100 Day Trust Challenge

15 Minutes a day, just for me

I am part of an amazing group of artists from around the world called ​Growth Studio. We meet three times a week on zoom for coaching, critique, and Friday Art Chat. We started a 100 Day Trust Challenge in April. The idea is to pick an area of our art practice that we want to grow in, set some parameters, and then do it for 100 days, not with the aim of perfection, but with the spirit of treating ourselves with kindness even on the days we fall short.

I have a full family life and identify as a recovering perfectionist. I'm really great at being productive and getting work done, but not so great at rest, being playful, and "filling the creative well." The perfect Trust Challenge for me is to do something genuinely restorative, joyful, or inspiring for 15 mins a day. It can't be something that checks off multiple boxes on my to-do list like exercise or journaling, because I am already doing those things. Instead, I will pick something I enjoy for its own sake, no productivity required. It also doesn't have to be an "earned" reward after I get my work done. I can do it any time of day. And I've learned that, as an introvert who doesn't get enough alone time, it really doesn't feel restorative if I'm doing something in a group or with my kids. At first glance this sounds pretty selfish, but it is also no fun to be around me when I have nothing left to give.

So far ( I’m on Day 24) I have had very enjoyable days (hello reading for pleasure in a coffee shop, singing along to my favorite songs, and taking 15 minutes just to look through my treasured art book "Last Flowers of Manet") and not so exciting days (15 mins of laying on the couch, listening to classical cello and crying because my kids were sick, I had "too much to do", and I was truly exhausted with a cold of my own). Most days, if it were not for the trust challenge, I would not have done the activity or taken a break.

One thing that has surprised me a bit is how often painting is the thing I want to do most. I would have told myself “I don’t have time to paint" on a busy day, but because it is only for 15 minutes and does not have the pressure I sometimes put on my work to become finished and showable, I can enjoy making art in its purest form, art for art's sake. In those moments the first thing that happens is that my lungs open up. I start breathing more expansively and deeply. My mind quiets. I let go of petty emotions and just connect to my subject, and to myself.

This is my first “Letters from the Studio,” where I’ll share what’s on my mind or what I’m working on. In my journey back into artmaking after a pause raising young children (I have a 14 year-old and twins who are 8), I am rediscovering all the ways that making art is restorative, healing, and connects you to your higher purpose. Writing helps me think, and sharing helps me connect - I hope you find something to take away from my musings, and I appreciate you being here with me!