The Power of 4
Small actions, generating momentum.
Spend four minutes a day with something that makes you feel creatively alive. Share it with a small group of artists doing the same.
How it works
Commit to four days a week, and at least one day off to recharge. This is about developing a sustainable way of working.
The night before, set the time you'll do tomorrow's four minutes.
Do it. A drawing, a photo, a specific move in the studio, reading an article about an artist, writing a short summary of something you've read, reaching out to another artist.
Post it in our WhatsApp group. You're creating a breadcrumb trail to an exciting new destination.
Each week, fill in Looking back, lighting forward, a short fillable journal to notice what's alive and which threads to follow. On your phone or printed.
Once a month we meet on Zoom, on a Monday evening at 8 PM CET, to share what's going well. It's optional and recorded.
Two ways to take part
The daily practice
One four-minute action on each practice day.
Going further
Three small actions on each practice day, each tapping into what feels alive for you. An optional end-of-day voice note on what most held your attention.
You can swap between the two groups depending on your schedule. Both groups are included in your subscription. In the 444 group, you can choose to log just one of your actions, to reduce overwhelm.
Why four minutes
The brain rewires towards what it repeatedly experiences. Four minutes is so short that resistance hardly gets a foothold. You never have to keep going, but you often will. Repeated day after day, it builds self-trust and a renewed interest in your own work, and a group committing together generates its own momentum.
For years I painted in crash-and-burn cycles, until I couldn't anymore. Rebuilding my practice and myself, I found that four minutes of committed action, repeated, can bring noticeable change.
Something else happens too. When you follow what is alive, you engage with what holds your attention, and the work no longer has to prove anything about who you are. Keep returning to what you find interesting, and the work becomes more distinct and individual, free of the need to prove your status. Risk and failure become a valuable part of the process, what makes the work interesting rather than a threat.
This is for you if
- Your inner critic is louder in the studio than you'd like, and you want to develop more self-trust and accountability in your practice.
- You may be returning to your work after having a family, or you want to maintain your practice while doing another job.
- You've realised that confidence and clarity come after taking action, not before.
- You keep waiting for the big block of time.
- You'd like company, and to see your work develop week by week.
If you'd prefer a structured six months with one-to-one guidance, Art After Interruption may suit you better.
Questions
I'm too busy for this.
Four minutes, at a time you choose the night before. That's why it fits.
What if my inner critic tells me it's pointless?
Most of the artists I work with know that voice well. Four minutes is too short for it to get a real foothold, and the group is a place to share what's going well. Each time you show up anyway, you build evidence against it.
What counts as an action?
Anything that turns towards what's alive for you: a specific move in the studio, a drawing, a photo, reading an article about an artist, writing a short summary of something you've read (turning passive knowledge into something active), or reaching out to another artist.
Do I have to come to the Zoom?
No, it's optional and recorded. If you can't make it, email me what's working well for you and I'll read it out.
Start tomorrow. Four minutes.
Join the Power of 4 →Join before 19 October and keep £8 a month for as long as you stay. From 19 October, new members pay £12. Cancel anytime.