Drawabox Lesson 0, Part 3: Changing your Mindset and the 50% Rule

This is a topic that comes up all the time. Every day. Every second. Always. And it should, because it is incredibly important. But first let's pour one out for Mr. Monkey Business.
The reading for this video is available at drawabox.com/lesson/0/2. You can find all the free lessons at drawabox.com
00:00 Intro
00:05 On the subject of "SUCCESS"
01:30 What would we spend our time drawing?
03:20 The 50% Rule
05:51 Avoid more frustration later on
08:15 The Positive and Negative space of learning
09:42 Clear separation of Work and Play
11:47 Art and Mental Health
13:07 Recap
13:52 Fear of Bad Habits
14:55 The demise of Mr. Monkey Business
15:38 FAQ: Must I apply the Drawabox techniques in my 50% rule drawings?
16:12 FAQ: Must I do my 50% rule drawings in pen?
17:07 FAQ: May I use reference for my 50% rule drawings?
19:07 Other Resources
Links from the video:
"Overcoming the Fear of a Blank Page" video: • Overcoming the Fear of...
Pure Ref: pureref.com
"Other Resources" page: drawabox.com/lesson/0/2/other...
New Masters Academy: drawabox.com/nma
Use the code DRAWABOX22 to get a substantial discount off your first billing cycle on New Masters Academy. On release of this video, the discount was 35%, however this may change. Check the banner at the top of drawabox.com for the most accurate information.
Other Links:
Drawabox Discord Server: / discord
Patreon: / uncomfortable

[@sambarnes2759]

This man made a free drawing curriculum and is also giving out free therapy. Truly a comrade

[@domenicomiceli1528]

@@darioschaefer i feel you because i just started but i also know that i suck HARD and i need to force me to listen because it can help maybe not in the way i want but better than nothing (and are relative short video)

[@daniencuentra9523]

@darioschaefer Trust me when u get to this video after having advanced some more on the curse this makes total sense XD

[@wyntrheart]

I thought I would be immune to these kinds of fear/shame restraints because I genuinely don't feel the need to prove myself to anybody but me. But I am coming to learn that even fear of _my own judgement_ and feeling inadequate to _my own standards_ can be as destructive as fear of rejection by others, and maybe even worse. I'm learning that I need to push myself to make things even when I know I'll be disappointed with the results, not only because this will improve my skills, but also because I need to loosen up and learn to make struggle into play, instead of making play into struggle. Thank you for this video, it has really helped me to understand what has been holding me back.

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad the video helped! These are all important realizations, and while acknowledging them is the first step, it's entirely normal for it to take time for them to sink in fully.

[@emmet_xrcmiy3]

Same here.

[@Calamity556]

As someone who has been severely struggling with lack of motivation driven by fear, I can't agree more that this video has been a HUGE eye opener for me. I am very excited to start Drawabox! I think it's just what I needed to find my passion for drawing that I had as a kid once again.

[@9HeartSoul]

Hallelujah 🙌🏾 😂 cause the universe just gave me that same lesson, you rely gotta be free in self I art, art is free..

[@joaquimneto5617]

To be honest, tearing the drawing is what sold it to me. Such a powerful statement.

[@Inksploded]

Tbh it hurted me so hard like it was so good

[@st.altair4936]

It made me... _ahem_ *uncomfortable*

[@bobhill-ol7wp]

I heard a monkey scream in agony

[@weetdoog]

it's really nice hearing that what I'm feeling when creating art is completely normal. i genuinely thought there weren't many people struggling with being just *so* embarrassed about their art and their skill level.

[@kikolektrique1737]

Agreed!

[@friendlylisek7920]

yep!

[@mommaduck79]

I've tried to get better at art and came to draw a box and quit multiple times in the past 5 years, so I'm exactly the type of burnout person Uncomfortable talks about in this video. THIS is the most important lesson for most people, and i'm so glad it's been included. I picked up a pencil (yes, not a pen) and started drawing again last night. I actually really enjoyed it - despite knowing that my work was flawed. Since I've visted draw a box so many times, I do still attempt to use what i've learned whenever I pick up a pen (or in my case, a pencil) - but I didn't have the same obsession over doing things 'the draw a box way'. I thought "These drawings aren't bad. Not great - but not bad. How about I visit draw a box again and get serious?". Immediately I felt myself reverting to my old burnout mentality. That's not to say this is an issue with draw a box - because I think that it's GREAT - and I hugely appreciate Uncomfortable's efforts for making such an incredible free learning resource that is accessible for everyone. But, it is a problem with ME, that I have stumbled to move beyond. Anyway, I noticed some changes and updates to the website and youtube channel and found myself here. The answer given at 15:38 made me so fucking happy. It sounds so stupid. but it has finally given me the green light to actually 'draw for fun'. I don't know why, but I could never seperate the work from the play until now. Whenever I tried to draw anything for the sake of drawing all I would hear is "I didn't use my shoulder", "This isn't a continous line", "I'm chicken scratching" etc. and it was extremely mentally exhausting. I'm glad this video was made, and I really think that this time I will stick to draw a box for good because I finally feel as though a big mental barrier has been removed. Gotta love Uncomfortable's continued development of his Draw A Box series. I hope he understands just how helpful he really is for me and a lot of others. Also, RIP Mr. Monkey Business. Such a good piece, but I respect the gesture in tearing it apart lol.

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to hear this video had a meaningful impact for you, and helped clarify a previous misconception. I definitely think a lot of people were falling into the trap of trying to apply Drawabox's principles and restrictions beyond its intended scope, so it was definitely a pretty high priority for me to go back and update these videos, to help clarify that point.

[@BaddeBadger]

Despite everything, the 50% rule is the part that has made me fail every time I do Drawabox. Doing something to fail makes me anxious since it goes against what we are conditioned to believe about 'valuable' product that results from our labor. Unlearning things makes me anxious because it feels like time lost and wasted. Thanks for this video. It really does mean a lot to reframe how I look at drawing and making art.

[@indras7497]

I actually get the point, those last pages of the notebook, we know they are not that important and nobody's gonna see it, so we scribble aimlessly and we create a masterpiece. But when we sit down with all those materials and with a fresh page......can't even draw a stroke, fearing how it would turn up. Actually you addressing each and every anxious feeling of a beginner is so thoughtful... goin on to watch all videos of yours ;)

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to hear that I've been able to touch on a number of your anxieties. There are definitely a lot of barriers that students put up for themselves - it's normal, and extremely common, to the point that sometimes those of us who've gotten further forget that they exist, or worse, see them as a sort of "badge of honour". It just perpetuates the same frustration and unwellness that holds people back.

[@varshamandapalli9643]

I discovered Drawabox like 2 hours ago, and I'm extremely happy I did. I want to learn art professionally, and I'm starting now. When you tore that good drawing, my face was like, "😱🙊😳." This is a reminder to not take everything seriously and just have fun with your art journey. I cannot wait to learn and change my beginner mindset . Thank you a ton for creating such an amazing website and content.

[@peebo1440]

Just some encouragement 3 months after you discovered drawabox! I hope you are continuing your art journey and learning/working/playing art! Keep at it! ❤

[@varshamandapalli9643]

@@peebo1440 Oh, thank for your comment :) I'm trying to draw and learn everyday. Had a few hiccups but overcame them and I'm not stopping ❤️

[@flamingaish]

keep going varsha !!

[@raifkenedy3]

the immense stress i felt when you tore that paper 😭

[@ziaahmad8738]

exactly that hurt man, it was such a good drawing hhh

[@CosmicVitamins]

It was play, play is fun, he drew it to tear it up, and that was fun to him.

[@mogblin]

I've been working through lesson 3 of Draw a Box, and I came back to this video. I just want to say, Draw a Box was so important for me in learning a healthy mindset towards drawing and being a beginner. It gave me so much confidence and also reassured me that it was okay to be a beginner and to fail and to make mistakes. Because I have to make mistakes in order to learn. There's no race to the finish line or secret advice that not knowing will doom me to failure for the rest of my life. There are so many other art tutorials/courses out there that are really demoralizing and make a beginner feel like they are going to fail no matter what, and the pressure they create to succeed and get everything right is so paralyzing and overwhelming. Draw a Box is a lot kinder than that. I'm glad I started here on my drawing journey. It's been great to learn the fundamentals, but also the philosophies of the course have been really encouraging.

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to hear that our approach has resonated with you. What you recounted is certainly our intent, so it means a lot that it's having its intended impact!

[@laurewinkelmans9501]

For me this makes perfect sense. If you view drawing too much as a technical skill and you put pressure on yourself, you get burnt out. You should draw what you want. For me that's why I began taking lessons from drawabox.

[@joshuar.7729]

I've only been doing Drawabox for a little more than a week, but I went back to this video while feeling unmotivated, and it helped a lot, very well done!

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad that it helped!

[@Lingatsu]

How are your progress since the beginning ?

[@joshuar.7729]

​@@Lingatsu I just recently finished the 250 box challenge, although, I did more than 250, due to the fact that I didn't apply line extension correctly on the first 230. Today, I just started working on the arrows exercise. If you're wondering about how my progress in drawing overall has advanced, I'd say that my 50% rule drawings tend to use more perspective than beforehand, but I haven't really been paying attention to that. Hope you found that useful. However, I'd suggest you not make judgement about the course by what I say. I am less than 2 lessons in, so my progress has little to do with all the things that can probably be learned through drawabox.

[@Lingatsu]

@@joshuar.7729 I see thanks for your answer and congratulations to keep going with the course. On my side I feel a little unmotivated recently but maybe it's temporary.

[@Something-nh5ds]

@@joshuar.7729 Hey! How are you doing on your journey?

[@marise-cellardoor2031]

As someone who was mid-doodle when you mentioned the challenge of this (initially thought I was being chastised haha) Thank you so much for mentioning ADHD in this! This is something that I really struggle with and has put me off courses in the past. Truly means so much to feel included. For the first time in a long time I feel motivation to pick up art again

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to hear it! It's definitely something many of our students struggle with, and I think it can, if not addressed, undermine one's confidence and make them feel like they're not suited to this task. It would be naive to say that we're all the same and that we all face the same struggles - but in recognizing and talking about them, we can show each other that there are paths forward for each of us.

[@AlecBGood]

I know this video is about drawing, but that whole "why not now?" talk is important for ANYTHING in life

[@Uncomfortable]

Absolutely. It always warms my heart when I have students come back after having gone through the course, or an amount of the course, and tell me how it's not just helped them approach learning drawing, but how it's helped open their eyes to their capacity to learn whatever they're interested in, in a healthier manner.

[@meat981]

The lesson at 4:00 actually made me feel happy instead of upset or scared. I've been practicing all day and I've made massive improvements. But when I make me some doodles, bad moods go away u.u (automatic drawing) I'll 100% use the 50% rule And absolutely with the positive and negative thing. Breaks are really useful, and I have adhd so I do just wander off a lot. I've found that breaks helps a lot, often when I come back after a break I do better performing compared to exact moment I stopped before the break.

[@akiuta4]

Wow I mean specifically addressing my struggles as a person with ADHD right there in the video. This really meant something to me. It feels so nice and genuine for you to acknowledge me and say that it's okay if I'm different with how I do it. Your course has the persona of a strict teacher. With the 250 box challenge and all. But I truly know that you mean it all well. Unlike the teachers who just say they do. And doing this all for free on top of it. ..... You're so awesome.

[@midnari]

Haha! Failure can't stop me! I have failed at everything I've ever done - You can't fear the inevitable, you can only challenge it!

[@marekrybakiewicz370]

You are one of the most amazing educators i've ever seen. Like, the things you consider are so human, it's beautiful

[@Uncomfortable]

Thank you very much for the kind words!

[@qwertydavid8070]

THIS!!!! This type of mindset is not only important for drawing, but for literally any creative hobby. And yet almost all the tutorials skip it. They obviously don't do this on purpose, these people have drawn for so long that a lot of these concepts just come naturally to them, they don't have to actively think about them. So they incorrectly assume that they come naturally to everyone too. School convinces you that failure should be avoided at all costs. Having the context that failure is actually beneficial for creative hobbies would make pursuing them much easier and actually enjoyable. The problem is that everyone assumes that creative hobbies are pursued in the same way as academic learning, which is just wrong. And again, they're right to think that because that's what they've been accustomed to for years. Failure is a critical part of growth. Thank you so much for clarifying this!

[@puddlestomp7325]

There were some points in this video where i thought to myself "my god he's talking about me." I grew up drawing as a hobby and took a lot of art classes and got decently technically proficient, but eventually it became less about enjoying and more about trying to be better, and it just made me feel terrible. I quit drawing for 15 years, and now am trying to pick it up again. The same was true for music. You put words to something I couldn't really explain to people when I told them I just gave up art, it didn't make sense to them.

[@Uncomfortable]

I hope there is some solace for you in the fact that your experience is entirely normal, and that it's something the majority of people struggle with. At the end of the day, the desire to be good at something can quickly overshadow what other motivations we may have had to be interested in that area of skill, and so retraining our brains to think of it outside of the context of constant achievement is necessary - although it certainly takes some doing.

[@lydiamoo16]

my art never recovered from the three years I spent pursuing STEM, and I never understood why it was so hard for me to relearn to draw. I forgot to start with these fundamentals and place so many limitations on myself, and as you said am crushed with the pressure to make things as beautiful as my past art which really set me back.

[@noonewatchesmyvideos3891]

Great lesson! I'm just looking for a TLDR here... Edit: Ok I'll just do it myself TL;DR - Spend 50% of time learning art and 50% trying to drawing random shit yourself (anything is fine, no need to be too strict on applying the techniques learned in drawabox). Don't be scared of failure. Also, the slight tremble when he tore up the monkey drawing lmao

[@nerfytheclown]

I also rather liked the monkey businessman. I also love transitory art. Sand castles and snow creatures...great video. Great program.

[@Stellana]

"The worst that will happen is people will ignore it. No one will be angry, because no one actually cares." I wish this were true lol. I've experienced people making fun of my art pretty aggressively before. 😅 The internet can be brutal to beginners.

[@Uncomfortable]

Oof. In which corners of the net did you generally find that to occur?

[@Stellana]

@@Uncomfortable Fandom circles. Which I think can be generally welcoming, but some people entertain themselves by putting other people down I guess.

[@Uncomfortable]

@@Stellana People do get really weird when they take arbitrary ownership of something and start policing others in how they engage with it.

[@Badartist888]

11:00 Also worth remembering that concentration is a skill like so many others. Just speaking for myself, I thought I might have ADHD (nope just boring old autism with bi-polar) but by making a few life changes my concentration has dramatically improved and I'm living a much more fulfilled life and I kind of wonder how I thought I ever had ADHD. Obviously ADHD is real (my partner has it) I just don't and thought I did. They were: - Far less social media (almost none and always to a time limit). This was the big one. Your brain registers every post as a separate thing and released dopamine. It ruins your brains ability to concentrate like nothing else. Just using less social media is probably 50% of the result and also it only takes a few days of detox and sitting in some boredom before your brain resets its reward centres. - Only using screens for specific purposes. Related to the last one but the next step. I wasted so much time doing repeated game loops while half-watching KZbin things I didn't really care about. Lost so much time in it. Now my computer stays off unless I have a specific reason to use it. Same for tv and phone (well phone is on but I don't use it for social media). Of course that reason might be 'watch a funny video while eating lunch'. But more often its me doing things that, while still fun and my hobbies, take a bit of work. ie writing, prepping for my DnD game etc. - Read more. It's so much more satisfying than games. If I go back to a game I get bored really quickly then return to my current book. I mix up the topics. Things I like, things I know nothing about, fiction, non-fiction, self help, even some text books I got my hands on. - Changing my self talk from praising myself for innate qualities (talent, intelligence etc) and praising myself for putting in the work. For an explanation watch the Andrew Huberman KZbin channel episode about the growth mindset. Basically training myself to enjoy the grind and seeing the results and stopping the talk I do about how I can't focus for any time as its a self fulfilling prophecy. Also learning to enjoy the process. - Knowing what I am doing with my time. Like instead of 'practice art' I spend a few seconds to think about what thing I want to learn or practice. Been doing that for most things and its really helped me organise my day and get shit done. Far more than vague goals of 'clean' or whatever. - Meds for my bi-polar. With my psyc I tried a few different meds until I found one that helps me the most. You have so self advocate for your mental health and also work on it away from psycs. A one hour appointment every month isn't going to solve all your problems. Like anything you gotta put the work in. While meds haven't been the biggest change, they have allowed me to do a lot of the changes. Considering it takes seconds a day to take my meds it has the single biggest time/ advantage ratio by a huge margin. Of course I am lucky in that I live in a country with good, cheap, health care. Anyway, that is a list of things that helped me with my concentration and putting in the work.

[@adamusedsplash8734]

This takes me back to when I was determined to get better at drawing and I spent every day working at it for a few years. Drawing just isn't for me. As much as I'd love the talent. I think you've got to be blessed with intelligence to learn this insanely difficult skill. I failed and gave up. Hopefully others will have better luck.

[@coreo6688]

Ok, I typed about a month and a half ago(?) that I'm gonna start, unfortunately I didn't because I heard you talk about ADHD, I said hmm I heard about ADHD before why don't I check it out, it turns out that I actually have ADHD and my depression and anxiety stemmed from ADHD, so thank you for this, in about 2 weeks I'll get on medication and in another 2 I'll start therapy when I'm gonna start medication I'll try to come back to Drawabox and start getting into it, I really would benefit from doing this but I thought it might have been a better idea to focus on mental health rather than the course so I only played with art instead of learning a lot of new things but not to worry I am but 18 years old I have all the time in the world now, so thank you again, now even if I don't finish Drawabox I still have to thank Drawabox in a couple of years.

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm honestly deeply gratified to hear that you were able to seek diagnosis and support, and that you've got such a positive, healthy outlook on this. You're right - you do have all the time in the world, and no matter where it takes you, you're clearly walking down a solid path, with a good head on your shoulders.

[@mohamadparadox2453]

then i'll do whatever i want, also i have been going through drawabox years ago all i've been doing is writing and writing *every* single page of drawabox giving me needless exhaustion then i realized that i don't need to do any of that, the best way to learn is action after all everything is clicking here,

[@comrade_raptor]

i think the crux of this video is actually an incredibly important lesson to learn and apply to just about everything we do in life. Thanks so much for this

[@Fludd-Stop]

Never before have I felt a video resonate with me so deeply, I adore how this video bluntly tackles so many of those natural fears and doesn't try to hide the difficulty and vigorousness that is to come with this course. I am so excited to learn with this course!!

[@bigrice5047]

This is my ASMR. I actually just put this on as I'm doing the ellipse table to warm-up both my muscle and importantly, my spirit.

[@DK-ym8jr]

The approach on the 50% rule was actually very enlightening on many things. Like why immersion is so helpful for learning a new language. Thanks!

[@Gossamer24]

I'm enjoying the course so far and the videos help a lot. Thank you for making them (and the course over), I'm starting to learn drawing in my 30s and it's been so helpful to have the course to be a guide. : )

[@MistyHaven]

I needed this, Uncomfy. I'm happy to see your mastery in both constructing and conveying philosophy of art (and life) has persisted. Hope you're doing well

[@Uncomfortable]

Good to hear from you! Both Scylla and I are doing well. I'm glad that you enjoyed the video - out of the whole course, it's definitely the most important one, although one that people still do struggle to fully understand and apply. But it's all one step at a time.

[@MistyHaven]

@@Uncomfortable I am SO happy to hear you and Scylla are going strong!! God that warms my heart to no end. It's definitely something I neglected when I was doing the fundies and now that my life has settled out of some...chaos, I definitely plan on just doing some art for its own sake. Oddly enough, it was doing a small craft project of making a little rock decoration with my grandmother that made me think: the process of creation with no particular end goal, no way to fail, but just trying, knowing that you could adjust something in the future if you so desire, is so freeing and fun.. so human.

[@devanmauch7843]

I've been scattered trying to find a good path for learning to draw and this seems like just the right thing, thanks for making it!

[@Alithium0]

the whole double as great life advice man, thanks man!

[@BattleDuelists]

Every other month I comeback to this video, and it keeps me going. Thank you

[@quesonegro]

I never expected to get great life advice from a course on drawing. Thanks for this and I can't wait to get started!

[@wyntrheart]

this sounds like exactly what I need!

[@Jaero88]

I came back to this video during lesson 3. I highly recommend coming back and watching this during the courses!

[@AceComics]

Wow - the first few minutes of this video were such a slap of reality! I've never heard my own fears and trepidation about drawing stated so perfectly.

[@billiebyron9890]

i know i'm gonna hate the 50% rule, but i'm also excited about it, weirdly enough. i picked up a fear of failure from traditional education, just like you said, and i've known that for ages - but i've NEVER had anyone give me advice on how to work through that fear other than "just stop being afraid to fail!" all that does is make me upset i'm failing at not being afraid of failure. but separating work from play and following the 50% rule are things i can ACTUALLY DO. i guess what i'm trying to say is - thank you for giving me an actual strategy for dealing with my fear, instead of just telling me to get over it without telling me how. edit: oh, and thanks x2 for acknowledging ADHD right there in the video. made me feel seen. 💕

[@Uncomfortable]

Honestly I was worried what I said here wasn't that different from telling people to draw just for the hell of it, so I'm glad that you felt the video goes further and provides you with something more actionable. That said, there are people who struggle so much with that fear that they physically cannot do it. Those cases really fall outside of the scope of drawing, and benefit from more professional help - counseling, therapy, etc. to break down the underlying causes of those extreme emotional responses, and help develop strategies for managing them.

[@imalive.qstnmrk]

after learning to embrace the mistakes, i realized i enjoyed freehand drawing again. this video was exactly what i needed

[@allen_graphics]

Thanks I need to hear this rn ❤

[@mixup2216]

I am really impressed with your teaching ability! I just ended up here because I suddenly got an urge to learn drawing. But in these first few parts you've explained so many concepts about the process of learning itself that I find so insightful and I have never heard anywhere else the same way before!

[@Lingatsu]

Really heartwarming advices to heard.

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to hear it!

[@lunarella.]

i think this was my problem with drawing for a looong time, i'm glad to learn what to do to get rid of that problem

[@WakeUpMaggie]

I might use digital tools for the 50% rule, since it's something I'm excited to explore. Outside of that, I fear the depressive episodes that could come from "failure." I have enough of those as is! 😭

[@StidyoFenwa]

Thanks for this!!

[@yongzeyao1337]

Comrade, you are a spiritual mentor.

[@megangilmore9355]

This video is incredible. Every point he makes is something I struggled with and went through myself. I'm jumping back into drawabox after a year and after I've just gotten my 250 box challenge critique back (I've been assigned 20 more lol). It's hard not to view this as I'm a failure because I need more practice, but who cares!!

[@nicholassmith2223]

Thank you for so much, good sir. That part about mental health and learning art is real, man! I lost a really good lifelong friend last year. Depression got me pretty bad. That being said, my family helped me get some help. Art is helping me deal with failure in small doses without having a panic attack. It helps me get my feelings out. I had a good friend explain to me talent is earned, not just given out haha.

[@jaysadler2476]

Honestly this is the video that I needed back then when I started drawabox years ago. In 3 years of learning how to draw, I only allowed myself to play a few times: when I was ill so I couldn't care less about the results- and it was fun, good looking even. Since then I've hard a hard time letting it all go again as I want to achieve my goal and be "successful" but as you said in your video, it definitely comes from fears and mental health issues. Bc of it, I can't draw for fun at all, I get mad at how bad the drawings look etc. I truly feel like all these fears, self pressure etc are the only things actually stopping me from getting better at drawing. Having the right mindset is so difficult for me. This video is what I needed and what I still need today. Thank you, because now I finally get the point of that rule and now that I should work more on my mindset than my actual drawing skills for now. Drawing became a huge work and even a chore. I hope by allowing myself to fail and play, it will get fun and relaxing again. Just like painting, actually. For some reason I don't pressure myself when I paint. I have no expectations. I just paint. And it's fun. And it even looks alright at the end. But what sticks with me more is not the end result but how great it felt when I created it. So I totally get the difference. It's that I feel like I don't *have to* be good at painting.

[@Uncomfortable]

Glad to hear the video resonated with you!

[@dbrock1553]

I really like this rule, I find that if I'm stretching a fairly complex subject, like a figure, it will take me 3 or more sketches of the same subject to get something I think is a decent representation and it teaches me so much about drawing each time I fail and improve. As you indicate -- failure isn't the problem it's the fear of failure that is. People these days have been programmed to avoid mistakes but that's what really teaches us.

[@d0pesmoker]

I've really been trying to get good at drawing since this May and have been on drawabox for a bit, struggling with it because I didn't completly absorb THIS mindset and was being really mean to myself for no reason. I've struggled with learning things my entire life because of a negative mindset and quitting before I start. The way you talk about the mental framework that goes into drawing has really resonated with me and I have been applying it to every other aspect in my life. I'm still pretty bad at art and will be for a while and that's ok! By allowing myself to be a bad artist, I'm allowing myself the chance to one day be a good one.

[@nocturne3220]

I remember taking ur course back in 2021 to 2020 then i had a really long artblock what i am surprised about is that you are super different from art instructors i have seen they usually dont talk about stuff like this and its different in a good way by the way even though drawbox is meant for young adults i know i cant stay consistent because i am a student with countless studies and i barley have free time in my schedule for the art courses but u really appreciate drawabox even tho i cant stay super consistent my art improved a lot with your courses truly thank u

[@Imperfect_Ambition]

Great video! I'll ensure that I'll make use of the 50% rule in order to not get a burn-out.

[@CrimS727]

I don't know how many times Ive watched this video but I finally understand what he means

[@richiepurol7556]

You tearing up that awesome drawing was amazing

[@am-ir2bx]

Thanks to this I realised the bad things that art therapy can bring when all I needed was to scribble whatever. I just had the most amount of happy and calming chemicals I ever had since I was a kid. I did it on an erasable board and I never felt so free as I did as a kid. I'm so happy that I freed myself from thinking what looks right and just putting my hand to the surface and moving it creates so much joy XD

[@oberlurch-handimations8628]

I love the 50% rule so far. I just draw. No matter how it looks, even if it's just doodles. It helps me so much to relax. Of course, I feel the itch to do a lesson everyday, and I can't. But still, I love it. I even think, I'm not bold enough yet. I try things I can't do, but nothing too out of my league, but I don't stress about it. I just draw whatever comes to my mind.

[@thinkinggrin165]

Oh wow... The 50% rule hits hard. I am just watching this out of curiosity. I want to create Animations or further Interaktive Videogames. Therefore learning Blender and currently Unreal Engine. "Tutorial hell" or "i am not ready" is one hell of a problem. In my case it also leads to heavy procrastination. Not feeling prepared to tackle anything instead of just having a bit of fun without restrictions and judgement and not looking for the next tutorial for the "pile of shame" of unfinished tutorials.

[@Uncomfortable]

Definitely. I actually come from a game development background, and worked as a game programmer for several years (primarily using Unity). What I say here is equally valid for programming - the most effective approach I used when teaching myself was picking a project and allowing it to guide what I went about learning and when. In other words, I would constantly run into things I didn't know or understand, and upon hitting such a roadblock, I'd find a tutorial or article addressing that issue specifically, or perhaps the topic more generally, and would get past it, only to come up against something else. I was able to see my progress in relation to what I ultimately wanted to build, and never got mired in the "copy my code" type of learning you see in most tutorials, because I would always be applying it to my own work. I suppose there is a difference, but it's not that important - the fact that just writing random characters in an IDE won't compile. But when you're drawing, you don't have to draw *correctly* in order to have a drawing at the end, and so there are no barriers aside from those we impose for ourselves.

[@thinkinggrin165]

@@Uncomfortable Thanks for answering. I will surely keep that in mind 😊 KZbin did not give me a notification 💩

[@ayushmishra-mg9dz]

hey from where are you learning blender please reply

[@PeytonG1018]

I am the person that took a year to "learn the fundamentals" and applied to my work but always fellt like something was missing. I am hoping that finally taking this course helps me break that barrier to bettering my art.

[@ttgsct]

i’m just starting DAB (first lesson) and I did the 50% rule. the results were so bad but i’m glade i did it when i know nothing about drawing and already expected the results to be absolutely garbage anyway. It would be much harder if I waited until I learned quite a few lessons and have to accept my ugly drawings then after all the practices ive done. (I even had fun drawing those silly things after doing it a few times)

[@Uncomfortable]

Keep it up! Glad to hear you had a little fun with it.

[@Macchiato2398]

No, but it's the fact of what you did with the drawing at the end physically triggered me that I can really see what you're saying! I need to learn not to take everything so seriously and realize that drawing is drawing, and not everything is about the end result. Thanks for this lesson; I'll make sure to return to it when my perfectionism cripples me again.

[@paprika2736]

15:08 THAT was horrifying to watch! 😱🤣 I never destroy my drawings, no matter if they're just a warm-up I don't really care about or a real attempt I'd die if I lose it. But by doing it, you made that point very clear, and I fully agree with your statement!

[@cheloi1805kami]

Thank you.

[@user-wj2hh1si2p]

i dont do any lesson but this cource start helping me so much

[@wonderlust2569]

Thank you man

[@a.beckles6656]

Haven't kept up with draw a box because it got really hard. I have been watching videos of other artists & I needed to hear this information. Looking to get back into draw a box soon. Thanks.

[@j.candy_]

same

[@vulpeeze]

The 50% rule is so useful for programming, i can't wait to use it for drawing too. Tutorial Hell is too big of an issue for the same fears 😭

[@Uncomfortable]

I strongly agree. Once upon a time, before changing careers towards concept art and illustration, I was a game programmer - and while that is something I studied in school, what I learned in college pales in comparison to what I learned from simply diving in, accepting that failure was inevitably, and learning from embarking on projects well beyond my ability.

[@Quat]

Rip monkey business man you will always be remembered

[@520lun]

I completed lesson 1 one year ago and I didn't do the challenge (kinda stopped, due to college. However I also realized I didn't do the 50/50 rules which might be the reason why I kinda "lazy" to do anymore lol. I planned to idk.. 5 minutes draw a box 5 minutes play...? I probably will be crazily busy when the semester start, I think I will add the minutes when I am comfortable or as I know the flow of my semester.

[@DecoVsMyGPA]

I literally gasped when you offed the monkey man, it was a plot twist for me

[@dreammaker1999]

I would just like to say, that this kind of advice is really what attracted me to Drawabox as it is not only applicable to art, but pretty much everything else too. The concept that you must permit yourself to be a beginner and to draw badly until you're comfortable with your own skill as well as the 50% rule are all things I learned as a WRITER. I had to learn to write badly, to put down words everyday regardless of how I felt about quality (after all, you can't edit an empty page) and dividing my time between learning and play - and it all WORKED. I went from someone who could barely finish one story after years of struggling to a prolific writer with 4 completed WIPs in about 2 years. As an aspiring children's author hoping to one day illustrate my books, I was very excited to discover a course that applied the same principles which had advanced me as a writer to art. Thank you for providing such a resource. I look forward to beginning my Drawabox journey!

[@Uncomfortable]

Thank you for the kind words! And I agree completely - this principle applies not just to drawing, but to learning in general. Along with art, game programming has always been a passion of mine, and it's something I learned in much the same manner - decide what kinds of projects I'd like to be able to work on, and throw myself at them, accepting the inevitability of failure and all of the learning and growth that would also come from overcoming each and every hurdle.

[@rohanreid-kh1uq]

You are so good I still can't figure out if I'm listening to an artist or a motivational speaker.

[@johnaquino7619]

If I understand the gist of this lesson: "Pace yourself. Digest and absorb what you've learned. Have fun along the way, so you stay motivated." The analytical manner with which this point is developed is intriguing. It would seem that Uncomfortable improves the online courses via thoughtful iteration. Neat. 🙂

[@cavemann_]

Tearing up that drawing caused me severe pain. It was so cool! OOOHHHHHHHHH

[@aishudhomane1681]

As a guy with anxiety who wants to draw the stress out... I wanna say it was a therapy ❤️

[@Uncomfortable]

Art can absolutely be used for therapy, but it's tricky territory. People have a tendency to associate their results with their sense of self-worth, so it's easy for people to fall into a more self-destructive pattern if they don't have someone else helping to modulate and balance those impulses. That doesn't mean it's inherently bad for everyone who does it on their own - just that it's a significant risk, and not one to be taken lightly.

[@aishudhomane1681]

@@Uncomfortable u should check what and how i draw 💀 u will really become uncomfortable

[@niggienig2109]

I literally froze up after i saw you tear the monkey business man drawing LOLL

[@joshuafrancis6766]

4:21 this is something I need. my head is so much farther along than my pen/pencil lol

[@PractisingDrawing]

thankyou.

[@Lingatsu]

This remind me of the "growth mindset" from Carol Dweck. I think I currently have a "fixed mindset" (persuaded to not able to learn drawing due to a lack of patience and talent). But I'll do my best to changing that to a growth mindset. By the way, do you plan on creating a book with all the lessons ? It would be great to support you.

[@_oe_o_e_]

These concepts are important to all the forms of artistic expression. If you dont play, you dont grow the same, if at all.

[@zombie9685]

I decided from a self help book to start doing things that I've always wanted to do and one of those was drawing and most of the advice they give are the same on in this video so I find that Hilarious

[@Jasperience]

Was reading the text on the website earlier and on the depression part, the last sentence reads "We’ll still be here when you’re better equipped." I would change that to "We’ll still be here when you’re ready."

[@user-ix6dd4lb6g]

This is epic.

[@Jasperience]

Funnily enough, I had paused the video at some point and when I unpaused, you started talking about ADHD. The reason I paused is because I went on a 15 minute distraction trip. (Got diagnosed earlier this year).

[@Fanofanime111]

Ha... After watching the previous videos I started peacing out/multitasking by looking at inspiring pictures on Pinterest. The mention of ADHD made me jump. How did you know, lol. It felt nice to hear someone acknowledge how executive dysfunction, and other mental health experiences, can impact things.

[@wanxinxu894]

despite the entire lecture, my heart still went ouch when you tore up your drawing.

[@wonfii4776]

this reads and feels like a mental health/fear of failure TED Talk that happens to talk about art lmfao. So good i love it

[@yukimizukisisterstudios7366]

I think the 50 percent rule is perfect for me not because of anxiety for drawings after the course but because I tend to just put everything I have into studying and then getting burned out extremely quickly because I just study, study, study but then take my time to actually play That's why I started courses and so so often but just don't finish, never staying on for more than a couple weeks straight

[@shutupack5389]

I think the 50% rule might look different the better one gets at drawing. Right now I keep drawing the same thing over and over again in a tense fashion. I think getting out of my comfort zone and trying to draw things a little bit different or put a little bit more thought into my forms might be beneficial, even if it counts as "trying to get something out of it." Even if it fails I know I at least tried. Once I've started to get closer to my desired skill level, I might want more time just doodling in a relaxed fashion. Or am I describing something entirely different from the 50% rule? Maybe I'm overthinking.

[@DrawingSources-wm9zu]

perhaps my best learning experience in this topic applied to programming (my job) is that you never reach or are in a "eternal success state" every project I work in the company is different in some ways (example: the language used) so failure, mistakes will be made and need to in order to get the project going. I guess drawing is the same in that way you are always drawing different things and each of those things have a learning curve. but the important thing is to have a basic fundamental set of fundamentals to back on in order to solve the problem.

[@Uncomfortable]

Honestly, I believe that there are considerable parallels between drawing and design, and programming, in that they are both very much based upon a foundation of problem solving. Having worked as both a programmer and a concept artist in the past, including doing both at a single studio, and it's remarkable how much jumping back and forth between them never really required any sort of conscious "shifting of gears". It's all just using different tools, with a core foundation of understanding in how to use them, identifying the current state and the desired state we wish to reach, and figuring out how to get from here to there.

[@oberlurch-handimations8628]

Remember, you can draw the same drawing as many times as you want. There is no better time to draw the masterwork in your head than now. You're probably going to see all the flaws and stuff, but look at it like that: You won't forget it so easily. Then, later you see the drawing again and just do it again with your new abilities.

[@yadir4747]

omfg the shock in my face when he tore up the drawing

[@Frater_Anatis]

level 0: tearing that drawing apart was a huge flex. level 100: tearing that drawing apart is a part of the process you must accept before you even pick up the pencil.

[@kismorr8238]

17:20 That's me! I couldn't let go of my refs, wanted perfection, likes on the sketch app I use. Ended up burnt out. Haven't drawn anything for months. I'm currently on my second day of "drawing like a child" : I look at the daily prompt, I take the first idea that comes to my mind and execute it quickly, without reference. They are shity, but I find creating them oddly relaxing.

[@Uncomfortable]

In the sea of people arguing against and dissecting the 50% rule to find some way out, hearing this is very refreshing. Keep it up!

[@WatercolourHazard]

15:409 Damn, I gasped outloud

[@helmylaz6690]

Does 50% rule time also included when we doing the warmups? Like, 10 minutes warmups + 15 minutes exercises = 25 minutes of drawing (the 50% rule drawing)?