At the beginning of 2025, I resolved to do an art challenge: Every day, for one year, I would draw my own character, Fraidy the Cat. I got the idea from a YouTube video by Struthless. The goal wasn’t 365-day perfection, just to stick with it and see what happens. Six months in, here are my observations:

Becoming a Better Artist

As expected, practice is making progress. It’s been gratifying to flip back in my sketchbook and see how I’ve improved, even in this short amount of time. I've developed a more consistent style, which has made room for better self-expression. Here’s one of my first drawings from the challenge, compared with a more recent one.

Reducing creative friction

I’m coming out of a years-long art block. During that time, I sometimes felt inspired, but lacked the willpower to make anything of it. This challenge has helped me realize that there’s more to art than just techniques and theory: the entire creative process can be improved upon. Each day that I practice picking up a pencil, I’m reducing the friction between my ideas and their execution. As a result, I’ve been using my spare time to sew, sculpt, and make collages.

Boredom's unexpected payoff

In the past two months, I’ve grown weary of drawing the same damn cat every day. Some days, I procrastinate until bedtime. I’ve even considered dropping the challenge altogether. But I’ve noticed something unexpected: In the face of boredom, I’m coming up with new ways to keep it interesting. I’ve been experimenting with different styles, forms, and media, some of which I really enjoy. My frustration has circled back into fun again.

I intend to stick with this challenge for the remaining six months. I’m curious to see if it continues to pay off, and if anything else unexpected happens. At the very least, I’ll end the year with 365 more drawings in my sketchbook, and I will have enjoyed myself along the way.