We practice to feel more
“We don’t practice to feel good, we practice to feel more.”
Emergent Strategy mentions that it takes 300 repetitions to build muscle memory, 3000 repetitions for embodiment.
Sketchbook drawing from Friday, April 10, 2026
I wonder how many times I have repeated drawing. How many drawings have I completed? I am sure it is not yet 3000. However I am positive I have repeated to myself how I "don't want to draw" because it feels like a chore. It doesn’t feel as good as turning on the big screen and lying in a shrimp curl on the couch while watching a Korean variety show.
What drawing does is allow me to expand my vision, to hold more patience, to see how I can keep toeing the line between precision and playfulness. I expand my capacity, and with it I expand my sense of possibility in all things, not just drawing.
Drawing is a way to be outside. It feels funny to need a reason to be outside, but I don’t do any sports nor do I have a dog. I walk and I read outside, I meet people and have conversations at the park. But drawing is the best way for me to really notice my surroundings. I notice what I notice. I draw the bird with a round orange belly, not the teens playing volleyball to Chamillionaire.
Drawing is a way to practice being with what is. For the life of me I do not want to draw a flower or plant in a very detailed manner. I am accepting this as a valid personality trait, despite feeling insecurity over not wanting classical training or feeling an icy blast of imposter syndrome anytime someone asks me if I went to art school. I resist this training even though it would theoretically help me. I want to learn to draw in my own embodied way, shaped by the artists I am drawn to and inspired by.