There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing small efforts finally come together.

I felt that recently while flipping through another finished sketchbook. Just a bunch of doodles, scribbles, and weird experiments that weren’t always successful.
But suddenly, it all became one piece of art.

All “good” drawings find their place, and all “bad” ones finally make sense. A series of unrelated doodles turns into a story. You flip through the pages and see it: progress, determination, commitment.

All those small steps that once felt meaningless add up to a bigger picture. And you finally understand the real power of consistency.

I proudly present one of my first drawings from when I started rediscovering art just over three years ago.

I was completely clueless back then. I bought a sketchbook and didn’t even know what to do with it. I just had a feeling that this was something I wanted to do more often.

I wanted to enjoy the process, not the outcome.
And that made all the difference.

You already know I’ve struggled with perfectionism (I wrote about it here). I used to get so disappointed with every imperfect line that I’d stop creating altogether. But this time, I didn’t let it stop me. I drew even when it felt silly. Even when I thought I was wasting paper.

I just like putting color on paper, and you can think of it whatever you want.

It took me a while to finish my first proper sketchbook, but when I did, something in my mind shifted.

While creating, I often didn’t think it mattered. Some days it felt useless. Just a bit of practice, or even a series of mistakes. But then you reach the end, look back, and realize you made something.

You kept going.
You grew.
You turned thoughts into color, frustration into lines, curiosity into form.
You kept showing up long enough for those tiny actions to become visible.

The discipline isn’t about perfection, it’s about continuity.

Finishing that first sketchbook taught me something I now see everywhere else in life.

In the things where there’s no “final piece.”
In the ongoing hustle of building something.
In projects, companies, relationships, habits, social media, anything that never really ends.

You grow there too. You experiment, you fail, you learn.
You just don’t always have the privilege of holding it in your hands like a completed book.

Sketchbooks give you proof.
Proof that patience works. That small, imperfect efforts compound. That it’s worth showing up even when you don’t feel inspired.

So if you ever feel stuck or behind, maybe you just haven’t filled enough pages yet.