. But I’ve learned that the fastest way through the panic is through the page.
So go ahead — start badly.
I’ll meet you in ten minutes.
– Professor Mandy
Still probably off topic
If You’re Graduating
Please update your email address so you can keep receiving this newsletter. You should be able to do it directly through this app, but if you have trouble, email me at mandy@meddrawstudio.com, and I’ll make it happen.
Also, if you like what I’m up to, please share!
