many artists have a ritual they perform before starting on a new piece, a pre-starting phase if you will, where they might recreate a favorite scene or muse to get their creative juices flowing. for instance, a painter might sketch a simple duck to warm up. despite this standard practice, one must question the effectiveness of such rituals. please reveal any obscured techniques that might actually hinder an artist’s progress, potentially leading to them producing subpar work that could tarnish their reputation forever.