Seeing Again, 100 Days of Drawing

Creativity Quietly Slipped Away

Life had become full in a way that looked good from the outside. There were routines, responsibilities, structure, forward movement. Days filled up quickly and ended the same way. 

And over time, creativity slowly disappeared from daily life without much notice.

At some point, we realized how long it had been since we had created something simply because we wanted to. Not for work. Not for content. Not to check a box.

Just because we felt like making something for ourselves.

Starting Simple

One winter, during a quiet season of reflection, we started noticing the difference between who we used to be and how we had been moving through the world lately.

So we had a simple idea: Draw every day for 100 days.

No expectations for quality. No larger plan attached to it. Just show up and draw.

At first, the hardest part was sitting down to start, carving out the time to something that wasn’t productive.

Some days the page stayed blank longer than expected. Other days there was an idea, but it didn’t feel satisfying. There were drawings that felt messy or unresolved almost immediately.

The impulse to stop showed up often, especially after the excitement of starting something new wore off.

But the practice continued.

Even on the days where the drawings felt unfinished or disappointing, there was still something grounding about completing them. Over time, the repetition itself started creating a sense of fullness. It felt meaningful.

Creating Space Again

Eventually, the practice developed its own routine.

Every morning, we created an environment that felt calm enough to settle into.

Coffee or tea. A candle burning nearby. Music playing softly in the background. The window cracked open to let in cool air. Plants surrounding the room.

We stopped rushing through the drawings or watching the clock.

Quickly, those quiet moments became our favorite part of the day. Because for the first time in a long time, there was space to slow down enough to actually be present.

The Shift

Somewhere in that routine, something began to shift.

The drawings started influencing the way we saw the rest of the world. Details that had once been invisible started to spark new ideas for drawings. 

Cracks in sidewalks splitting into repeating shapes.

Shadows stretching across walls in the late afternoon.

The structure inside leaves, bark, flowers, rust, buildings.

Drawing interrupted the automatic pace we had fallen into. It required sitting still long enough to actually create something. Following lines. Looking at texture, contrast, proportion, space.

The world itself didn’t change. Attention did.

Attention

What we didn’t expect was how much the practice would extend beyond drawing.

It changed the way we thought about creativity, attention, and daily life.

Creating from a blank page required a very different mindset than completing tasks or reacting to information all day long. It asked for presence, patience, openness, and an acceptance of uncertainty.

And the more we drew, the more aware we became of how much our attention is shaped by what we repeatedly expose ourselves to.

The noise. The pace. The expectations. Our bandwidth is limited. And all of it influences the way we think, observe, and create.

For the first time in a long time, we became more intentional about what we let in.

What Came From It

By the end of the 100 days, the biggest change wasn’t technical skill.

It was feeling connected to observation again. To curiosity. To creating something for ourselves without needing it to become anything more.

From that body of work, a new idea naturally began to take shape: a coloring book.

It became an extension of the same practice that made those 100 days meaningful in the first place. 

Slowing down. Paying attention. Spending time with shapes, textures, patterns, and imperfect lines without needing to turn them into something polished or productive.

It was a thoughtful way to share the practice with others.

The next 100 days

Now, another #100dayofdrawing is beginning. 

And what feels exciting this time is what else we might learn or what doors might open from showing up.

-Lost Wolves Creative