Drawing Guilt after Taking a Break from Drawing (or any hobby)

I know that some of you who watch all this art stuff probably think to yourself, “that’s neat, but I’m no artist”. To that I say: go look at my earlier videos, because absolutely anyone can become an artist if they want to. And yet a bunch more of you are likely thinking about how you started to draw at one point, but later you just stopped. And you’re not really sure how to jump back in, or if you even can!

In a past clip I’ve spoken about planning your breaks to free up your mind and come back with fresh ideas. But that doesn’t mean that if you took an unplanned break, you’re somehow in trouble. You’re not! Trust me, I know the feeling. Maybe it’s been several weeks. Or months. Or years! And each time you think about getting back into it, you feel guilty! And the longer you wait, the guiltier you feel. It just seems like some big huge effort to start up again.

But of course, it isn’t. If you feel like you used to know how to draw, or even if you only barely started to learn, that skill is still there in you. I promise! It feels like you forgot how because you haven’t been thinking about it for a long time. And yes, you might need some time to warm back up again, but it’s going to be waaaay faster than starting from scratch.

Be kind to yourself. If you decide to start your hobby back up again, and it takes a few tries, that’s fine. It’s tough to establish habits, but if you’ve done it once before, you can do it again, and you’ll remember a lot more than you thought you did. If you’re unsure where you left off and want to try some fundamentals, check out some of the earlier videos I have. If you want tips on building your habits back up again, I’ve got stuff on that too.

Don’t worry about what others think. Your hobbies are yours and you can pick them back up at your own pace. If you have other artist friends trying the same thing, reach out! They’ll be glad to see you again. You don’t have to apologize for taking a break. Give yourself a hug, and go grab that pencil.