InkTober: Week 4 - have I formed a new habit?

I am well past the halfway mark of InkTober - 24 done, and only 8 more drawings to go.

Monsieur Grand Fromage ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

As Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon in the 1950's noted:

"...it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.” 

This statement quickly led to the question: How long does it actually take to form a new habit? In the decades to follow, many enthusiasts in the Self-help field misinterpreted this statement to mean that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Researchers such as Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, noted otherwise in her study: How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. She noted:

"On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact."

I have to say, I agree. In my experience of creating illustrations on a daily basis for the last 24 days, I don't feel the need draw everyday. I enjoy it, but that desire to draw is more about my commitment to the InkTober challenge, rather than forming a new habit.

At day 31, I may revert back to my old ways. However, I'm willing to take the test, and continue with this experiment until I hit day 66 of daily drawing. I feel it's never a bad idea to occasionally form a new good habit. It helps justify all the bad ones I've developed over time!

Rain ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

• The above Rain illustration was featured in Kathy Temean's Free Fall Friday blog. Monsieur Grand Fromage was submitted to Illustration Friday for the theme of Sharp (he's looking sharp).

You can find all my online InkTober posts on Twitter (@patriciapinsk) and Facebook (Patricia Pinsk, Art) under #inktober from October 1-31. Thanks to Jake Parker for creating the InkTober challenge (31 drawings in ink for 31 days)!

Flower ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

Woman with big hair ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

If you liked this blog post, you may also like:

• InkTober: Week 3 and 17 illustrations later
• InkTober - the final week