why I take art breaks

I started drawing this last week when feelings of panic and stress were beginning to overwhelm me.

Deadlines were piling up, and no sign of a downtime is showing up on the horizons of this career path I'm in.

So I did what I've always done years before whenever I'm overwhelmed—I took an art break.

A time to just forget about the work load for a moment and just draw to my heart's content (or until deadlines permit haha).

I'm grateful I did.

Pauses and breaks are my way of acknowledging that I cannot do anything on my own.

It's only by God's grace and strength that I can finish all of it on time.

Through this artwork, I wanna celebrate and remember what God did for me. Today, I was able to finish 4 storyboards for a 4PM presentation at 3:48PM! PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL GRACE TO MEET DEADLINES FLOW!

I hope you make room for His grace too.

You don't have to do it alone.

We can do it with God.

So take a breather and commune with the One who gives us the ability to work and produce wealth.

I promise you, it's worth it!

As you read on, you’ll see how the concept of taking art breaks was born. I hope it encourages you!

Written on April 28, 2018.

We live in a world that glorifies the grind. We we’re led to believe that you either live hustling or die unfulfilled. We are all rushing to achieve based on what others think of us. We set goals that we think define our worth.

We work at a breakneck pace just so we’ll have something to show on our timelines and feeds. Productivity has become our identity. And I’ve been in that world for a while. A world where I compare my progress to my peers’ highlight reels. A place where everything is up to me to finish. It’s exhausting. I will never be good enough in that place.

That’s why I’m so thankful for God’s gift of creativity. Art, for me, has been an escape from that world. Last 2017, I started having “art breaks” at work. I’d take my sketchpad, watercolor, and pencil to a quiet place (most times the library), and draw to my hearts content. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes, others more. It doesn’t matter how long. My soul just needs that space to breathe, forget about deadlines for a moment, and reflect my Father in heaven.

My God is a creative God, and in the beginning, He rested after 6 days of creation, declaring it was good, very good. Why don’t we reflect that? Why do we live in a hurried way, refusing to take any pause or breaks? I ask that like it’s a question about your work ethic, but it’s really for the heart. How’s your heart? Is it reliant on accomplishing things by your own might? Does it believe that when we do nothing, we won’t receive grace? Do I trust the God that works all things, even my workload?

My response to those questions has evolved from rushing to find answers to resting. I’ve learned that the world doesn’t revolve around me or what I do. The world rests in His hands. It’s about time we rest in Him, too. He is sovereign in our world. Our works are filthy rags. We need to trust our God more. He delights when we rest at His feet. He delights in seeing us play, and in wisely stewarding our time and gifts.

We also have an example in Jesus. Our Redeemer who would always take His time to go away; to a faraway place, to the mountains. And He did that regularly! He didn’t run to calvary either. His humble pace is a demonstration of how He trusts in His heavenly Father.

Slow is beautiful, dear ones. Breaks are important. It’s in the surrender of what he have. It’s in the breaking that we get multiplied. (Matthew 14:13-21)

Prayer: Lord, you are the author of my time. Lead me to trust only you. May your faithfulness and love take the spotlight in everything I do. Make my life an illustration of your sufficient grace as I rest when it’s time to rest.

Thank You, thank You, thank You.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.