"It's a problem, but it makes me happy so I'm not gonna stop." PREACH!

The whole "am i making artwork for the sake of creating performative content?" is something that i've struggled with and continue to have mixed feelings about. A couple years ago, i had an intense art block and stopped posting on social media. I continued to draw on and off, but what really helped me was when I decided to stop showing anyone my artwork about six months ago. And by anyone, I mean EVERYONE. Didn't matter if it was my best friend, my grandma, my cat--anything I made was made for myself. I focused on what I wanted to draw instead of worrying about other people's expectations.

love your sketchbooks, one of the things I admire of your art is the courage to make everything looks like not much intentional but still be amazing, and please keep showing this kind of things, sketchbooks and art don’t have to perfect to inspire or please ourselves, it just needs to be, cause is a soul´s expression, so yes to experimentation and to share it more with the world, we need to see other than perfect master pieces that only makes us feel bad and insecure and stop us from making art! 💖💖💖💖

I'm kind of obsessed with the minimal/darker lighting in this video😍

Sketchbooks should always be fun and a place to experiment… I completely understand that with Instagram and all the perfect sketchbook spreads, sometimes it can be difficult to remember this ❤

I think that maybe if you practice sketching on camera more, even if you don’t post the video, maybe eventually you’ll start to feel more comfortable just being “you” with your art! Very beautiful work and it’s definitely inspiring me to get back to my empty sketchbooks.

Ok you are by far the most honest art youtuber I watched: someone actually using the platform that they advertise! I have seen many skillshare ads through other youtubers but never bothered to check the platform, but with you now I really think it might worth a try! You deserve every penny😂

Rebecca is such an og inspiration. She was a part of the warren for a bit (local illustration studio in Nashville) and was active at my college. Sad I missed her but felt lucky to learn about her work.

I am getting back into using a sketchbook as someone who basically abandoned traditional art slowly over the years since getting my first drawing tablet. I love drawing digitally because you can change it however without consequence while drawing on paper can lead to eraser marks, maybe the color came out wrong, etc. It's a big reason I dropped traditional but I desperately wanted to get back into it so I tried the "use it for practice, not finished pieces" approach and holy cow I love it. I love just practicing with color pencils and filling the pages with different things. Maybe its eyes, maybe its torsos, maybe its trees, maybe its birds, whatever. It's given me a new reason to use a sketchbook and I couldn't be happier. Now I just want to get back to filling my books faster lol As a kid I used to fill a book a week no issue, now I have books unfinished for years lol

"it's not an addiction, it's a collection" 🤣😉🥰 Love your artwork Katie! I'm so glad I discovered your YT <3

Living for all these uploads!!! ❤❤

Katie I loved this video! I am such a nerd about the techniques of art, and I've loved learning about line as well so it was really fun hearing you talk about that. Thanks for sharing your process, it's always fun to see but I know that all of us would collectively say - only show what you want to, even if that's skipping the reel you wanted to make that day! I also have a mixed relationship with social media, sometimes it's really fun and other times it's healthy to put it down. An idea I had was maybe making a reel out of "your favorite sketches of the week" (past tense, showing them after they're made) so that way you don't always have the pressure of the camera on you while you're making, and also don't feel like everything you make has to be good? Just an idea, but I definitely agree that it's great to find systems that work for you and you're excited about!

I get the feeling with wanting perfect or sharable sketchbooks. Mine in recent years are massive sketchbooks that I fill with hundreds of tiny doodles filling every crevice and corner. It's not really easy to digest or understand because there's so many doodles, but it doesn't always have to be.

Like you, I get my inspiration from literally everything. My three favorite sources of inspiration are science, architecture, and history. I'm a big nerd and I love deconstructing things visually. One of my favorite warm up exercises is working on texture. That's what pushed my illustration to children's educational illustration.

Yeah... i feel the same about the camera thing. Like when i'm just recording footage for a reel or to just share with a friend. All of that makes me stiff. A tip that might help is this: tell yourself that you're not gonna necessarily share this footage. That this footage is just for you to rewatch later (you might already noticed how you can learn more by just observing your process through a video/picture because you see things and mistakes that might go unnoticed while you're in the zone). So yeah my point is, record more but trick your mind into thinking the footage won't be shared. And then after you watch them you can decide which ones you wanna share

Omg I feel the same way recently when I think about drawing for reels pr content in general at my socials. Sometimes I just wanna paint alone and mess it up without anyone looking the process hahaha 💖 but yeah, it’s cool to share it as well.

So much fun in one video! Also, it's good to chalange yourself, but also be kind to yourself and don't put pressure on your art 🥰

i would love a part two! when im stuck on what to make, i pretend im a stranger making a present for myself. what subjects/colors/themes would I want to see in an illustration gifted to me? and then I try to make that drawing.

Sketchbook perfectionism is the absolute worst. Thank you for all the tips!

I get my inspiration from my dogs they have such different personalities. I have 8. I also draw fantasy and things outside my room. I'm sick and medically house confined. I can't always draw but I dream a lot. I'm 36 and been an artist for over 31 years traditional and 15 years digital. However when I graduated in 2016 my illness took a bad turn and here I am waiting for a 3rd brain surgery. I can't go outside it's hard to walk or stand. I have hardly a memory. So I draw, paint, sketch things to take me away from my reality. I draw things that are not sick.... Things that are free. If you ever get that chance to go to a park, the zoo take it. You never know how precious those simple things are until they are taken away from you. I'm learning to live like this, I can't even go near a open window without burning and blistering. A sketch book is your heart. Draw what you feel, how you see life, what is the reality fantasy YOU see... Remember art is freedom it takes you to places far away.