Creativity isn’t something we visit occasionally, it’s something we practice. The Daily Creative Habit newsletter is where artist and creative mentor Mike Brennan shares reflections, stories, and tools to help you reconnect with your creativity and build a practice that keeps it alive. Through insights from his own creative journey, conversations with other artists, and ideas you can put into action, you’ll discover how small, consistent acts of creativity can lead to meaningful work and a more connected creative life. If you want to stay curious, keep making things, and remain creatively alive, you’re in the right place.
I had an idea and it turned into this...
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Hi Reader, Over the past few weeks, I've been working on something a little different. With America's 250th anniversary almost upon us, I wanted to create a series celebrating some of the people whose stories helped shape the country. Instead of painting them realistically, I reimagined them in my Color Block style using a red, white, and blue palette. The collection includes George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander Hamilton. As I've worked on these portraits, I've been reminded that every place has its own stories worth telling. While this series is rooted in American history, I know many of you reading this call other countries home. My hope is that these pieces serve as a reminder to celebrate the people, places, and stories that have shaped where you are. As artists and creatives, we have the opportunity to preserve history, spark conversation, and see familiar subjects through fresh eyes. Create from where you are. Tell the stories that matter to you. That's where meaningful work begins. If you'd like to add one of these pieces to your home or office, the complete America 250 series is now available. 👉 Shop the collection here: https://www.mikebrennan.me/art-prints As always, thank you for supporting my work. Every print you purchase helps me continue creating, experimenting, and sharing new art with the world. Keep creating, ~ Mike Brennan P.S. I recently had the pleasure of joining my friend Diana Alt on her Work Should Feel Good podcast. We talked about building a daily creative practice, fueling innovation, and why creativity isn't reserved for artists. I think you'll enjoy this conversation!
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Daily Creative Habit
Creativity isn’t something we visit occasionally, it’s something we practice. The Daily Creative Habit newsletter is where artist and creative mentor Mike Brennan shares reflections, stories, and tools to help you reconnect with your creativity and build a practice that keeps it alive. Through insights from his own creative journey, conversations with other artists, and ideas you can put into action, you’ll discover how small, consistent acts of creativity can lead to meaningful work and a more connected creative life. If you want to stay curious, keep making things, and remain creatively alive, you’re in the right place.
...And the year I couldn’t. Hey Reader This month marks 14 years of my Daily Creative Habit. Fourteen years ago, I made a simple decision. Show up every day. Create something. No matter what. And for 13 straight years, I did exactly that. Every day. But year 14 looked different. This past year, life asked something else of me. In the summer, I hit a wall. Burnout. The kind that forces you to slow down whether you want to or not. And then later in the year, I had a heart attack that took me...
Keep showing up. Hey Reader Consistency does not look dramatic. It rarely feels inspiring. And it almost never shows up as a big breakthrough moment. Consistency looks like returning. Again and again.On good days and ordinary ones. Most creative people get stuck waiting for intensity. The big surge of motivation. The perfect stretch of uninterrupted time. But intensity burns hot and fast. Consistency builds quietly. The Daily Creative Habit is not about doing more. It is about doing...
Art is the bridge between what you see and what you feel. Hey Reader I experience life, create from it, and share what I discover along the way. Through art, words, and storytelling, I process what I am living and give others a way to see themselves in the work. The things I create are not just expressions of my journey, they are invitations for you to connect with your own. Whether it is a sketch, a painting, a book, or a conversation, my work is meant to help unlock ideas, feelings, and...