Drawing and Health

by Hector Ruiz | Jun 25, 2016 | Questions

Question submitted by Dennis A.

Hi Eliott!

I am an aspiring self-taught artist. I study hard every single day, sitting for hours and hours while drawing. At times I feel eye strain, headaches, back pain and fatigue. So I was wondering, do you have any advice on how to keep up with health while studying, or healthy habits that you have developed over the years?

Hi Dennis, the short answer to your question is to TAKE BREAKS

I’ve gone through all of those symptoms myself and when I went to the doctor, that was the advice she gave to me. Eye strain means you are either staring at your subject for a lengthy period of time or may be sitting too close or staring too intensely (don’t forget to blink). Same goes for back pain headaches and fatigue. I’m no doctor, but from your description, your issues are likely due to the intensity of your work ethic. Now, I’m all for a strong work ethic, but pushing too hard can cause you all kinds of grief down the road. Carpel Tunnel is a serious career-ending threat that every artist will face over time. If your back pain is persistent, you may need to visit a doctor so see if there are any underlying issues you’re not aware of. This website might give you a little more insight into back pains and aches so you can determine if you need a doctors visit or not.

So, here’s what I do:

I start my day off by walking my dog for about 30 minutes in the morning. This tiny amount of exercise helps me achieve my daily goal of walking 6,000 steps. It also gives me time to think about my tasks ahead.

Unless I’m in “the zone”, I have learned to take a ten-minute break from work every two hours or so, and a one hour break every 4. Setting aside this time not only gives my hands, eyes, and back muscles a break, but also allows me to step back from my desk to assess the work that I’ve done.

At the end of my day, I walk my dog again and decompress from the stress of the day. We all have stressful days at work every now and then, but sometimes, you can feel extremely burnt out. For me, walking my dog is a great way of coping with stress. However, I’ve met other artists that have been regular users of marijuana. They claim that it helps them de-stress and reduces their back pain. I don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard some of them say that they use an ash catcher sometimes to ensure they add more filtration to their hits. They all seem to find that method quite useful, especially for those days when work gets on top of you. Others prefer to use a vape to consume their marijuana, as you can get THC infused e-liquids (see https://www.budexpressnow.net/product/mango-madness-thc-infused-e-juice-qntm-clouds/ for an example). Some artists also find using marijuana boosts their creativity. Anyway, the point is that there is lots of different things you can do. For me, dog walks are relaxing enough. You need to experiment to find what works for you.

Remember: Protect you hands. Protect your eyesight. Protect your brain. Complications in any of those can hurt your career.

-Eliott.