122. A "30 Days of Vancouver" Retrospective

Ep 42 of the SneakyArt Podcast

👋🏼 Hello listener!

On April 30th, after completing my self-imposed, daily drawing challenge - “30 Days of Vancouver” - I came back home to record an impromptu episode of the podcast.

This episode was special because there was no guest and no prior planning. Just me and the microphone.

I spoke about -

🎙 Taking inspiration from recent conversations,
🎯 My goals with the 30-day drawing challenge,
🏃🏽‍♂️ The importance of daily rituals,
🫣 Why I always step out of my comfort zone.

The recording was a way to make sense of the time that had passed, and to see how far I had come. It was necessary also for me to unwrap my thoughts that day itself while they were fresh.

But I was uncertain about sharing it with the large audience of the SneakyArt Podcast. I only decided to do it after receiving positive feedback from Insiders (who got early access last week).

I hope you will enjoy listening to it too.

🎙 Ep 42 - A “30 Days of Vancouver” Retrospective

Nishant looks back at the goals of this self-imposed drawing challenge and considers the lessons he has learned from drawing every day. He speaks about conversations with Sandi Hester (Ep 38 & 39) and David Morales (Ep 37) that led to the decision to undertake this challenge, the compounding value of good habits, and the incredible importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone.

Also, why TikTok matters!

Listen to this episode on your choice of streaming service, or choose a link below:

Spotify | Apple | PocketCasts | Google | Web | Gaana

Check out the previous episode with Singapore-based artist Don Low here.

🎙 Recent conversations

Speaking with David Morales, I learned about the benefits of drawing every day. I saw how he balanced drawing with his other responsibilities and obligations as an architect, husband, and father. I also appreciated how the daily practice gave him better and more creative ideas for his art.

Just before speaking with Sandi Hester, I had been thinking about the need to re-centre drawing in my life. Distracted by other ancillary responsibilities around the business of being an artist, I had let it become dry and monotonous. Her joy-centric process helped me see my work in a new light and “gave me the permission" to make more art.

Also, this year I am a Substack Fellow. This writing fellowship allowed me to speak with illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, whose work has inspired me. We had long conversations in a mentor-student relationship, exchanging different ideas and discussing best practices for making independent art. One of the first things she said to me was -

“Keep art at the centre of everything you do.”

I am glad I listened. 🙃

Dear reader, what simple words have turned things around for you?

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🏆 My goals

Goal-setting is problematic. I’ve spoken about it before, and why I prefer reliable systems to ambitious goals. My goals for the challenge were therefore more like processes than discrete achievements.

• to draw every day ✅

• to write every day ✅

• to make audio posts every week ❓

• to make YouTube videos every week ❌

• to make TikToks every day ✅

I failed to make enough audio posts, and I did not spend enough time or energy on YouTube. But I am happy with what I managed to do. I will put my energy into TikTok over YouTube for the time being.

Dear reader, if you have any questions, ask me in the comments!

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🎯 Goodhart’s Law

It states - “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a useful measure.”

But what does this mean for a 30-day drawing challenge?

I decided to draw 3000 people in 30 days. Or, 100 people per day. On some days, I drew more than 100 people, but on more days than that, I drew less. I don't think I crossed the 3000 mark either. But that’s okay.

One hundred people per day was a useful measure of how I was doing, but I did not let it become the target.

I went out every day, and every day I looked in a new direction and saw new people. Every day I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in different ways. These were the targets I hit every day.

Doing this has changed everything for me for the rest of my year, and maybe also for the rest of my life. For example, I have decided to buck the trend of artificial scarcity and give away art to as many people as possible.

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🏃🏽‍♂️ The importance of daily rituals

I needed to make both art and writing an inalienable part of everyday life. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, why write on top of that?

The answer lies in context. In communicating my work with thousands of people worldwide, I must also effectively share the context of its creation. Where am I? What is it like? And why does any of this matter to you?

I made a case for SneakyArt every day for 30 days.

This has given me several good ideas, and the ripple effects of this exercise alone will carry long into the future.

Dear reader, do you have daily rituals to help you compound your best habits?

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🫣 Stepping out of my comfort zone

Here’s something I told myself when I took on a challenging commission last year -

“Everything of value lies right outside my comfort zone.”

I do not wish to be hobbled by my insecurities. So every day, in some small way, I pushed against these walls inside my mind.

Dear reader, do you feel self-conscious with a sketchbook in public places?

✍🏼 I wrote a guest post for The Half-Marathoner

This week, I shared some tiny stories from the Vancouver Marathon on The Half-Marathoner:

What runners look like through an artist's eye

Also, readers have written some wonderful tiny stories in this week’s storytelling thread. Top entries (announced next week) will win free copies of my zine!

Thank you for your time and attention. I’ll see you next week!