Miss Daisy Drawing

Category: Life Insights

I share personal experiences, lessons learned, and insights on overcoming challenges. These articles are meant to inspire self-awareness, resilience, and continuous personal development—offering guidance and encouragement for anyone on their journey of growth.

  • How Hobbies Rewire Your Brain: The Science of Growth and Motivation

    I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics recently, and I keep getting blown away by the athletes’ spirit and determination. Especially Su Yiming in snowboarding and Eileen Gu in freestyle skiing. They both won Olympic gold at just 17 or 18 years old. But what inspires me even more is what happened after their success—the setbacks, the injuries, the moments of self-doubt—and how they still managed to stand back up, return to their sport, and push themselves even further.

    Eileen Gu’s discipline and self-reflection throughout her training are particularly striking. Setting aside the controversy around being born in the U.S. and competing for China, her love for skiing and her reflections on growth are truly worth learning from.

    Maybe you’ve also noticed this: people who have hobbies—kids or adults—often carry a unique kind of charm. At first, we might be drawn to their talent, but what really earns our respect is their willingness to commit to something that doesn’t give quick rewards. Their focus, their patience through countless failures, and the skill that slowly builds over time… those things always move us.

    Today, I want to explore a question from the perspective of neuroscience and psychology: Why do we need a hobby we can continuously improve at? Whether it’s painting, writing, music, sports, or other creative activities—why do the most well-educated families encourage their children to pursue hobbies, instead of just drilling tests?

    First, let’s look at the most fundamental layer: the brain.

    From a neuroscience perspective, a skill-based hobby can literally reshape our brain structure.

    Most people think dopamine is just the “happy chemical,” but that’s a misunderstanding. Research dating back to 1989 shows that pleasure is actually controlled by hedonic hotspots in the brain—not dopamine. Dopamine’s real function is motivation and behavioral drive. When we practice, improve, and receive positive feedback, dopamine activates our reward circuit, making us want to keep going.

    This explains why the happiness we get from binge-watching, scrolling videos, or drinking milk tea is so short-lived—while a hobby that we can improve at can fundamentally change our mindset and temperament.

    Painting strengthens the visual and motor cortices and the hippocampus.
    Learning an instrument strengthens the auditory cortex and motor integration.
    Sports enhance the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision-making and thecerebellum responsible for coordination.

    In short: the more we improve at our hobby, the stronger our brain becomes.

    Secondly, from a psychological and philosophical perspective, hobbies help us reflect on ourselves. This is an incredibly important aspect that most people overlook.

    A hobby is never just about technique. At its core, it’s a psychological activity.
    For example, in painting:

    – A perfectionist will hesitate and repeatedly revise.
    – A people-pleaser will choose styles that “everyone likes.”
    – Someone with low self-esteem will criticize themselves constantly while practicing.

    No matter what the hobby is, it will eventually reveal your inner patterns. Competitive sports test psychological resilience. Music and art ultimately express emotion rather than technique.

    How we come to understand ourselves, gain self-awareness, and grow through our hobby—that is the true essence of having one.

    Finally, in a chaotic, fast-changing, information-overloaded world, a hobby helps us build a stable sense of identity. Maybe you are “someone who paints.”“someone who runs.”“someone who writies.”“someone who creates.”

    This identity is grounded, self-consistent, and can stay with us for a lifetime.
    People with hobbies are less likely to be overwhelmed by endless information or fall into emptiness, confusion, or anxiety.

    A hobby you can grow in is like a solid anchor—a stable pathway toward meaning. All it needs is your time and passion. A slightly steadier line, a cleaner sound, a smoother run… These small forms of self-generated feedback slowly build us into confident, grounded individuals.

    I hope everyone who is reading this passage can find you own anchor—a hobby you can continue to grow in soon.

  • Why Courage Is More Important Than Skill in Drawing?

    Today, I want to talk about something absolutely crucial in learning how to draw—yet most people completely overlook it. When it comes to drawing, learning to be brave is far more important than learning techniques. Many people think drawing is all about skill, but in reality, art is largely a psychological game.

    Have you ever noticed this?

    You watch countless tutorials, practice technique after technique…and still, your drawing doesn’t improve the way you hoped. You still don’t dare to create boldly. Behind all of this hides one deeply overlooked issue: our fear of the unknown.

    When we sit in front of a blank sheet of paper, we freeze. We panic. We don’t know where to start. Today, I want to show you how to understand this fear—and how to solve it.

    First, “fear of the unknown” is actually a very common psychological response. It’s directly connected to the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and danger detection. When we face something unfamiliar, unpredictable, or out of our control, the amygdala activates and throws us into a “run away” mode—even when there is no real danger at all.

    In short: we fear things whose outcomes we cannot predict or control.

    In drawing, this fear shows up in many ways:

    You don’t dare start.
    You worry you’ll ruin the page.
    You avoid drawing at all.
    You chase perfection and feel crushed when your art doesn’t match your expectations.

    All of this has nothing to do with skill. It’s a psychological defense mechanism.

    So—how do we overcome this fear of the unknown?

    The truth is, this isn’t something you can flip like a switch. You overcome it by understanding it, breaking it down, living with it, and slowly weakening its power through small, consistent actions. And this applies not only to drawing, but also to writing, content creation, and any creative field.

    Here are three ways to begin:

    Number 1. Start with action.

    Don’t wait until you “feel ready.” You will never feel fully ready. The only thing that defeats your fear is putting down the first line. Once you make the first mark, the second and third will follow. Every beautiful artwork begins as an ugly, messy sketch.

    Number 2. Start with exploration.

    Exploration itself is a form of courage. Try different mediums, themes, colors, and compositions. Many breakthroughs happen by accident—through experimentation. Only by exploring can you turn the unknown into something familiar.

    Number 3, Start with self-compassion.

    Strict education teaches us to avoid mistakes and chase perfection, which turns into self-doubt. From today forward, I want you to practice being kind to yourself. Just because a drawing didn’t turn out well, or a project didn’t succeed, does not mean you lack talent. No one becomes great in a single attempt. It sounds cliché, but it is absolutely true.

    If you feel stuck in your art—or afraid to start anything you truly want to do—it’s not because you are not good enough. It’s because you’re too harsh on yourself, and too afraid of the unknown and the possibility of failure.

    So from today on, give yourself a little more courage.

    I’m Daisy, a storyteller who records and shares art. If you enjoy my content, feel free like, subscribe, and leave a comment. And share with me—how do you deal with fear in your creative process?

  • How to Learn Smarter So AI Can’t Replace You

    The Best Way to Learn in the Age of AI:
    Why Real Progress Comes from Doing, Not Reading

    I realized something important: Trying to gain ability through reading alone is secretly a way of avoiding the real work. It is a mental shortcut disguised as “self-improvement.” And it leads to zero results.

    Today I want to talk about a mindset shift that completely changed the way I learn, create, and even make money. And honestly, it might challenge some of your beliefs too.

    For a long time, I used to think that reading more books, watching more tutorials, and absorbing more information would naturally make me better. Better at drawing, better at learning languages, better at understanding the world.

    But here’s the truth I learned the hard way:

    Trying to gain ability through reading alone is actually a subtle form of “laziness.”

    It’s the hope that you can skip the hard parts—the frustration, the experimentation, the trial and error—and somehow jump straight to mastery.
    At its core, it’s a kind of “wanting results without doing the work.”

    And in the age of AI—when information is everywhere and skills can be automated—the only learning method that truly keeps you ahead is not reading. It’s doing.

    Let me share how this plays out in my own journey across three areas: drawing, language learning, and making money.

    First. Drawing: You only improve when you create with intention

    I’ve been drawing for decades. And for a long time, I made the classic mistake:
    I thought I could improve just by reading art books or studying techniques.

    There’s nothing wrong with reading, but it should never be your primary path to progress. Because passive input without output doesn’t change your ability.

    Real improvement only happens when you draw with intention.

    For example, when I want to draw a cityscape, I don’t just “look” at it. I think:

    How do I draw skyscraper?
    How do I show the movement of crowds?
    How do I make the lights feel alive?

    When you create with a purpose, your input becomes meaningful. The world becomes specific. And your drawings carry your own thinking—not just technical labor.

    Second. Language learning: You will never sound natural by memorizing vocabulary or studying textbook

    I upload my drawing videos in both English and native language. The English version really forced me to grow—because I had to use the language, not just study it.

    When I translate my scripts, I naturally learn the exact vocabulary I need:
    words like unpredictability, figurative, ornamentation. Not random textbook words—But the actual words that matter to my message.

    And when I record voiceovers, I have no choice but to try, fail, and try again.
    My early recordings were stiff and flat. I even tested AI voiceovers, and while they sounded perfect, but they felt lifeless and have nothing to do with me.

    So I kept practicing. And slowly, my rhythm, pronunciation, and flow improved—not to native level, but enough to communicate clearly and connect with viewers.

    None of this came from reading English books. It came from using the language, publicly, imperfectly, repeatedly.

    Third. Making money: Income is a reward for taking deliberate action.

    For years, I believed that “reading more books” would help me earn more.
    I once forced myself to finish a book every two days on management, investing, finance—you name it.

    Looking back… it was naive. Books don’t make you money. Products, actions, experiments, and real-world feedback do.

    You can apply the same logic here: Just as drawing improves through purposeful creation, and language improves through speaking…earning money improves through building things, testing ideas, and understanding the market.

    Creating videos is, in itself, building a product. Some videos perform well, some fail. Why? Only action reveals the answer.

    If you don’t act, reflect, and act again, you’re not improving—you’re just repeating the same day 1,000 times. Money is simply the reward for intentional action.

    So what’s the real lesson?

    I finally realized something important: Trying to gain ability through reading alone is secretly a way of avoiding the real work. It is a mental shortcut disguised as “self-improvement.” And it leads to zero results.

    In the age of AI, reading is cheap. But doing—thinking, creating, trying, failing, iterating—is what actually builds skill and keeps you ahead.

    I’m Daisy, a storyteller who records and shares art. If you enjoy this kind of content, feel free to like, subscribe, or leave a comment. And if you’re navigating your own challenges in learning or creating, share them below—I’d love to hear your story.

  • How to Discover Your Unique Artistic Style

    If you love drawing, or you’ve just started learning it, you might find yourself constantly switching between different mediums—colored pencils, watercolor, the iPad, and so on. Your subjects may jump from portraits to landscapes to small everyday objects. If this sounds familiar, you need to read this article. What I’m sharing today is the result of decades of learning art and falling into countless traps along the way. This passage can easily save you ten years of detours.

    For Many beginners—or even hobbyists who have been drawing for a while—will face the same struggle: when you look at other artists’ work, you feel genuinely envious of their unique styles. Some artworks feel wildly imaginative, some are incredibly powerful in color, some tell strong stories, some show amazing technical skill. Some pieces look simple, yet feel warm and comforting. All of them have something special—something that makes us pause and admire. That “special something” is the artist’s style.

    So, how do you develop your own artistic style? Almost every creator asks this question. But here’s what you need to know: style isn’t something you can “think” your way into. You can fabricate a style through shortcuts, but you’ll quickly get bored of it and abandon what you made up. A lasting, authentic style requires exploration and trial and error. It emerges naturally from long-term creation, shaped by your interests, your personality, and your life experiences.

    So, how do you actually find your style?

    First, style doesn’t start with technique—it starts with preference. Begin with the medium you love most or feel most comfortable with. Starting today, pay attention to what draws you in: the fluid unpredictability of watercolor, the texture of colored pencils, and so on. Notice which subjects feel most natural to draw, and what you want to express through them. The things that repeatedly show up in your work—that’s your preference.

    Second, don’t rush to be “original.” Most artists’ styles begin through imitation. Imitation isn’t stealing—it’s part of learning the language of art. Copy the use of color, brushwork, or composition of the artists you admire. Even when you imitate, you’ll discover that part of the work still carries something uniquely yours. That “irreplaceable difference” is the seed of your style.

    Third, you need volume. Style doesn’t come from thinking—it comes from making. With ten pieces, it’s hard to see any pattern. With a hundred, patterns start to appear. With a thousand, your style will grow on its own. All the imperfect pieces, ugly sketches, and failed attempts—they’re all part of the puzzle. Quantity pushes you toward quality.

    Fourth, your style comes from your life. Your travels, the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the books you read, the emotions you’ve experienced, the pain and joy you’ve gone through—all of these shape the way you understand the world. The richer your life becomes, the more unique your expression will be. Art isn’t a stack of techniques—it’s a concentration of experiences. Your unique life experiences and personal insights will naturally show up in your artwork. 

    Fifth, style takes time—and patience. Don’t chase a style too quickly by forcing special effects or gimmicks. A manufactured style is fragile and won’t last. True style is something you can’t escape from, even when you’re not trying. It shows up in your unconscious choices, in the marks that grow naturally over the years.

    The way we find our artistic style mirrors the way we find our path in life. First, record yourself frequently. Observe your interests and tendencies to identify your real preferences. Second, look for people you admire—whether they’re celebrities, artists, or business leaders—and learn from how they think and act. Third, there are no shortcuts in life. Only through trial and error can you gradually get closer to your true direction. Lastly, discovering yourself takes time. Some people have strong support—good education or financial stability—but most of us must rely on persistence and effort. Flowers don’t bloom overnight. And once you find your path, you need patience and conviction to stay on it.

  • 2025: The Year I Embraced My Artistic Passion

    As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve found my true passion.

    A long-time friend recently left a comment under one of my videos and asked me, “Why art?”Especially when art, at least for now, brings me no money, no stability, no tangible return. So why art?

    “In the first year of my master’s program, I listened to a talk by a musician who played a very niche instrument. When someone in the audience asked her why she chose to stick with that instrument, her answer was simple and direct: ‘Because it’s the only thing I know how to do.’

    That answer hit me deeply.

    In my twenties, I naïvely believed I had endless time and endless choices.
    But as I entered my thirties, I slowly realized that the most precious thing a person has is time. And the older I get, the more I feel how little time each day truly belongs to me.

    Instead of looking everywhere, it’s better to choose one thing and go all in.


    This seemingly simple truth took me a quarter of my life to understand.

    In 2025, my family and I renovated our garage and turned it into my art studio. I got my first student here in Melbourne.I started my another social media account and gained nearly 4,000 followers in just half a year. Now I’m branching out to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

    I know—and the data clearly tells me—that this field is already very crowded. But that’s okay. Because at this point in my life, I’ve finally learned the one “cheat code” for this game called life:

    Dreams don’t come from imagining.They come from doing.

    As 2025 comes to an end, I feel like I’ve finally found true Passion.


    I’ve found a place to put all the experiences and lessons I’ve carried over the years.

    I love everything I’m doing. I love art, and I love sharing it with others through my own perspective and practice.

    And before I finish, I want to share a passage from Steve Jobs—a piece that has inspired me for years.

    “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”


    Happy New Year! I truly wish that my words and arts can bring a positive impact around. I wish everyone who is browsing my website all the best in 2026.  

  • Learn Art Without School: A New Perspective

    You don’t need to attend an art school to learn art.

    Screenshot

    Today I want to share a viewpoint that goes completely against the usual expectations: you don’t need to go to an art school to learn art, and you don’t need to go to university to learn how to make money. In this era, “learning” and “school” are two entirely different things.

    Learning is something you do for yourself. You learn what you’re genuinely interested in, and what will actually benefit you.

    School, on the other hand, is a system. Beyond teaching students, it also exists to provide employment and maintain social stability. Take content creation as an example: for most people today, it’s one of the most accessible and practical career paths. But do you really need a university degree in media studies to become a content creator? When it comes to making content, whose lessons are more valuable—top creators whose videos have millions of views , or university professors? People who benefit from staying inside the system will never point this out.

    A lot of people still treat ‘school’ as if it were the whole definition of learning—as if you can only study art by getting into an art academy, or only become employable by earning a university degree. But that mindset is completely out of touch with how the world works today.

    First, the internet now offers more resources than any other time in history. You can view high-quality images of original artworks, listen to open courses from leaders across different industries, follow your favorite artists, or join online communities where people motivate each other and stay accountable. Learning—whether it’s art or most fields that don’t require strict technical certification, such as languages or management—does not need to happen inside a traditional institution.

    Second, this era demands that we understand ourselves more than ever. You need to use every tool around you—reading, writing, and the vast information available online—to discover your strengths and direction. Education today is shifting toward “self-education.” We all have to move from being passively guided to being self-driven, from chasing credentials to building real capability.

    Don’t let the belief that “you must go to school to gain a skill” limit you. As long as you keep practicing, keep learning, and keep creating, you can grow anywhere—and it’s never too late to start.

    Stop tying your growth to school, and stop letting others define your future. The right to learn is in your own hands, and the only person who can truly determine how far you go is you.