When Breaks Breathe Life Into Art

JP de la Rama
4 days ago
3 min read

How a Kid’s Doodle Reignited My Passion

“Sometimes the most honest art doesn’t come from grinding — it comes from letting go. Even a child’s doodle can relight the fire you forgot you had.”

Setting the Stage

This week, I finally gave myself permission to unplug.

Not just from deadlines, inboxes, and algorithms—but from the constant mental loop of “What’s next?” that so many of us artists have on repeat.

I was on vacation with my 5-year-old daughter. No agenda. No screen fatigue. Just moments. Moments of laughter, play, and unexpected inspiration.

One quiet afternoon, we found ourselves doodling together. She had her usual burst of energy and imagination, sketching wild shapes and stick-figure adventures.

Then she turned to me with her markers in hand and said, “Daddy, can you color this with me?”

I didn’t hesitate.

She handed me her acrylic markers, and I—like a nostalgic warrior—unsheathed my ancient Copics, markers that had gathered more dust than use in recent years.

It felt like something unlocked.

Delving Into the Problem

As an artist in the age of AI saturation, social media fatigue, and rapid visual consumption, it’s easy to get numb. I mean, really numb.

You scroll through perfectly rendered digital art and begin to feel... nothing.

Even your own work starts to feel mechanical. And you wonder:

“Is this even fun anymore?”

One of my good artist friends said to me recently, “Draw traditionally.” I shrugged it off at first, but now I get it.

See, creating art used to be play.

Not productivity. Not content. Not optimization.

Just pure play. And when you’re constantly hustling, chasing freelance gigs, learning new tech, or worrying about AI replacing your livelihood—play becomes a lost art in itself.

That silly little doodle session with my daughter? It pulled me back. It reminded me why I started creating in the first place.

Not for algorithms.

Not for clients.

Not even for a career.

But because I loved it.

How to Reclaim That Creative Spark

If you’re an artist feeling disconnected, I’ll offer you the same advice my friend gave me:

- Go back to the basics. Draw traditionally.

You don’t need a plan. You don’t need to make it post-worthy. You just need to sit down and let your hand move.

- Go doodle with a kid.

- Read a comic you loved as a teen.

- Play a video game and notice how it’s designed.

- Take a long walk without your phone.

These little creative breaks aren’t indulgences—they’re oxygen. They reconnect you to your “why.”

Art is about joy. Play. Storytelling. Expression. But also: connection. And the most powerful connection you can rebuild is the one between your heart and your hand.

So if you’ve been creatively burned out, creatively paralyzed, or creatively bored…

Maybe it’s time to pull out the dusty Copics too.

If this blog hits home for you, I’d love to hear from you.

What’s your go-to creative reset?

Have you tried going traditional again?

Hit reply and share your story—or tag me in your latest doodle.

Let’s bring the joy back, one playful scribble at a time.

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