My students will recognize this. I try to read it to every class and workshop I teach. It helps to set the "tone" for the day. I've read it many times. I'm still not tired of it. Here's what I do: change the word drawing to painting and everything applies.

Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within
Steven Aimone

What Will Make Drawing (Painting) Easier

1. Be kind to yourself

More than anything else, make this your motto and your mantra. Overly zealous and harsh self-criticism is the most inhibiting and destructive force you’ll encounter on the road to learning to draw, making you reluctant to try again. After all, if you really feel you’re no good, what’s the point of trying?

Remember, if you say unkind things to yourself about your drawing, these negative words become ingrained in your psyche. Say these things again and again, and the thoughts and the feelings they create gain strength. So catch that harshly critical voice as it comes up, recognize it for what it is, let it go, and replace it with some self-acceptance and encouragement.

2. Don’t worry about being perfect

No one is perfect, nor is there such a thing as a perfect drawing. Anyone who claims there is has a narrow, specific idea of what drawing is, what it ought to do, and how it ought to be done. In any event, don’t saddle yourself with unreasonably high expectations. Drawing is a process. Expect that process to lead you not to a perfect result, but to a more satisfying place.

3. Set reasonable expectations

One sure-fire way to feel bad about yourself is to set the bar so high that you can’t jump over it. So set your goals at a reasonable and achievable level at first. You’ll feel great about yourself, and before you know it, you’ll be raising the bar to the next notch.

4. Enjoy the process of getting there

Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle has observed: “When you no longer need for your story to work out, it actually works quite well.” Tolle encourages us to stop worrying about succeeding – and to embrace whatever we’re doing now. That, in and of itself, is success. To put it another way: Things flow much more easily when we stop trying so hard.

5. Don’t overthink things

Former New York baseball great and armchair philosopher Yogi Berra once observed that “you can’t think and play at the same time.” Well, you can’t draw very well and think at the same time either. While you’re drawing, trust yourself and tap into your unconscious; use your intuition. Then, when you step back and pause, you can momentarily think, observe, and analyze. But as quickly as possible, take off the thinking cap and get back to drawing.