How to reinvigorate your art habit after a break
It happens to us all sometimes: despite your best intentions to make time in your routine for creativity, life gets busy and making art gets put on the back burner.
If that's happened to you, and your palette has been dry for a while, you’re not alone - and you’re not behind.
Just as most parts of life aren't constant, so too is it completely natural for creative habits to ebb and flow.
Finding the flow again after an ebb needn't require a grand plan - just a gentle nudge and a willingness to begin again.
If you have a sketchbook or art journal, returning to it can be the best way to reconnect with your creativity and reinvigorate your art habit.
Here are some easy, practical ways you can restart:
Start really small
Pick up your sketchbook, open it to the next page, and make a mark.
A brushstroke. A colour patch. A petal. Anything. This isn't about what the mark looks like.
It's a symbolic act that breaks your hiatus and tells your brain: you're back.
You don’t need to fill a page. You don’t need to know what you'll paint next.
But when you put your paintbrush down, try to decide one thing: when you'll next make another mark in your sketchbook.
Then repeat.
Small, consistent actions rebuild habits more effectively than one big burst of pressure.
Reflect without judgment
Whenever you've added something new to your sketchbook, get curious about what you're feeling and thinking.
If painting didn't come as naturally as before, or you're feeling frustrated or disappointed, that’s OK.
You’re returning, and that matters more than any time away.
Try writing a quick note on your page about:
- Why you want to get back to your creativity
- What you’ve missed
- What you'd like this next chapter of drawing and painting to feel like
Answering these questions sets a tone of self-kindness and clarity.
Create a ritual, not a rule
Now is not the moment to set yourself unrealistic goals. So forget “I should be making art every day.” Instead, try:
- Lighting a candle before you begin
- Setting a 10-minute timer
- Keeping your sketchbook somewhere visible
- Pairing your artmaking sessions with something enjoyable, like a cup of tea or music
Let painting become a pleasure again - not a pressure.
The start of a new chapter
Use your return as a new sketchbook entry in itself. Let this be a gentle marker of a new chapter.
You could try making a title page saying something like “Starting Again” or “Hello, Sketchbook”.
Creativity Is cyclical
It's OK that you took a break.
It’s OK to begin again.
It’s OK to begin again more than once.
You’re not broken or behind. You’re human.
Creative rhythms have seasons. Sometimes we paint in full bloom. Sometimes we rest, observe, or pause. The act of returning - of showing up again - is an act of creative resilience.