Have you ever sat down…toiled over a piece of art for hours and hours (…and HOURS), feeling great about what you’re doing?
You’re in that zone.
Where every line is just flowing. Every thought and idea just shooting through your fingers right onto the page.
And VIOLA!
You’ve created at long last something that you’re actually PLEASED with!
You then get a deviant art email link from a pal saying “dude! Check it!!” And you click that link, and boom…..
What hits you in the face is a gorgeous piece of art that sends your artistic heart soaring.
You’re amazed.
You’re INSPIRED!
And then like a needle that scratches across an album…..you look back to your own piece.
You know…that piece that you felt so great about not more than 5 minutes ago?
And every flaw, every knick, EVERY small issue, is now magnified. 100%
So, what do you do?
You shelve it. Toss it in a drawer. Maybe even toss it entirely.
Never to be seen. All because of what?
Self doubt and insecurity.
Got news for you guys..and this isn’t exactly a news flash either.
You’re not alone.
Nope. We all have it. All of us.
It’s a battle we all fight on a daily (sometimes minute by minute) basis!
Whether you’re a young new artist trying to break into the creative fields or a hardened artistic veteran who’s worked in the industries for years.
And that’s normal. How you deal with it is another thing altogether.
One of the first things any artist who’s wanting to eventually work in an artistic industry needs to do, is realize that there are always…ALWAYS going to be people that are better than them.
Technically and creatively.
Now, I know that many out there are sayin’ “yeah…ok. Duh”.
But no. There is a school of thought on this.
Yeah. You’ve sat down…and you’ve probably had that discussion with yourself. Over and over and over.
But the problem is..You may not have had that discussion in a fair and reasonable way. And therefore not in a positive way.
So…your insecurities grow.
You sit and you look at that incredible art and it underlines in your mind everything that you’re *not*
Ok…I get that. But what it should also do, is inspire you to push forward in bettering your skills.
Improving on them.
But not to BE them. Because quite honestly…There’s a good chance you won’t.
And ya know what? That’s ok!
The art world HAS one of him/or one of her…what it doesn’t have, is one of YOU.
It’s already hearing their voice…but what it needs to hear is your voice and what you have to say.
There is strength in that, my friends.
And once you’ve realized that…you’ve gone a long way at clearing one of the biggest obstacles in your way…..YOU.
And with that…you now have the room you need…to BE you, and do the work YOU need to do.
Yes….
There ARE tons of AWESOME artists out there. And that may be what’s tripping you up some. But you’d be amazed at how many very very mediocre artists are out there as well. People that YOU…are far better than!
Working in the very industries YOU want to be in.
And why is that?
The answer is simply this:
While YOU are throwing your art away in a drawer, discouraged and not putting it out there.
Afraid to start.
Others ARE putting it out there. ….and making themselves visible.
Doing what THEY can to make their presence known.
Moving forward.
Sure…maybe slowly. But where does that leave that big swath of good unknown artists who are too afraid to take that first step? To move beyond their comfort zones.
Or discouraged when they see absolutely mindblowing art?
Well….it leaves them left behind. Where they will always be. Until they get over that mental (and emotional) speed bump.
Leaving a lot of art gigs open for the pickings by many many people that while not as good….are at least willing to get out there…willing to try.
Which leads me to this final part. The GOOD NEWS:
There’s Room For Us All!
Yup. There’s room for us ALL. There is.
Now that doesn’t mean that I’m saying everyone is going to find their ‘dream job’ of working at Marvel or Disney or whatever.
I AM saying that there is an audience for just about everything. You just have to find yours!
And you don’t do that by shelving your work, or crawling back into your shell, or being discouraged by other peoples work.
You do that…by getting on out there. Learning from others. Learning from your successes and learning (especially) from your failures.
Yeah…its a crowded field out there. But as crowded as it is…..people are hungry for a unique view.
A different voice on the subject matter.
They want to hear…from you.
And yeah….some are gonna hate your view. Straight up hate it.
But some…are gonna dig it.
And those are the people you gotta build upon.
So get over that self doubt speed bump!. Grab your pen, pencil, wacom (whatever)….and go do your stuff!
Your audience is waiting.
VIVA!
-SG-
Leave a Reply