When I started getting back into art, I wasn’t waiting for the perfect conditions.
I simply didn’t have them.
Life was busy, and most days I only had small pockets of time to create. Rather than wishing for more time, I realized I needed to rethink how I approached making art.
That’s what led me to work smaller.
What surprised me wasn’t that I could finish more drawings.
It was how much momentum I began to build.
A small sketch or painting feels approachable. I can finish it in one sitting, learn from it, and start another one without feeling like I’ve invested days into a single piece.
That completely changed the way I practiced.
Working small naturally keeps me focused on the fundamentals—shape, value, composition, and color—rather than getting lost in tiny details before I’ve learned what really matters. Whether I’m filling a small sketchbook or painting an Artist Trading Card, each finished study teaches me something I can carry into the next one.
Those small victories begin to stack.
It reminds me of the debt snowball method. Paying off one bill doesn’t completely change your financial situation overnight, but it gives you momentum. Then another bill disappears. Then another. Before long, you realize you’ve built a habit instead of simply chasing a goal.
I think creativity works the same way.
I once heard a story about a man who wanted to build the habit of going to the gym. For the first couple of weeks, he drove there, walked inside, and then immediately left. Later he stayed for five minutes. To everyone else, it probably looked ridiculous, but he wasn’t trying to become fit overnight—he was becoming someone who always showed up.
That story stuck with me because I realized that’s exactly what I wanted to build with my own creative practice.
Working smaller isn’t about lowering my expectations.
It’s about lowering the barrier to getting started.
Ironically, by making it easier to begin, I’ve found myself creating more consistently than ever before.
That’s why I’m excited to begin a personal challenge in the near future: creating 100 portrait studies.
It isn’t about producing one hundred perfect paintings. It’s about showing up one hundred times, learning one portrait at a time, and trusting that consistency will take me farther than perfection ever could.
I have a feeling I’ll learn a lot along the way, and I’m looking forward to sharing that journey here.
— Zak