Liberate your creativity in just 12 minutes a day
Why is it so hard to make art consistently?
You know doing art will bring you joy but sometimes you just can’t get yourself to do it.
You fully intend to write more poetry, figure out watercolors or crack open the new block of clay, but by the end of the day you’re exhausted, unmotivated, and overwhelmed.
Guess what? It’s not about discipline.
It’s about having the right structure, support, and inspiration to make your creativity flow effortlessly, without having to wake up at 5 AM or overhaul your life.
This challenge will change the way you create
For 30 days, you’ll commit to just 12 minutes a day of creative practice.
This isn’t just about making art. (Though it is that too.)
This is about bridging your creative and spiritual life, deepening your creativity and being more of who you really are.
This isn’t just about creating a “new habit”.
This challenge is about unlocking something deeper. Through daily practice, you’ll rediscover the joy of making, quiet your inner critic, and finally feel at home in your creative expression.
By the end of this challenge, you will feel:
Here’s how this 30 day challenge works
Creativity doesn’t have to be a struggle. This challenge is designed to help you build a simple, joyful practice that fits into your real life.
Daily Creative Practice – 12 minutes a day, any medium you choose
Weekly Live Sessions – Guided mark-making, writing, and creative inspiration
Artmonk Practice – A unique meditation-meets-art method
Community Support – Surround yourself with fellow creatives
Bonus Live Workshop – Design your ideal creative practice
Meet Your Guide: Suiko McCall
I’m the founder of the Art Monastery, an international arts organization dedicated to personal awakening through creativity and spiritual practice.
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an artist. But for years I could not get myself to paint regularly.
I have degrees in art from Yale and SF Art Institute; I’ve shown my work from San Francisco to Budapest; I’ve published my work on book covers, magazines, and more — but it was only in the last few years that I cracked the code on how to maintain a daily creative practice that’s actually FUN.
And now I want to show how you can too. In just 12 minutes a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
First of all, at the Art Monastery, we believe that everyone is an artist.
Everyone.
Even you.
Especially you!
Secondly, the 100 Day Challenge is fundamentally a life-changing social sculpture about TRANSFORMATION:transformation of how you see yourselftransformation of your understanding of what you are capable oftransformation of your definition of spiritual practice and of art makingHowever you categorize yourself now, after making art every day for 100 Days you'll be an artist.
The ask of this challenge is that you practice your creativity for 12 minutes each day. You can do that first thing in the morning, on your lunch break, while drinking coffee, just before bed, or anywhere in between. If even 12 minutes feels like more than you can handle, start with 5-7 minutes and see how that goes. There are no hard and fast rules.
So even if you miss some days, you're still in the challenge and you're still winning!
No problem! I understand that we all have busy lives. You will receive the recordings of every call.
All of it!
YOU determine what your daily goal is, what the shape and scope of your practice is. Your creative expression is utterly unique to you and may shift over the course of the 30 days. In the past participants have painted, drawn, photographed, written poetry, journaled, collaged, collaborated with their toddlers, designed tarot cards, found inspiration in the I-Ching, incorporated nature walks, played the same song on guitar every day, sung with a metronome, collected rocks, and more.
On the live calls, I will lead a meditative improvisational drawing practice. Some participants take that on as their daily practice, but it is not required to do so.
Your daily creative practice is determined by you, so you determine what materials you need for that. On the live calls, we will be engaging in improvisatory mark making & writing. I encourage you to use whatever you already have. That said, I know that it can also be inspiring to acquire new supplies. :)
Here’s what I recommend:
- a sturdy sketchbook (example)
- a set of colored pencils (my favorites are Prismacolors)
- a selections of pens (lately I’ve been enjoying drawing with Pentel Art Sign Pens):
- Pocket Brush Pens or Pentel Arts Micro Brush Tip Pen
- white pens (I’m a fan of Sakura Gelly Roll white pens and Uniball Signo white gel pens)
- watercolors (For the most beautiful, lovingly & responsibly made, check out Beam Paints, such as the Spectrum 11 Gouache Set; for intense concentrated color, check out liquid water colors)
After you participate in the 30 Day Challenge, you'll be eligible to join the Monastic Muse Collective. If you would like to keep on making art within a supportive community, this is for you!
We gather the first three Mondays of each month. The first two gatherings are co-working sessions: we say hello, enjoy a short grounding meditation, and then make our art in silence. The third gathering of the month is an artshare, so you'll have an opportunity to show what you've been working on and receive encouragements, as well as getting inspired by what others have been making.
The Monastic Muse Collective is only open to those who have participated in previous Art Monastery programs.