Releasing perfectionism through traditional art | SHW #19

Hey friends,

Lately, I’ve been thinking about some fun, low-stakes ways to practice releasing my perfectionism. I talked in a previous newsletter about how the way we do one thing is often how we do everything. In other words, bad habits and negative energy in one area of our lives tend to seep into other areas of our lives as well.

But this also works the other way around. I’ve found that when I consciously practice building healthy habits and positively change my behavior in one area of life, I get a boost in other un-related areas.

Perfectionism is a mindset I’ve carried with me through most of my life. It’s protected me in many ways, but it also prevents me from taking advantage of opportunities that I really, really want because I’m so afraid to fail. It’s something I’ve been doing a lot of mindset work around throughout this year.

Thinking about my perfectionism and becoming more aware of it is great, but if I really want to release it I need to practice. So I decided, what better way to practice a new mindset than with my art? Creating is something I’m already doing and love, so it’s the perfect safe space to practice.

When I started teaching myself to draw, I primarily did so digitally. Digital art is what got me interested in drawing in the first place, but I’ve always been interested in traditional art as well. I’ve dabbled with alcohol-based markers, ink, and watercolor in the past, and, as a perfectionist does, I quickly gave up when what I made looked like garbage.

I understand a lot more about myself and how my brain works now, which had me wanting to get back into traditional art. I decided to start simple with some sketchbooking in ink. Here’s some of what I made this week:

The results are a mixed bag. Some I like and others I don’t care for, but I loved the process of making each one, so the results aren’t really important to me!

I was pretty tense working on the first one, but as the week went on and I settled into the process, I started to loosen up and have more fun. And I can see how, if I continue to practice this every day, eventually I’ll create more drawings I’m happy with than not.

So this is something I’m going to continue for the next few months and see where it takes me. I’m excited to keep up this habit and reflect back on my progress. 💪🏾

I also worked on some digital art this week. Here’s a festive-ish drawing I finished and another one I’m currently working on. The second is a redraw of a character originally designed by rosie_scribbles on Instagram.

That’s all I have to share this week!

A reminder that my book is still on sale in my online shop. I love seeing that they’re making their way into your homes! It feels so special to be able to share something I created with you and I’m incredibly grateful to be able to do that.

Another note is that next week’s newsletter will be the last one for the year! I’m planning on taking the last two weeks of the year off to rest, relax, and spend time with friends and family.

I’ll be back in the new year with more art and writing! I’ll also be closing my shop on Friday, 12/16 at 5pm EST, so if you’ve been wanting to pick up a copy of my book, make sure you do so before then!

Have a wonderful week!

Rachel