Have you ever told yourself, “I don’t have time to make art today”? Or thought that real progress only comes from long, perfect studio sessions? I want to challenge that. What if I told you that 15 minutes a day (yes, just 15) could change your skills, your confidence, and even how you see the world?
In this post (and video), I’m breaking down why small, daily art practice matters, how limitations can actually make you more creative, and how you can start making progress no matter how busy life gets. You don’t need a fancy studio, endless supplies, or even hours of free time. You just need to show up, and I’ll show you exactly how.
Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie.
I am here to remind you of something important. You are already an artist.
Here on Artist Strong, I help creatives returning to their art stop feeling like copyists or hobbyists. Instead, they start creating their first real series of artwork, work that reflects who they are and what they care about.
If you’re ready to reclaim your creative time, gain guidance, and finally draw and paint with your own unique voice, I’m here to support you.
Sign up for my free workshop, How to Transform Your Ideas Into Artwork That Is Uniquely Yours; join thousands of artists who’ve already started reconnecting with their art. You will find the link below.
Now let’s dig in.
I feel like I’m harping on this concept, but it’s clear to me that it’s such a foreign idea and so far from our cultural norms that it needs constant repeating. Sometimes people need to hear an idea multiple times in multiple ways before it finally sticks and becomes something you apply in your life.
Molly recently shared with me:
“There were several days in a row when I didn’t make art, and boy did I notice it. That’s the cool part of it all… I really notice the impact of not making art of any kind. I feel out of sorts and ungrounded, AND I notice that it doesn’t take much. If I’m really crunched for time, sometimes writing and a bit of drawing or quick painting in my journal can be enough.”
Screw the culture and society that’s constantly telling us: “Go big or go home.”
I’m not saying that big goals or striving toward big things is bad. But if you think every step toward those goals has to be large and dramatic, you’ve got it wrong.
The hardest part of teaching this is that our wiring and cultural norms have made the opposite idea feel natural. We’re told the only way to be a “real artist” is if the heavens open, angels sing, and yes: you have talent, so you’re allowed to make art.
Well, tell that to Michelangelo or da Vinci. The truth is, the reason they were as skillful as they were is that they made a lot of art.
Why Small, Daily Commitments Matter
One of the easiest ways to see progress in your art, especially when life is full of caregiving, parenting, work, or downsizing, is to make a small, near-daily commitment to your art.
I mean, who doesn’t have 15 minutes?
I hear your complaints already. I’ve heard them all before:
- What can I actually accomplish in that time?
- It takes forever to set up my workspace for just a little bit of time.
- It’s such a little bit of time, I keep thinking, why bother?
Feel free to share yours in the comments. What arguments does your inner critic use to resist this 15-minute request?
Here’s the thing: you can make excuses, or you can make art.
Is one hour a day better than 15? Absolutely. But if life is so full that 15 minutes is all you can manage, isn’t that important too?
I filled an entire sketchbook with drawings using my non-dominant hand by doing daily drawings before bed. The skill development felt like such a stretch that I told myself a two-minute minimum instead of 15. By the end, some nights I managed 30 minutes. And to this day, I have more dexterity and freedom in my left hand because of that practice, not to mention some beautiful drawings.
View this post on Instagram
Daily practice can improve your hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and ability to observe detail, value, and color. It connects you to your art and keeps your hand in it even when life is crazy. Plenty of research shows the physical and mental benefits of making art, and this is especially important for caregivers who are emotionally and physically taxed. A small outlet can really help.
Making Daily Practice Fun
You’re here because you want to make more art, better art, art that reflects your unique ideas and perspective. While you may not pull out oils and work on your next Mona Lisa every day, you can:
- Fill a sketchbook with studies that may become inspiration for later, larger works.
- Make small daily progress on larger works, like I did with this 3-foot by 3-foot drawing:
View this post on Instagram
- Explore a new medium that’s easier to pick up and put down.
When my daughter was born, I didn’t get out my paints. I kept thinking about setting up only to have her wake from one of her many 20-minute naps. I worried about wasting paint, canvas, and cleanup time.
Instead of pausing all my art, I got curious: what else could I make during this time?
I pulled out embroidery, colored pencils, and even started playing with collage. I forgot how much I enjoy colored pencils (or pencil crayons for my Canadians). They opened the door to exploring new topics and ideas I might never have considered with paint.
Limited time is a structural constraint. Constraints help artists make better art.
When I taught high school art, students were working toward exhibitions of personal work reflecting a unique style. I started them with structured assignments, then rotated between free choice and structure. Without fail, their free choice works dropped in skill—not because they were less talented, but because constraints give us tools and promote confidence when making artistic choices.
When I first discovered contemporary artist Jen Stark while teaching high school art in Dubai, I learned she began sculpting with construction paper because it was all she could afford at art school. It forced her to explore the material’s limits: what could she do with it?
Outsider artists are really good at using limitations to communicate their voice. Often their materials are found objects or non‑traditional art supplies, which immediately create constraints on their work. Additionally, outsider artists by definition have no formal art training and often zero exposure to the traditional art world, which means they have constraints around the usual pathways of skill development. Instead of letting that hold them back, they use those constraints to their advantage, creating interesting, surprising, and amazing art.
Small Steps Build Identity
I feel like I’m shouting into the void with this topic because it’s so simple that people dismiss its impact.
James Clear’s book Atomic Habits also speaks to this idea: set a minimum practice instead of going big or going home. When we change our behavior, we change our identity and how we show up in the world. It’s easier to build the habit of going to the gym in the morning if you first go to sleep in your gym clothes, then drive to the gym, then actually start attending. Step by step, you become the person you want to be.
What does it mean to embrace your identity as an artist? What does that look like? Tell me in the comments. If you want help breaking it down into smaller steps, let’s talk about it there.
It’s like we are failing if we take smaller steps, yet those smaller steps are exactly what make big goals achievable. Students inside Artist Strong Studio are taught this and still fight it at times.
- Practice can look ugly.
- Practice can look like unfinished work.
- Practice can be so quick it feels like nothing is happening.
And yet, when students start, measure their progress, and see growth, it motivates them. That opens the door to more time and opportunities to create because they see the fruits of their labors.
For one student, it meant doing blind contours as a warm-up for portrait sessions. For another, it meant making mini paintings that she eventually mounted on wood.
There is no one way to make art or practice. But showing up is essential. Small steps are especially important for perfectionists who see everything in all-or-nothing terms and view any failure as proof they should stop.
Anything we create is a stepping stone to our next work.
So here’s the takeaway: small steps aren’t small failures: they’re the building blocks of everything bigger you want to create. Whether it’s 2 minutes with your non-dominant hand, a 15-minute sketchbook session, or a playful experiment with new materials, every single bit of effort adds up.
I want to hear from you: what’s your 15-minute practice going to look like this week? Drop it in the comments so we can cheer each other on. And if you want guidance on breaking your goals into tiny, doable steps that actually stick, sign up for my free workshop How to Transform Your Ideas Into Artwork That Is Uniquely Yours, where I offer examples of small near-daily practices for your art. You will find the link below.
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As always thanks so much for watching.
Remember: proudly call yourself an artist.
Together, we are Artist Strong.