build your practice
showing up daily strengthens your creative muscle
yancey towne’s art making is an exploration of how creative projects help us to experiment with new ideas and stretch our edges to reach beyond what our minds imagine is possible. It’s a quick peek into yancey’s studio—learnings from the days, current projects, and a touch of inspiration.
I’m an advocate for keep a daily practice. I don’t mean some kind of set regimen that is rigid and stiff—I think that kind of practice is more about checking the box rather than cultivating creative curiosity. I mean more of a gentle showing up to your art space with consistency and wonder.
Consistency can mean the medium, the amount of time, or maybe the mindset. Wonder is being open to the moment and allowing those tiny glints of an idea to catch your attention and follow them no matter if the result works or ‘fails'.’ Art making requires both discipline and flexibility—it’s about finding the balance between the vision and the finished product.
When I committed to having a regular practice, I made art important. I made it a habit—one that fed my heart and challenged my brain to come up with new solutions and possibilities. Showing up daily builds momentum and strengthens your creative muscle, doing one small thing for your creative well-being reminds your brain how fun it is to experiment and explore challenges in your chosen medium. I’ve found that as I crack the puzzles in my personal work, those ideas feed my day job and help to broaden my perspective.
You can’t help but get better if you keep showing up to practice. Whether it’s making cinnamon rolls, climbing a rock face, or drawing people, the repetition of doing what fills your heart with joy builds muscle memory and mastery. You’ll begin to notice where you want to build your skills, and by moving in that direction, you’ll find even more to explore. Trust in your skills and remember that knowledge is gained with every step—even the messy ones.
In the beginning, whether it’s working with a new medium or the start of a new practice there’s definitely a feeling of discomfort and unease—keep going anyway. Notice what feels effortless and fun and focus on that. The mind may try to derail your efforts, put that self-talk all aside and stay focused on what’s working.
In the beginning, a daily practice is about all fostering play and showing up—maybe it’s only 2 minutes or maybe your practice stretches into 2 hours—whatever time you spend will build trust in your skills and give you more insight into what to explore next... 💛
current projects
I have projects set up so I can drop in at any time. Even a couple of minutes pushing paint, sketching, or making stitches helps me feel settled and connected to my core.
rug: Inspired by the work of Kaci Smith, I started saving the threads from my fabric strips and wrapping them around some of the driftwood scraps I had saved from visits along the Oregon coast. I’ve added stick collecting to my hiking routine, too—picking up one from our adventure to add to the collection.
watercolor: I’ve been sitting on a handful of photos of this watercolor series, wanting to get them up in my shop. This week was finally the week. Feels good to have something to check off the to-do list, just making space for something new to be added, ha!
lettering: Since I wanted to start keeping an analog sketchbook again, I went ahead and got two with the I idea that one would be for drawing, and the other for lettering. This page is to remind myself to play and experiment—thanks to my sister for the colorful sharpies! ❤️
paint: I had an idea to test with my paintings, so I’m working on building up layers on these three wood panels with some paint and texture. I’ll share more as my experiment progresses no matter how it goes!
If you’re working on a project of your own, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Thanks for reading!