This Wednesday I posted a tweet about the artist’s loop:
It blew up. And people replied with their own version of why the loop wasn’t working for them:
“Draw → reinforce bad habits → draw worse → draw less.”
“Draw → expect too much → compare → suffer → draw less.”
“Draw → no improvement → take break, come back → draw worse”
There are infinite variations of obstacles. Which means there’s no single solution that fixes everyone’s problem.
But you can get a method for solving any problem. A framework that works no matter what’s blocking you.
Let’s walk through it.
Step 1: Write one sentence about what’s actually wrong
“Can’t start.” “My poses look stiff.” “Studies are boring.” “I quit after my post doesn’t perform.”
If it doesn’t fit in one sentence, you haven’t found the real problem yet. Keep digging until it’s that simple.
I spent months thinking my problem was “motivation.” But the real issue was “My 30-hour illustrations get 10 times less attention than my 2-hour sketches.”
Most people skip this step. They try to fix everything at once. Then nothing works and they don’t know why.
Step 2: Find the exact moment where it happens
If you can’t start, the problem isn’t your entire day. It’s the first two minutes staring at the blank canvas.
If you suck at anatomy, don’t try to fix the whole body at once. Just find which part looks the most weird. Hands? Eyes? Legs?
If comparing yourself ruins your day, the problem isn’t social media existing. It’s opening the app before you’ve drawn anything.
For me, studies felt boring until I found the exact moment: finishing the study with nowhere to share it. Once I started posting studies so people could learn from them, they weren’t boring anymore. The problem wasn’t studying. It was what happened after.
Step 3: Pick one tiny action that touches that moment
If the problem is the first two minutes, set a timer and draw random sketches for two minutes only.
If it’s wonky hands, do one hand study per day.
If it’s opening social media and spiraling, don’t open it until after you draw for 10 minutes.
When I couldn’t understand shading, I watched one Marc Brunet tutorial and did exactly what he showed. That was it. One action. It worked.
The action must be small enough you’d do it on your worst day. Don’t pick something impressive. Pick something you’ll actually do.
Step 4: Remove one thing that makes the action harder
Look at your environment. What makes your tiny action harder than it needs to be? Remove that one thing.
If you’re trying to draw in the morning but your tablet is in a drawer, leave it on your desk overnight.
If you’re doing studies but you search for references every time, create one folder with 50 references ready to go.
For me, pre-loading a reference board the night before changed everything. I use PureRef for this. Gathering references doesn’t take much energy, but doing it right when I want to draw kills momentum. So I do it at the end of the day when I don’t feel like drawing anyway.
Step 5: Run it for seven days without judging anything
Don’t think about whether it’s working. Don’t evaluate mid-week. Don’t adjust. Just do the thing.
If you miss a day, continue the next day. The week isn’t ruined.
When I worked through an anatomy course, I studied one body part per week. Torso one week. Arms the next. Legs after that. I didn’t jump around wondering if it was working. I just showed up and did the week.
It took 10 times more work than I expected. I burned out twice and took breaks. But I kept coming back to the simple plan: one part, one week.
It worked. I’m much more confident with anatomy now. Looking back at my art from a year ago, I can see the difference. But day to day, the progress felt invisible.
Step 6: After seven days, ask this one question
Did the tiny action make anything easier? Yes or no?
If yes, keep it for next week. If no, change the action but stay on the same problem.
One minute of review. Then you’re done.
Don’t write an essay about your feelings. Don’t analyze deeply. Just: did it help or not?
If it didn’t help, try a different action. Maybe instead of “3 hand sketches per day” you try “1 hand anatomy study from a new angle.” The problem is still wonky hands. You’re just testing a different solution.
Step 7: Loop it again.
That’s the whole system. One week on one problem with one tiny action.
After the week, you either keep the action or change it. Then you run another week. Same problem or new problem. One week at a time.
Here’s what I wish someone told me years ago: if you keep drawing consistently for 20 years, you’ll become world-class. Anyone who sticks with one thing for 20 years gets damn good at it.
But you can’t force your way through 20 years on willpower alone. Willpower runs out. Then you quit.
Most people try to change everything in three weeks, burn out, and quit. That’s not how this works.
The biggest companies in the world have been in business for at least 20 years. Nothing lasts without a good foundation. Your art career is the same.
I’ve sacrificed a lot for art. I skip most parties. I barely play games even though I used to be a huge gamer. I don’t play guitar much or make music even though I loved both.
But I didn’t do that all at once. I didn’t wake up one day and cut everything out. It happened slowly, one small choice at a time, over years.
That’s what this weekly loop does. It builds sustainability through small repeated actions instead of big dramatic changes.
Here’s what to do this week:
Step 1: Write one sentence about your real problem. The actual thing stopping you, not what you think it should be.
Step 2: Find the smallest moment where it breaks. The exact hinge point, not the whole problem.
Step 3: Pick one action so small you’d do it on a tired day. Write it down.
Step 4: Remove one thing from your environment that makes that action harder.
Step 5: Do it for seven days. Don’t judge. Don’t evaluate. Just do it.
Step 6: After seven days, ask: did it make anything easier? Yes or no.
Step 7: If yes, keep it. If no, change the action. Then run another week.
Start this week. One week from now, you’ll know something you don’t know today.
