“I am a bad artist.” I sat staring at a canvas I had just spent three hours painting on. I am working towards an art show in June and have been trying to paint at least four times a week. As I stood and judged myself, I was flooded with a swirl of thoughts: “I’m not a real artist; real artists are in galleries and professionally photograph their work and make provocative pieces. My work is elementary, simple, unsophisticated, and...boring”
I caught myself falling down the wormhole of self-doubt and forced myself to pause. When we are creative, our minds can easily and even unconsciously slip into comparison and self-criticism. One second you’re making something and the next you’re seeing it through the eyes of a stranger; what will other people think when they see this? Will they think I’m good? Talented? Interesting? Worthy? In doing so, you drift away from the soul-shaking delight and expression that comes when making authentic art. As soon as you start doubting your work, you begin working from your head and not your gut.
These thought patterns halt any creativity and cement yourself in a vicious cycle of self-deprecation and jealousy. No good art comes out of this headspace.
Many of us think that making art requires expensive materials, large, open studios, and hours of time. But this is not true. Art can be done in quiet moments of waiting throughout your day; for your coffee, for your train, Uber, elevator, etc. Carrying around a small sketchbook and a pen or pencil is all you need. Draw what you see or draw what’s in your head. Doesn’t matter if it’s realistic or imaginative. There is no such thing as bad art.
The key is to stay playful. If you make something you don’t like, laugh at it! Flip the page and try again. Challenge yourself when you don’t like what you made. Turn it to its side and color it in. Mix it up.
Try playing loud music and dancing before you sit down to create. Dance like you’re shaking ants out of your clothes; wild and ugly and loud and full! Sing your favorite song and wiggle any seriousness out of your space.
We take ourselves and our art way too seriously. Art is the most primal expression of the human experience. Humans have been making it for thousands of years. It has become an exclusive and expensive hobby for affluent populations; but I believe it should be a customary, normal, and expected activity for everyone; like exercising, eating, or falling in love.
Art can be a medium for moving an emotion out of your body. It can be another journal for you to untangle your thoughts and subconscious desires. Or perhaps it can be the opposite; a moment to quiet your mind where you are not thinking at all and enjoying a break from the never-ending mental chatter we all experience.
Don’t make art with the intention or expectation of anyone else seeing it. If I think about how a painting will look on Instagram as I’m making it- I have failed. I’ve allowed the made-up opinions of strangers to dictate what I will make.
Be silly. Lighthearted. Curious. Try new mediums. Paint a flowerpot, try an embroidery hoop, and sketch with some colored pencils. Thinking you need a long list of expensive and extensive art supplies is a great way to delay any actual art-making. Working with what you have allows you to start right away and also lowers the pressure if you don’t end up liking what you made.
Hopefully reading this helped begin the motivational process for you to try making some art. Worst case- you don’t like what you make and used up an hour of your life. Could be worse!
As always, thank you for reading and please do let me know your thoughts!
Read this after feeling major imposter syndrome today, needed it!
I love this: “Art is the most primal expression…. like falling in love.” What a beautiful paragraph. ☺️