How to Build an Art Habit That Actually Sticks
Updated: Aug 29
If you want to build an art habit (and I do too), most advice is pretty simple:
Make time (as if). Put it on the calendar. Show up consistently.
That advice isn’t wrong. But I don’t think it’s the whole answer.
I've carved out time, walked into my studio, and then spent a good part of the session trying to decide what to actually do.
I look at unfinished projects. Move supplies around. Consider starting something new. Hunt for a reference photo. Maybe scroll around for inspiration (which usually leads down a time-sucking path).
Technically, I showed up.
But I didn’t make much art.
Building an art habit isn’t only about getting yourself into the studio. You also need a way to enter the work, use the time you have, and make it easier to come back to, again and again.
Why Building an Art Habit Can Be So Hard
Every time you sit down to make art, there are decisions to make.
What should I work on?
Should I continue something or start something new? (If you're like me, you love to start new projects. My brain loves novelty.)
What supplies do I need? (And can I shop for more? Like right now? Please?)
Am I trying to make a finished piece, practice a skill, or just play around?
Where did I leave off last time? (And how did I do what I was doing?)
When you make art regularly, some of those answers stay with you. One session naturally leads into the next.
But after a break, every session can feel like starting over. (Read more about how to get back after a break here.)
You aren’t only asking yourself to make art. You’re asking yourself to reconstruct the entire mental trail that brought you there.
No wonder it's tough to make progress sometimes.
Remembering what you were doing last time takes energy. Having to do that each time you sit down to create also makes it much easier to procrastinate, reorganize your supplies, or decide you don’t have enough time to do anything worthwhile. <reenter scrolling>
The problem isn’t always discipline.
Sometimes the problem is a lack of continuity.
Showing Up Is Only Half of an Art Habit
Showing up matters. I’m a big believer in sitting in the seat, lowering your expectations, and being willing to make imperfect art.
But I also want my studio time to count.
That does not mean every session needs to produce something beautiful, finished, or frameable.
A worthwhile studio session might be used to:
Create something new
Continue an existing project
Practice a skill
Explore an idea or material
Restore your creative energy
Simply reconnect with your art
The point is not constant productivity.
The point is knowing why you are there.
One way to jump-start that is by doing a creative challenge.
A little intention can be the difference between spending twenty minutes circling and spending twenty minutes making.
Why I Created the Art Studio Sessions Planner
I created the Art Studio Sessions Planner because I needed it myself.
I know what it’s like to want to make art and still let life, uncertainty, perfectionism, or simply not knowing what to do next get in the way.
When that stall settles into a pattern, it's usually artist block. Here's how to tell.
At one point, I even caught myself building an entire business about helping people return to their creativity while not making nearly enough art myself.
I had ideas. I had supplies. I wanted to create.
What I didn’t have was a reliable way to move from:
I want to make art.
To:
This is what I’m doing today.
And then, just as importantly:
This is where I’ll begin next time.
I didn’t need a rigid art schedule or another elaborate planner to keep up with. I needed a simple way to give each studio session some direction and connect it to the session that came before and the one that would come next.
A Studio Session Needs a Beginning and an End
We tend to think of a studio session as the part where we are actively making something.
But the session really begins before you pick up the brush, pencil, fabric, or clay. It also shouldn’t end the second you stop working.
Begin with an intention
An intention gives the session direction without requiring a particular result. I'm not talking about woo-woo intentions, although those can work for some people.
I'm talking about how you intend to use the time.
You may decide to work on a project, practice a skill, explore an idea, or simply spend some time getting reacquainted with your materials.
You don’t have to know exactly what the finished piece will look like. You just need enough direction to begin.
Give the session a container
A studio session does not have to last three hours to count.
It can be twenty minutes at the kitchen table. It can be an hour before dinner. It can be a Saturday afternoon with nowhere else to be.
Knowing how much time you have helps you choose something that fits the session instead of waiting for the mythical day when you have unlimited time and energy.
Notice what happened
Before you leave, take a moment to notice what worked, what surprised you, and where you got stuck.
This isn’t about grading your art or deciding whether the session was successful.
It’s more like a quick exit interview.
Your creative work is always giving you information. Reflection helps you carry that information forward instead of losing it between sessions.
Leave yourself a breadcrumb
Before you clean up, decide where you will begin next time.
Not the entire plan. Just the next visible step. Tell yourself where to pick up.
You might leave out a particular color, write down an idea you want to test, pull a reference image, or make a note about the part of the project that comes next.
Your next studio session shouldn’t have to begin cold.
Leave yourself a breadcrumb back into the work.
This one little change in habit for me made everything about my art time easier and better.
Track Your Returns, Not Your Masterpieces
It is tempting to measure an art habit by finished pieces, hours worked, or visible improvement.
Those measurements can turn creativity into another performance review.
Instead, try tracking how many times you return.
Did you show up?
Did you spend some intentional time with your art?
Did you make it easier to come back?
That ALL counts.
One studio session leads to another. Your materials begin to feel familiar again. Decisions get easier. Ideas start connecting. You remember what you were curious about and what you wanted to try.
Momentum begins to do some of the work that discipline had to do in the beginning.
Your Art Habit Does Not Have to Be Daily
Despite what the internet may tell you, you do not have to make art every day to build an art habit.
Your habit might be one studio session every Saturday morning. It might be two short sessions during the week. It might change depending on the season of life you’re in.
The goal is not to create an unbroken daily streak.
The goal is to keep the thread alive. To make a 'chain' of habits. And then don't break the chain.
A sustainable art habit is one you can return to without feeling as though you have failed every time life interrupts it.
You keep coming back. You begin again (but it's easier now, because you know your next step from last time). Eventually, returning becomes more familiar than avoiding.
Make Your Studio Time Count
You can do this yourself with just a notepad and paper. But I wanted something more focused and organized for my studio time.
So I created it.
The Art Studio Sessions Planner is a printable tool designed to help you put this approach into practice.
It includes:
A two-sided Studio Session Sheet
Space to organize your active projects
A place to capture creative sparks so they have somewhere to land
A 20-session habit tracker to help you build momentum
It won’t tell you what to make or pressure you to produce more.
It will help you begin with intention, pay attention to what happens, and know where to start when you return.
One studio session. One project. One small step at a time.
Not ready for the Planner? I've got you. Start with the 5-Day Creative Comeback Challenge.
Keep wandering. Keep making. Keep coming back.
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