Transcripts
1. Welcome: Today's lesson is
going to be so simple, but if you stick with
it, it has the power to completely change
your creative life. Hi. I'm Gabrielle Bricke. I'm an artist, educator,
wife, mom of two. The list goes on and on, right? And I'm sure it
does for you, too. And I know what it
feels like to really believe you just don't
have time to make art. Life gets so busy as
responsibilities pile up, and sometimes you just
feel like there's no room left to be creative. But here's the truth. We make time for the things
we care about. If you're here, I know
you care about art. You just need to find a way
to fit it into your life. And that's exactly what I'm going to show you
how to do today. I'll show you how to carve
out just 5 minutes a day for your art because 5 minutes
is all it takes to show up, start creating, and build
a habit that sticks. By the end of this
class, you'll learn the power of just
5 minutes a day, and you'll leave with
tips and tools that'll make art making a consistent
part of your life. And here on Skillshare, you
can grab the class bonuses, including my free
procreate brushes to keep you feeling inspired, a helpful tracker to
hold you accountable. And a list of creative
activity ideas. So you never have to wonder what you're going to draw next. You can grab all
those class bonuses in the link below this video. I can't wait to
help you rediscover just how much joy you can
find in only 5 minutes a day. Ready to build an art practice that sticks once and for all. Let's get started.
2. Making Time for Art: Over the past couple
years, I really, truly believed I just didn't have time to make art for fun. For me, this hit hardest when
I had my first sweet baby. Time got so much tighter. And if you're a parent,
you know the feeling. Whenever I did have
a spare moment, I spent it on things like
the dishwasher or laundry, not doing things I
loved like making art. And I knew I had to make a change because I
missed making art. I needed art back in my life, even if it was in
just some small way. That's when I decided
to challenge myself to create art for just
5 minutes a day. Every day. No pressure, no big expectations,
just 5 minutes. Now, let's break that down. 5 minutes is only 1200
88th of your day. It's a tiny little slice
of time. But it's enough. It's all you need to show up, start creating, and rediscover the joy that it brings you. Here's the only other
rule that I set for myself in addition to
that five minute minimum. And that is some kind of drawing or painting material
had to hit the surface. For me, that might
mean pencil to paper, Apple pencil to iPad, markers to paper, paintbrush
to paper, whatever. Some sort of drawing
instrument needs to make contact with a surface. That's the practice I
really wanted to build. So for me, it doesn't count if I'm just being
creative in other ways, like watching an art video or finding inspiration online or
browsing designs and Canva. That's fun and also
important to me, but I really wanted the act of creating actual
drawing or painting. And if I had to guess, you probably long for
the same thing, too. So I've been making
art for 5 minutes a day for a couple of
months shy of a year now, and it's made a huge
difference in my life. Sure, some days I'm
half awake scribbling on my iPad right before bed, but I still do it because 5
minutes, I can handle that. Here's the cool part about committing to 5
minutes a day, though. The small effort
adds up overtime. These are all pieces
I've created either in five minute sessions or by slowly chipping away
at them day by day. And I know people talk about
consistency all the time, but it is amazing
what you can actually create when you show
up day after day. And here's something else
I think you'll notice when you commit to making an art for just 5 minutes a day. Because the bar
has been lowered, it's so much easier to show up. Starting really is
often the hardest part. And because you're
a creative person, you'll find that often those 5 minutes roll
into ten, then 30. Then suddenly you've been
drawing for an hour and you're reconnecting with
your creativity in ways you didn't
think were possible. You thought you didn't
have time to make art, but it turns out you do. I know that because I lived it. I thought it was impossible
in this current phase of my life to actually make
time for making art for fun. But it is possible. Making time for art
every day might seem like a dream right
now, but it is doable. In the next video, I'm
going to share with you six practical tips to help you turn this into
your reality too.
3. Tips for Making it Happen: So how do you make
art every day? Here are some tips
to make it happen. Tip number one,
attach it to a habit. One of the easiest ways
to make art part of your daily routine is to attach it to something you're
already doing every day. This is called habit stacking. For example, I like to create right before
tucking in for the night. I keep my iPad right
at my nightstand. That way, when I'm winding down, I just grab my iPad and
start drawing every night. But you can do
this with anything right after your morning coffee, during your lunch break, or even when you're
watching TV or something. Find something you do every day and attach your art
making time to it. Tip number two,
simplify your setup. This will help make starting as easy as possible.
Here's what I do. I keep a streamlined setup right at my nightstand,
as I mentioned. For me, these days,
that's my iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procrep. But I also keep a
simple pad of paper and pencils just in case I've
misplaced my iPad somewhere. But in the past, when I was
exploring watercolor more, I kept a small sketchbook, simple watercolor pens
where the waters already conveniently inside the pen and a mini watercolor pan set. So just a pared down version of the medium I was
enjoying working on. The key is to streamline
your setup with a go to default medium that includes only the
essentials and is always within easy reach of the habit you're going
to be stacking onto. If your simple toolset
is right there, it removes excuses and makes
starting so much easier. Tip number three, have
a reference database. One of the biggest
obstacles to starting is simply not knowing
what to draw. The solution keep your
inspiration ready to go. For me, that means organizing my references and Procreate so something's always on deck. You can do the same
or you can save some references in a well
organized folder system. When your references
are easy to find, you won't spend time
searching for inspiration. You'll spend that time
creating instead. Having a go to stash of
ideas that inspire you will mean you're never stuck
staring at a blank canvas. Wondering where to
start. Instead, you can jump right in and make
those 5 minutes count. Tip number four,
choose your hard. This one's a mindset shift, but it's an important
one to keep in mind. Committing to something is hard, but not reaching your
goals, that's hard, too. You have to choose your hard. For me, I'd rather face the small challenge of
showing up for 5 minutes a day than the disappointment of not having a fulfilling
creative life. So choose your hard. Tip number five, forget
about making a masterpiece. Your 5 minutes don't need
to produce a masterpiece. You can doodle,
scribble, sketch, or make a masterpiece
if that's what you feel like. But
there's no pressure. All types of drawing and
painting count in this. Some days you'll
create something you're really proud
of, and other days, it'll be a little warm up or a scribble that never gets
looked at again, that's okay. The goal is showing up
every day, not perfection. Also, remember that your
art doesn't need to be started and finished
in one session. So you can chip away
at a piece you've been working at for days
or weeks or even months, or you can start something and never come back to it again. Both are completely fine as long as you're putting
in those 5 minutes. Tip number six, if you miss
a day, don't sweat it. Let's be real. Life happens. You're going to miss a day here and there, and that's okay. Maybe you get sick, maybe
it slips your mind one day, or you just have a hard no, I'm now drawing
today kind of day. That's totally normal,
and it's okay. The most important
thing is to not let one miss day roll over
into two or three or more. You just got to get back on the horse the next
day and keep going. Hey, if you really feel like you need to make up
for missing 5 minutes, go ahead and put in 10
minutes the next day. So to recap, attach art to a preexisting habit,
simplify your setup, keep references at the
ready, choose your hard, forget masterpiece mentality, and don't beat yourself
up if you miss a day. In the next video, I'll share some fun ideas for what you
can create in 5 minutes. You're never short on
inspiration. I'll see you there.
4. Class Project: Alright, now it's time
to get hands on and talk about your class project
here on Skill Share. The class project is to share any artwork you've
created as part of your new commitment to spend at least 5 minutes drawing
or painting every day. If you want, you can even start right now
during this video, you don't have to attach it
to the habit you choose. Upload your work to the projects and resources section of class. You can share
multiple pieces, too. I want you to feel as though the project gallery is your place to showcase
your dedication, your growth, and your hard work. It's a piece that took
longer than 5 minutes, that's fantastic. Share it. We want to see it. If it's
something that you spent 5 minutes on and you
stopped there, perfect. Upload it. This five
minute commitment is all about showing
up and starting. It'll look different
for everyone. But if you need some
ideas on what to make, let me share the main ways I typically show up in my
five minute practice. Sometimes I chip away at a bigger piece like a
portrait painting or a character illustration or a still life or an
animal painting. Just because I only have 5 minutes doesn't mean
I can't make progress. Other days I sketch
from my imagination, so no pressure, just
playing around. Sometimes I'll even
work on a master copy. I love doing these
and find they're a fantastic way to grow your
skills, even in short burst. I've also explored painting in new art styles that I would
have never tried before. Sometimes I even
make abstract art. Art doesn't always have
to look a certain way. Sometimes it's just about
moving the pencil on the paper. Remember, this is your
five minute practice, and it can be as simple or as focused as
you want it to be. Also, in your class project, feel welcome to share about your experience and how you're thinking about
approaching this. Consider sharing what habit are you attaching
your art practice to? Also, what is your simple
go to default art medium? That's always within reach of the habit you're going
to be stacking onto. So again, for me, my habit
is bedtime. Got to do it. And my simple go to
setup is my iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and
the Procreate app that I keep right
in my nightstand. So it's always within reach. I don't always use these mediums and I don't
always paint at bedtime, but it's always there
consistently so that I can maintain this
commitment that I've made. Can't wait to see your work and hear all about your experience. In the next video,
I want to show you a quick art practice
I use for when I'm totally stumped on
what to draw or just really tired and need something
to fill in my 5 minutes. If you're a procreate artist, you're going to love this
one. I'll see you there.
5. Kaleidoscope Art: Want to share with
you one of my very favorite low pressure
art activities, and that's creating
kaleidoscope art in Procreate. This is one of my very
favorite things to create when I'm totally stumped on what to
draw for the day. It's a great way to relax
and let creativity flow because it's simple and there's zero pressure to
make it perfect. You can use any brush
for this if you'd like, so feel welcome to experiment. But if you want to change
things up a little bit, I'm going to share with
you how you can grab my free Procreate brushes
in the next steps video. So stay tuned for that
if you'd like this. Alright, let's jump
in to Procreate. So here in Procreate
in the gallery view, I'm just going to
press this little plus icon up here in the corner. Then I just like to grab
the standard square here. Tap square, it'll open up. Then from here, let's go ahead and just add a background color. So it's not white, we'll do. That's good. Then after that, what we want to do is
go to the wrench icon. Then where it says drawing guide, we're going
to turn that on. Then press Edit Drawing Guide. Down at the bottom
here, go ahead to where it says symmetry. And then go to options. And I like to do radio and
I keep assisted drawing on. Then you can also
change the color. If you can't really
see it properly, you can change the
color up here. I'll keep it. Right
there and press done. Okay, so now what
I'm going to do is I'm going to be
using my impulse brush, and you can grab this
in the next steps video if you'd like to
try it out, too. And I'm going to go back
to layers first, though, and press this plus
sign and then tap it and press trolling assist. Then it'll work the
way it's supposed to. Okay. Now I'm going to
pick out a gold color. Typically, these orange colors work nicely with my
glitter brushes. I go a little bit
lighter. I like that. All right, so now
on that new layer, I'm just going to start
doodling and playing around. No stress, no pressure, drawing. I like to do little loops. I find that that's a
good thing to try. Hurts. Just anything. Diamonds, circles, any type of little shape. And it's just something you
can kind of relax into, and there's just not
as much pressure when you're doing
something like this. But it maintains your
daily art practice. When I'm just completely stumped on what to do with my 5 minutes, I find that this is
just an easy go to. This little kaleidoscope
kind of art. It's easy, it's relaxing. It's fun, it's creative. And it's very low
pressure because literally you can make
any sort of mark, and it's cool because
it's symmetrical, and I think you're really
going to enjoy it, especially with these fun
little glitter brushes. But you can play around and find whatever brush
you want to use for this. Isn't that fun? Then you can even, you know, go back to your ace color here
and go to the adjustments, hue saturation brightness,
push around the slider, play with some different
colors and see what you like. Like, that's pretty.
But it's just fun. It's a way to keep up your 5 minutes a day habit in
a really, really easy way.
6. Next Steps: So much for joining this class. I know this class is a little different and it comes
with making a commitment. The commitment to make art
for a minimum of 5 minutes a day every day so you can live a more creatively
fulfilling life. Here's what to do now
if you haven't already. Decide what pre existing habit you're attaching
your new art practice to. For me, it's bedtime. Then also decide on
your simple go to art medium that you
can place right in the vicinity of your
pre existing habit. For me, it's my iPad
and my nightstand. You can always switch your
medium up day to day, but decide on a fallback medium. Then sometime today and
every day after today, draw and paint for a
minimum of 5 minutes. Just 5 minutes.
Forget the pressure. If you're drawing circles
for 5 minutes, draw circles. If you're working on your
next masterpiece, do that. Please share your work in the projects and
resources section. I'd love to see what you're creating and hear all
about your experience. Now, don't forget to grab
your class bonuses, as well. You'll get my curated set
of procreate brushes. These are some of my very favorite drawing and
painting brushes, as well as some of my
custom made brushes that I enjoy playing around with
in my five minute practice. Along with your free
procreate brushes, I've also included a couple
other bonus resources to help you stay consistent. Accountability
tracker to keep you motivated and celebrate
your progress and a simple creative
spark prompt list with quick prompts for
those days when you feel a little stumped
on what to draw. You'll be amazed at
what you can accomplish over time when you just show
up for 5 minutes a day. I'm so excited to see
what you create and cheer you on as you build a daily art practice
that brings you joy. Don't forget to grab
your free resources. You've got this until next
time. Happy creating.
Gabrielle Brickey, Portrait Artist - ArtworkbyGabrielle.com
