- How Many Times Did You Quit Drawing?
- The Struggle of Learning to Draw in Design School
- Dream Big But More Than a Goal
- How I Kept Going When Many Gave Up
- My Mindset Hack: Change My Identity to Pro Designer
- Why Focus on Identity?
- The Power of 'Identity-Based Motivation' in Practice
- Keep Grinding with the Right Mindset
How Many Times Did You Quit Drawing?
I don’t remember how many times I quit drawing since childhood. Which might mean a lot. :)
Each time I stopped could have been the last. I quit because I had new friends and hobbies like video games, skateboarding, cycling with my BMX, but also because I felt stuck, overwhelmed and clueless about how to improve.
Back then, there was no YouTube ou blogs to learn from. I was alone facing my “bad drawings”.
I felt hopeless standing in front of a very tall wall.
That’s ok to give up, as long as you realise what’s important for you and get up.
Who said learning how to draw should never meet any obstacles?
Believing in a perfect ascension would be Delulu! (Delusional/Unrealistic in Gen Z language)
When I grew up, I studied Business and Information Technology till I realise despite my bad drawing abilities, that’s what I really loved doing. That’s how I decided to give it a serious shot and jump in a Design school in Paris to learn everything I need to become a Product Designer.
The Struggle of Learning to Draw in Design School
At my Design school, learning to draw was actually frustrating. You could imagine my disillusion, my results were inconsistent, progress was slow, and we were overwhelmed with projects. Without proper drawing skills, we felt speechless. We couldn’t express our ideas clearly. My motivation was like a yo-yo, constantly up and down.
Dream Big But More Than a Goal
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I encourage dreaming big to fuel motivation. But among people with the same goal, some fail while others succeed. A big goal isn’t enough on its own. It means dreaming big is not the determinant factor of success.
How I Kept Going When Many Gave Up
While many gave up and turned to 3D software as a fallback, I kept grinding. Looking back, I realize I did something unconsciously that might help you too if you are determinate to progress, but you too can’t trust your motivation!
My Mindset Hack: Change My Identity to Pro Designer
Here’s how I hacked my mind:
The book “Atomic Habits” from James Clear talk about the ability to hack our mind through changing our own perception of ourselves, by adopting the Identity of who we want to be. (Also called Identity-based motivation.)
“I didn’t chase perfection or perfect drawing results—I chased becoming who I wanted to be.”
How? As a student, I told myself I was already a professional designer. So, I started thinking and acting like one.
You want to shift the question from “What do I want to accomplish?” to “Who do I want to become?” and “What would someone like that do?”
Why Focus on Identity?
Most people set goals based on outcomes or processes, but identity-based motivation goes deeper.
Your current actions reflect your self-image, if you see yourself as someone “who struggles to stick with habits,” that belief will sabotage your efforts. Changing your identity means changing those deep beliefs about yourself.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, explains that identity change is the most powerful form of behavior change because:
- It reduces decision fatigue. When a habit becomes part of your identity, you no longer waste energy debating whether to do it.
- It builds resilience. Missing a day doesn’t feel like failure because your identity as someone who “keeps grinding” remains intact.
- It compounds over time. Tiny improvements stack up into significant progress because your identity supports consistent effort.
The Power of ‘Identity-Based Motivation’ in Practice
This mindset helped me build resilience and stay aligned with my goal. That’s when my drawing results began to show! Yes, practice is important, but it becomes easier when you adopt the powerful mindset that:
- You already are who you want to be.
Examples of Identity-Based Motivation
Common Reaction: “Damn, my drawings suck… I give up! I’ll never make it. This isn’t for me.”
Atomic Habit Reaction: “Damn, my drawings haven’t improved yet. Let’s keep going! That’s what a designer does. They fail, get up and keep up. So do I!”
This mindset twist activates a virtuous cycle of progress. Your habits stick because they become part of your new identity.
Keep Grinding with the Right Mindset
Grinding means pushing through even when motivation wanes.
It’s about discipline over feelings. Your mindset is the most valuable tool on those days when you feel tired or uninspired.
Remember:
- Motivation is not always constant. You need habits that don’t rely solely on feeling motivated.
- Discipline means mastering yourself to work despite resistance.
- Success requires embracing both the easy and hard days. Keep showing up!
- Reframe setbacks as small slips, not failures. Your identity stays strong even when progress feels slow.
Cheers,
Chou-Tac
When I was in primary school, one of best show on television was: “The Pretender”.
In France, the title was the Chameleon. It was about Jarod who had extra abilities to shift identities and adopt all kinds of jobs such as doctor, lawyer, firefighter, pilot, chef, detective, and psychologist, among many others.
Maybe it helped me realized we can become whoever we wanna be.
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