Dear Wonderful, Creative You:
One of the things I’m most passionate about as an artist and teacher is showing people that they do have time to create. Today I’ve got 7 tricks to make time for art in this short 3-minute video:
What do you think? Which trick did you like the most? What other ideas can you share for making time for art?
Speaking of tricks that help you make more art… I told you I’m passionate about helping you to make more art, and for several years, I have been running a small art challenge. Some time ago I realized that if I made art on really small pieces of paper, it took many of the barriers out of my way. The challenge is straightforward: create a simple, tiny art piece on a 2 x 2 inch square every day for 12 days. It’s called The Inchie Challenge, February 3- 14 2025, and it’s how you are going to break through those creative barriers and prove to yourself that you can make a little art every day.
Join the Inchie Challenge, FREE and start creating NOW!
As soon as you sign up, you will get my free prep-class: A Little Art Everyday. This little class is so much fun and will give you the skills and tools you need to create tiny art every day for 12 days February 3 – 14 2025, and successfully complete the challenge. Imagine how good it will feel to look at that grid of 12 squares looking back at you! That’s your art!
Each day of the challenge, February 3rd – 14th 2025, you’ll get an email with a word prompt and photo inspiration. And when you do your prep class now, you’ll be absolutely ready to start creating by February 3rd 2025!
Share Your Experience in the Comments
Have you made small art before? What tricks do you use to make more art? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Creatively Yours,
Amy
I’m going to comment here too since you have none. I am still so excited about the artistic journey you offer us Amy and I absolutely love seeing how everything has grown for you and how beautiful and inspirational your books are. Thank you so much for being there. Thank you so much for offering the Inchie Challenge each year as well.
Zoie, hellooooo! I’m so excited that you find inspiration in my approach and I so appreciate all the kindness you bring to this community.
Cheers
HELLO AMY – YES I HAVE MADE SMALL ART BEFORE AND FITTING INTO CD COVERS. LOOKING FORWARD TO INCHIE CHALLENGE. GRACE.
YAY that’s so fun, Grace, thanks for commenting here!
Small parts is a great way to build into larger pieces. I love the pop ups and dimension elements to your creativity. I love to play with my art, not just “look” at it. The combination of seven simple suggestions provides a limited palate for exploration and creativity. Thanks for the simplicity of your process. We are all artists developing every day.
YES Laura – you are really digging into the play aspect and I’m so excited to see it! xo
I found you this past summer and I love your style. I cut up 3″ squares and keep them and a pen at my side table to use while watching TV. I put the finished pieces in envelopes I make for my junk journal.
See you in Greece!!
This is a wonderful way to work Linda, and YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! I’m so excited that we get to create together in paradise!!!
I love the limited supplies & keeping it portable so that you can fit in creating when you have time. Also, repeating the same patterns!
HI Lindsay! Yes that works wonders for me. I just did a flower drawing while my son got his hair cut. Cheers!
I love this idea and so I started on January 1, 2025 drawing a tiny sketch on papers 1-1/2 inch by 2 inch of something I did that day. Now to find a fun way to store them or show them.
I love your pop-up ideas too. Thanks for all the inspiration.
Oh Cheryl, I LOVE this project. It’s so so cool. So it’s a little tiny art piece that narrates your days. How beautiful. Your life in miniature. I would think that a brainstorm sheet in your journal would help generate some amazing ideas of how to put these together. Of course there’s a grid large piece that could be framed, there’s a pop up book, there’s a diarama, a video of each of the frames, I’m just tossing some things in the pot here to get the stew started. Let us know what evolves!
I like the last tip best – creating a large piece out of a number of small, similar pieces. The individual pieces are nice but have limited effect. Once they show up in numbers, they are very effective. I can see a piece like that hanging on a wall. It also reminds me of something seen in nature, like a field of flowers that are all the same yet each flower is a little different.
As for my own tip: I now have a sketchbook next to my bed and sometimes I create something quick and small before going to sleep or while watching something on TV that is not occupying my mind enough to require all my attention.
Jeannette: Yes, in numbers – like a field of flowers – that’s well put about why the series works well. And I love that you keep your sketchbook at the ready! xo
I’m grateful to you Amy! The tip I like best here is the idea of doing the same approach multiple ways. I often find with creative endeavors that the first attempt is kind of tight or forced and it takes me a few goes at it to loosen up and let things flow. By doing several iterations of the same, you get options to choose from and/or ready sets for grouping. (It allows me to give some away and keep some to play with.)
We are so happy that this spoke to you, Heather! It sounds like you have made a beautiful creative process!
You always inspire . . . I have the small squares cut out. I love the idea of making it portable in a small pouch.
Hi Ginny:
I’m so glad that the little art pouch idea strikes you. It helps me a lot. Sometimes I just put my journal and a pen right in my bag too.
Cheers
I love the idea of making my art portable.. I never go anywhere in the car without having a book to read or art to make.
Hi Katherine:
Yay, I’m so glad the portability idea resonates – so smart to keep it in your car!
Thank you for your inspiration! For me keeping a limited amount of art supplies is really helpful and the portable art is also something I need to work on! Looking forward to the inchie challenge.
I’m thrilled that these ideas hit the mark for you Dianne! What did you feel about the short video? I’m playing with some shorter formats to mix things up and see how different folks learn better. Cheers!
I liked the shorter video. I always seem to gain something with each session. Finding time is always a bit of a struggle lately as we have a new puppy like yourself so you will understand! We also have an older girl who is now needing medication and lots of patience. Loving the time I do get to sit and create though. Thank you for this great group x
OH good, I’m so happy to know that you liked the short format. Happy puppy times and I understand ailing doggies too! All the best.
I love how you combine small works to create something new – and the pop-ups!
That’s just SO MUCH FUN! Can’t wait to see what emerges for you.
Since first seeing your ideas I have latched onto, small pieces in my purse, along with a couple of different pens. I also have a separate kit for when I know I’ll be working on something. Lookin forward to repeating patterns and incorporating them into larger pieces. Will explore using small pieces into the one of a kind fabric cards I make for friend.
So happy to have met you through Sketchbook Revival.
The small squares are what really takes away my resistance about making art. I’ve been trying some quick sketches these last weeks, and since the surface is small, I don’t have time to reflect on the fact that I can’t draw and aren’t a real artist. Before I know it, the square is filled and it almost looks like art! Very surprising (and satisfying)! Thank you so much, Amy!
It’s amazing how hard we all are on ourselves. I often reflect on how if I saw what I did but someone else did it, I would often judge it much more from a place of appreciation and curiosity rather than good/bad. I’m so glad that the small format helps you get beyond those judgments!
The idea of working in a series is so helpful. It solves the problem of what to start when y ou have only limited time. Generating variations on an idea is a great creative exercise. Thank you for this!
apologies, if this was mrntioned before but along the lines of portable and accessible; I think most , like me have matchbooks from restaurants and other places and it reminds me of the idea about pop up books, sorry I didn’t attach one of my drawings. I donthave a website to share.currently I am home on disability, recovering from a stroke in 2020, this art idea is perfect for me. thanks and Enjoy everybody!
I’ve been following you since COVID and the first suggestion I found so powerful was makig small art. I had been trying to fill 9×12 pages in art journals and got so frustrated. Making lots of 2″ squares — loving some, not using others, freed me up to try lots of different techniques — and repeat them over and over.
The second suggestion was to begin to combine them in differenet ways — with lots of great suggestions from your weekly inchie examples and in some of your classes and your book. I started making my own greeting cards for loved ones and they love them — and I haven’t bought a card in years.
The third suggestion I’m working on now is refining my supplies into a small group of good quality supplies I can count on — and donating many of things I no longer use (and take up spaace) to someone else who could benefit.
Thank you so much Amy, for all you offer, in so many different ways.
I save my small art pieces in a shoe box. Then mix and match them on greeting cards, which my friends love. An added plus is that I use snail mail and have to slow down.
Yes! I love using my drawings and paintings collaged on handmade cards too. Isn’t it so special?
Hi Amy! I love all of your tips and I really really really enjoyed how captivating your little short video is. It was pure eye candy. My favourite tip is…. (well, I have two). 🙂
1. Portable. I take my portable kit to the local coffee shop every day at 10am and create while having some coffee time with my hubby.
2. I really adore how you layer up your images. The pop ups, tip-ins, veiled layers using tracing paper, stitching, etc. well it’s all so visually engaging. Thanks for all you do to inspire so many of us!
Thank you for the feedback on the video, Annie – that’s very helpful. And sounds like I hit the goals I was hoping to. YAY! And I’m so happy to hear that my work has inspired some ideas. Cheers!
I love the idea of making it portable! I also like the idea of taking the small art to make some big art!
It’s a great way to build from small to something you can hang on your wall!
I like the idea of repetition. That is something I will focus on, as a way to improve skills and as a way to explore creativity. thanks for all you offer to us!
I’m so happy that helped!
Hi, Amy,
As a long-time retiree, who has always been interested in color and design, yet who never thought she could draw more than a straight line, I must say that last year’s inchie challenge was truly life-changing. It was my first-ever “art” class.. What absolutely resonated with me was the issue you so eloquently explain, which is that art doesn’t have to be large, and small art can combine to create large, beautiful pieces. I am now avidly exploring zentangling, watercolors, acrylics and inks; and I’m very much looking forward to the next inchie challenge! Thank you for having had this incredible impact on my life!
Aw, Debbie – wow that is so incredible to hear. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us! xo
I’m a miniaturist so making small art comes naturally to me. I like to make a little doodle daily on the squares on my calendar, carry little papers and pen in my purse always and really like the idea of using small pieces to create a larger piece. Good ideas. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed Chrissie! xo
Amy, You’ve inspired me and many others since I’ve taken your classes. I know I need to do more but I carry a small bag with my art supplies in my office bag and try to do a little art whenever I can. Thank you!
Hi Namrata: Yay I’m so glad to hear this! xo
I have just taken a moveable tab art course at RISD. I love your book design and idea and this incorporates the moveable tab ideas I learned in this class. So I like the idea of having pieces pop up and move to reveal more. But the fact these are created with small daily pieces is a great idea. I also like the pieces that relate to each other-based on a theme which keeps it all relating and building.
Also making it easy to travel with is an excellent idea.
It’s so cool that RISD has a movable tab class! And yes, it’s great to let things build over time this way.
Cheers Tina!
Hi Amy I am so ready for the inchie challenge again! I just find your method so calming and enjoyable. It is my way of calming my anxious thoughts and enjoying being in the moment. I love the seven tips! I love revisiting my childhood with pop ups and flaps! I have to say my only tip is to love creating just for the pleasure of creating not the end product! Thank you
Cathy this makes me so happy – art making is indeed a balm! xo
As a student in 5th grade (60 years ago), I was told I had no art ability. I believed that for nearly 25 years. I took an adult Ed class and discovered I did have some ability, but then got busy with a family and a demanding job, and couldn’t find time for art. I am looking forward to your inchie challenge and getting back to creating without the stress of completing large pieces. I love the idea of making it portable so that I can use spare minutes when picking my grandson up from class or waiting at the doctor’s office to be creative.
We are so excited to have you join us, Beth! You ARE an artist and we cannot wait to see what you create. 😊
Dear Amy,
Your “7” tips are very inspiring; and like you I really consider that we do not need to realize huge paintings to feel creative. I do consider creating with on smaller sizes helps to create even in a small amount of time. Many people are still focusing on artists exhibiting large paintings and that is their only reference for being creative. But we know that is not true; we are all creative and it is not even a question of time.
Véronique from France
We are so happy that this post spoke to you, Véronique!
The small inchie concept is my favourite. It truly helps to try to be creative every day, even if on a small scale.
HI Judy – Yes – working small is so so powerful. I’m so glad you are here!
Love inches and twinches! … I was away for a bit but I am back. Yes always have time for art
This is great to hear! Thank you so much for being here Maria!