Rant: My design gig made me forget how to draw for fun

I spent 6 years doing graphic design for a marketing firm in Austin, cranking out social media posts and brochures. Last month I sat down with a sketchpad for the first time since college and my hand froze. I couldn't think of a single thing to draw that wasn't client work. That realization hit me hard. Now I'm trying to unlearn that muscle memory by doodling stupid cartoons of my cat every night. Anyone else lose a hobby to their day job and struggle to get it back?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler8547d ago

The cat doodles are a solid start honestly. You gotta retrain your brain that drawing can be just for you and not for a client's approval. What worked for me was doing 30 second drawings of random objects around the house, like a coffee mug or my shoe, with no goal in mind. It's like shaking off rust from a bike chain... you have to just move the pencil around without worrying if it looks good. Maybe try drawing the same cat in different poses every night until your hand remembers how to play again.

piper_kim7d ago

Ngl, the 30 second drawing thing is good advice but the bike chain comparison is a bit off. Rust on a chain means it's been sitting still for too long, but artist block is more like the chain being stuck in one gear from always drawing for other people. It's not about shaking off rust, it's about remembering you can shift gears. Like, you could try drawing the cat with your non-dominant hand or with your eyes closed, something that forces you to stop trying to make it perfect. That kind of playful nonsense breaks the feedback loop way better than just speed drills.