I think when you hate your art the most is when your taste has grown to a point where your own art isn't don't it for you anymore, which means you're about to hit a breakthrough so you can meet your own taste again! At least that's what i always tell myself
Worlds collide! And Sam I really appreciate that artists always see things in their own work that outsiders don’t , including myself but improving from people we admire is the best thing we can do to reignite your own appreciation for creativity. That’s why I love you guys !
I have been stuck hating Every piece I work on for the past... Many many weeks. It's hard to imagine Sam feeling the same slump. But it's somehow comforting to know that no artist is alone. Thank you for this!
late but, i think we hate our art simply because we can see how much better we could be in our head. i dont remember the name of the sculptor, but there was this story about a sculptor being so hard on his pieces that most of their final pieces were very slim in consequence of him taking clay out all of the time he found a detail unsatisfying. i think in order to progress, artists still have to complete their pieces to have a final judgement and to know where to take off from there but it's still very unsatisfying most of the time and it happens that some just stay in an endless loophole of never finishing a piece because they aren't satisfied. perfectionism 101 really
I cant even describe how helpful it is to hear that some of my absolute favorite artists struggle with the exact same things i do. I've always grown frustrated with myself when i fell into a slump, and it ruined the experience of creating for me. I never want to grow to hate my passion. Thank you for the great video, sam.
I went through 6 years of being absolutely terrified of creation. I couldn’t even look at art of any form that had to do with a flat canvas. I’m better now but the lasting effects are devastating to my creation process.
Never understood that problem... It's like pressuring oneself to improve despite being great already. I just look at my art and if I don't like it I try to identify why and then I fix it. Then again, drawing is my 3rd art, there's also music and writing. And I take breaks from each of those, they kinda rotate around, and after every break I come back to it with a new mindset.
I struggle with this but with music, I know I've improved a lot but I still can't help but lilsten to recordings from three years ago and wish I had that inspiration I used to have back then.
7:11 "If you're not in a slump now, I hate you" I hate myself too Sam, don't worry. No, but seriously. Artists have some of the cruelest inner voices sometimes, and as an artist myself i also am no exception. I'm the oposit of sam, i struggle with realisim and my style looks extremely stylized and cartoony so I've been trying to do realisim and breaking out of my comfort zone as well, mostly with different body types and breaking same face syndrome. I hope you get out of your art slump soon sam.
Thank you so much, Sam. I appreciate it. Im in my lowest moment right now, hating everything about my art. I feel like i need to rethink why i draw and what i want to show. Because everything I’ve beed creating is not me at all. So hearing words of encouragement from you were really helpful for me. Thank you
I lost my creative job due to the decline in the animation industry and I've been in a slump ever since. This video was really insightful and helped tremendously to get me back on my feet. Thanks, Sam :)
When I go through a period where I hate my art, I just stop drawing for a while. Sometimes my art brain needs a break and I don’t pick up a pencil until I feel inspired enough to
I noticed that when I look at an artwork of mine, I remember what I thought/felt while making it. So, I try to have fun with all my artworks, so that when I look back on them, I’ll remember that instead of remembering how I stressed out and beat myself up over little mistakes. It makes me like my art a lot more
2:09 BINGO! You've hit upon the reason I have given up music after 45 years; I wasn't learning anything and thus my passion diminished. Instead I have begun to learn how to draw, as I have virtually no experience in figurative art- and I'm highly enthusiastic about it as it is a whole new world for me.
Those slumps are dangerous man. I went from art being the biggest passion in my life and doing it every day to other aspects of life just hitting me hard and not being able to do anything artistic for a few years, now im trying to get back into it and literally feel like I have lost over a decade of knowledge and experience that I had before and its making it so difficult to come back to and try to grow and be happy with anything im doing so trust, I get it.
I am really surprised that actúally a lot of artists are going through the same and it's quite inspiring knowing that you're not the only one who sucks sometimes.
I’m glad I watched this, because recently I’ve been drawing things I’m used to drawing rather than trying a dynamic pose or a side profile. I’ve been working on a piece with 7 different characters, all with different poses at different angles and it has taken me WAY too long, but most of the process has been practicing drawing arms, legs, hands, head shapes, angles, etc. But I’ve managed to get out of my comfort zone and I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out so far. It’s different from my usual pieces and it looks great, even though it’s not perfect, but I’m glad I’m improving.
I'm a sucker for pretty stuff which lead me to reading manhwa and stuff like that. Love your style and the way you make your videos. I really wish you illustrated art for manhwa or designed some characters for games.
I think that we have all greatly idealized great artists like Sam, that we do not think that they go through such difficult processes, and then we understand that we all sometimes feel trapped.
Love that you spoke about this topic! One thing I would like to add: Pay attention to who you are OUTSIDE of your art. What's the stuff you like & dislike. Especially music being a good stimulant to the type of art you produce. All these smol things add character & personality to your characters. It's helped me at times when I've been in a slump, so I hope that it helps you too ❤
To be uncomfortable is to learn discipline. Idfk where this came from. lol, it just popped into my brain as Sam was talking about comfort zones and how he has to get uncomfortable again 😅 I couldn't relate to you more when it comes to my own art.. let's do our best together 💜
I was just thinking to quit my art because on how bad I've been doing for the past week or so. But after watching this video made me realize even artist who are master at drawing can struggle sometimes. Thank you for inspiring me as you always do with your sweet words.
I relate with the struggling with stylization one. What I hate is that sometimes it's almost subconscious. Like you get a reference, you draw, and realize you made it too realistic. It almost feels like edging having to stop yourself from doing more on your work when your body is screaming to do more 😭 Also this feeling like you downgraded because u used to draw more but now you're drawing a character with a few strokes, a few shades (The art style I like is like that), it's frustrating but it's also enjoyable once you get to do them 😭♥️ Art is such a rollercoaster ride
Honestly, I think I really needed this type of video. For a while, I have been very stuck on my own art and not knowing what to really do with it anymore thank you! ❤
I actually really understand the feeling of being unsatisfied with what you made and just striving to make something you’ll like, regardless whether you like your art or not, it’s always been a huge inspiration to me and a huge part of my art growth, super comforting to know I’m not the only one ever hating on my own work, ❤
“a never ending journey of learning” is the perfect way to describe art but not only visual art, it’s the description of every type of art, whether it is making music or being professional in a martial art u will always learn. It might be hard or maybe annoying to continue learning over and over again but u can even learn to appreciate learning. It’s something I have learned not long ago but never really got to say it to anyone and the fact that Sam made a whole video about it makes me feel really happy because it’s important to know and to never give up. ❤
I saw someone said one time that theres two types of artists, the not improving artist that thinks its improving (doesn't look for more ways to learn new things, like new techniques or styles), and the improving artists that dont think they are growing and getting more talented with their efforts (the ones that actually works really hard and thinks that its all the same), and you actually can notice the difference in their pieces. I feel this is so normal but also so stressful. The two extremes are bad equally. You work so hard for doing things good but you're actually blinded by your high or low standards that you actually cant see your changes or improvements. I've seen my work and in some point there was a pretty noticeable change, but with time passing I've been feeling stuck in the same place. Not getting worse, but not improving. It makes me feel that I got no right to call myself an artist. I hope you find your way out of this feeling, you dont know how great i feel after watching your videos, and I'm pretty sure that there's a lot more people that thinks the same. Your funny and full of needed information videos gives me so much faith in that one day i will improve has much as you have done. And it also reminds me that patience is needed to see the actual results 😅 And see this video is also so helpful cause you start understanding that you're not always gonna be 100% satisfied, but you still got to work at it and do your best. Well, sorry for the long comment, i just felt a little identify with this video 😅😁
Thank you so much for this video! When you're in a slump like that, it's so easy to think you're the only one struggling and that all other artists are at 100 percent all the time, especially professionals. It's so reassuring to hear that we're not alone and that there's a way up, especially from an artist I look up to as much as you!
it's nice to hear about struggling with stylization and not anatomy or theory etc. i also get stuck with the geometry of it all and people who can do stylized art have such energy that i get jealous of. anatomy is simple to look up, style is so vague it's a ride to study.
Don’t worry dude, your not alone. I’m in this ‘I hate my art’ stage, (except my art is way worse). I’m not learning anything from any tutorials or things I’ve tried, and I’m not really getting anywhere. But to keep going always remember that if this is happening, you’re probably really close to improving or learning something, as realising you don’t like your art is the first step towards improving.
When i saw the title today: what!? why sam hate's he's art?😨 I hate my art before but i learn how to love my art now...i must say artist have their back on each other🌸✨
My situation is not related to drawing but your point is really relatable and can be applied to studying Mandarin. At the start, I feel like I am making a lot of progress, learning a lot of new words. Now I feel like I am in the slump and make no progress because I only read, write or listen to something I am familiar with. I don't have a courage to take a step to read something harder because I am afraid I might disappoint myself. Now that I have watched your video, it's time for me to pull myself up again!!!
I really love the way you say: You got to punch the things you think is difficult, and learn how to draw them! Thanks for your advice, it helps a lot.😊
Had a massive slump a few months ago. Going pretty well right now. Working on a video where I find an art style right now which really helped. And I've also been reading art books on the train to work, which I think really helps too.
"Find people who inspire you". I'm looking at you right now, bro. Great video, thank you for bringing that up! p.s. That one piece with the gutarist - absolute fire, imo.
Ngl I was drawing while watching this and just looked at my art and said yeah that's sh* then tries to draw a realistic drawing w/o learning a thing.. It's still sht
Thank you - it's amazingly refreshing to hear "if you're in a slump go challenge yourself to LEARN" instead of "if you're in a slump you just have to force yourself to do more", and it's exactly the push I needed right now to go crack open the new anatomy book I got.
One thing I noticed when you, Sam, were drawing is that when you are making the rough sketch for the heads, you only use one circle for the cranium. I saw in a video just today that you can try using two. That will help your perspective for the angle of the OC and give you a good reference for the ear. God bless you Sam =)
For me as someone who is young but into art for 5 years the last year or two were the most serious ones to art ,sometimes someone just doesnt like there art cause they dont take it seriously ,why dont i draw it again till its what i want .i think the main thing that makes us artists is that we never stop practising or learning thats also why i like your vids they r inspiting and i begin entering digital art days ago bcuz of u so thank you
I've been in the same boat for a few weeks now, so recently I've gone back to studying things that are uncomfortable to me as well. This video has certainly inspired me, thank you and good luck on your journey too!
I feel so bad that you view your art this way bc it’s the best art ever and your my favorite artist in the world and I wish I could draw like you. We all have rough days, months, or even years, but never stop doing what you do bc your amazing
Im a 3D artist. In 3D modelling there are 2 primary paths in which you can create things, 'Hard Surface Modelling' & 'Sculpting'. personally I use hard surface modelling, and i have been using this method for 4 years. recently I started a project on a character, which is rather far out of my comfort zone. The basic design of this character is a humanoid with small robotic features and silicon skin. Logically when creating a humanoid Sculpting would be the primary technique used in creation, however i modelled the entirety of the feet to neck using Hard surface modelling. Once i reached the head i tried Hard surface, 3D scanning and even grafting other heads which i had downloaded together. to no ones surprise none of these methods had worked, and i have reached the ultimate barrier of 'Learn to Sculpt' which now realising i have been avoiding since day 1. Unfortunately I'm still incapable of Sculpting and have a lot to learn still. however i have managed to attempt to learn to sculpt, and in time i shall master it. Without said barrier, i would've never of attempted to learn at all. the moral of this comment is that to annihilate an issue you must understand how to. which seems obvious, but knowing you are good at one thing can be your undoing, as you may not accept that not every task can be solved with the same ideas, you must adapt to the difficulty which is against you.
As a young artist, I mostly feel like my art isn’t what I thought it would be. I’m proud of it and then I don’t like it. Sam is one of my art idles for rendering. His talent kinda scared me though. Especially when he showed his sketches from middle school (which is where I’m at). But seeing the title proves that nobody is perfect. Thank you Sam for sharing. Thanks for making me and possibly others feel not so alone anymore.
You are one of the artists that I admire the most and inspire me to improve my drawings, and of all the great artists that I admire, you are the Lord of Lights and Shadows. Thank you very much for your teachings and advice.👏
I am on week two of learning art a little more seriously, the cool thing about learning is you always bump into "new" things. New struggle, new concepts, new perspective. Every day it's a new thing, which also make every day a little bit novel. It is refereshing and makes me feel like when we are kids. It is all excitement and it makes me to only want to keep going.
Oh, glad to know I'm not the only one that goes through these phases lots of the time lol. Things will work out eventually. Last week I've met some people and one of them told me "nothing good last forever, but the good part is nothing bad last forever too". Having ups and downs is part of the process. We are humans beeing who are constantly evolving. I think the most important part is beeing concious of it, so that we can work our way through it.
I have been learning to draw for around two months now after a decade long break. I used to draw as a kid but just stopped at some point and now, in college, I finally decided it's time to learn it for real. I'm lucky as I'm still at the stage where every time I draw I learn something new and keep drawing things I'm more and more happy with. I'm sure I'll experience similar stuff as you a lot in years to come, but for now I'm just enjoying the ride and having fun leveling up my abilities!
I’ve been going through this for the past few months. I feel like I’m finally coming out of it. I always forget to study other artists and how much that helps me. I keep a journal and every day i dedicate writing an entry on of my favorite artists. Breaking down their style and pieces. It’s so helpful.
Im literally feeling this for the past days, i felt like my art is not as good as what i did before and im just spending hours and hours drawing just for it to look like something i dont like. I was literally about to cry when this video came out the same time i was drawing just earlier and feeling like 💩 and i felt like this video was meant for me... Thanks dad❤
Wow I find it funny how all of today I had no motivation to draw and post. Even completely scraping Ideas to make my own TMNT iteration..and then I see this video. It really helped me. Thanks :)
Thank you for making this! You're 100% right, I just wanted to add a small thing i found helps me working as a freelance artist. I have clients that expect the same style from me all the time and its a more realistic style, but Ive always felt drawn to stylistic approaches. Its been about 3 years that ive been working realistically, always feeling conflicted because I am good at realistic but really find it demotivating to not express myself in the style I want to. I realized recently that personal stylized art isnt just something i should do from time to time but is something i NEED to do in order to still feel motivated to do my freelance work. Its freeing not just being able to do art in the style i want, but also to know its just for me and no one else. I don't actually think id enjoy doing freelance in a more stylized way, I enjoy having the freedom to explore what I want to. So for any working artist out there remember to do things for only yourself sometimes, even just a 30 minute warm up before working :)
Being an artist is like being in a relationship; You fall in love in the beginning then it’s up and down because love doesn’t last forever. But everyone who makes it through those ups and downs says the same thing: that they fall in love again and again. Thats what you gotta do now. You’re about to ascend to a higher level 💯
It feels kinda nice to have someone as skilled and talented as Sam go through the same phases we all go through, I hope you end up getting out of that slump and becoming an even better artist than you already are Sam! And to anyone else out there who feels the same way, you're not alone, and you will get through this and come out of that experience better than you were before
I've been following you for a couple of years, and I feel like in the recent months you've been taking bigger risks, composition wise, harder ideas to execute. I absolutely love the new direction you're going in. Keep trying new things, we've been noticing ! Keep up the great work ^^
Genuienly, this video came at such a good time. I've been recovering from a 2+ month long burnout and even in the after effects of it, I've been feeling really REALLY low about my art despite people liking it. So this video coming out like, right now, I'm taking to heart sm AAA
Great video. It doesn't just connect with new artists but people that have been around for a while as well. I still have moments where I have imposter syndrome even though I've been working in movies, animation and games for almost 20 years
man i just discovered your chanel 10 mins ago and the first thing i thought was "i wanna be like him" cuz i'm just 14 and i've always drawn but now i'm stuck whit my art, and your channel is so perfect and helpful AND you're funny so yea, i'm obsessed thanks man (when i read the tittle i sincerely choked on my coke💀)
Ive been in and out art slump for months and now that ive gotten out of it ive been feeling so good about myself, instead of taking 8+ hrs on a peice its more like 2+ hrs and ive been feeling way more motivated i hopw people can get out of their slump to cause this is the best ive felt in awhile, i hope you feel better about yourself soon sam ❤
It's things like these that help me keep pushing through. It reminds me that all the artists I look up to have been through the exact same situation as I'm in right now. This speaks to me
Bro…. Lemme just tell ya that this was kinda a perfect timing? I recently moved out of the house and live with my sister, and I kinda had this idea in my head leading up to it that “once I move out/graduate, I’ll have the time and motivation to draw everything I want and it’ll be fantastic” and of course, it hasn’t been like that. I have work now, and even though I have all this time on my hands, I just keep realizing that I feel so drained because I’ve been having what I call ‘Drawing Withdrawals’ -nothings turning out right, I’m not feeling happy or inspired by my art, and thus feel like I’m not going nowhere- and I usually try to watch a video from you or other artists before I draw to help me get in the mood, and bro. This one? Dang it really worked. I finally pinned down my inspiration that’s been floating around in my head, like finally catching a slippery bar of soap- I’m so glad you made this. I just love how you really look out for the little art babies like myself- thanks Sam TvT
honestly if the most viral artist in the world dislikes his art that really shows that everyone can be insecure yknow? i think thats kinda inspirational
Hating your own art is so relatable, I've been stuck in this phase for so long... idk when I will be able to enjoy and like my art again, I will try the advices 😔 Thank you for telling us what you're going through because everyone can feel like that towards their art even the best artists !
This is my favourite video of yours. The funny part is that I'm going through the exact same thing and went through the same realisations the last month. People love my art, and always say how great it is, but i've also lacked connection. But then again, when did I sit down and look at other people's work for a study? When did I let myself get inspired by others? So i've started putting in more rules in my work, more meaning and have been looked at what I love in my idol's art. I've just switched to Cara and have been able to reconnect with some of my all time favorite artists, and it's been helping so far. Like you said, facing what you have trouble with is the best remedy.
For me it is always the same: the basics. Never learned them properly, and it shows. I just practice and hope one day it will be better. I have many ideas, but lack of skill limits what I can draw :
I still find it so crazy that artists I idolise also feel this way. I’m personally trying to become an artist, it’s my passion I had to stifle because of family and life restraints, so I couldn’t even get any teaching on it. I’m trying to make a go of it now but sometimes my motivation is gone, I worry all the time about every piece I try to do. But now I’m slowly starting to feel better about it since I found my wife who supports my passion and since I started watching Sam. I hope we can all get through things like this and hope Sam starts to feel better too
Sam, you do not understand amount of hope I felt and how much this video lifted me!!! I literally was having this exact issue of seemingly “forgetting” how to draw and I felt like nothing I drew sat right with me. I went on RUclips today in hopes I could find a video to help me (for the thousandth time) and here is the video sitting right in front of me! Tysm Sam ur the best and keep going pls pls!!!!!
You hit the nail right on the head! What I've learnt years ago from Nikolas Tower is that both art skill and perception are sinusoids but they're a little offset one from another. So sometimes the perception catches up with our skill and that's when we feel like everything we make sucks; and the best way to combat it is to experiment and study and learn :)
I love Sam, he’s always so honest, and it only grows my respect for him. I personally like to draw more realistically, but all of this is still relatable. Thank you, Sam.
The one thing that made me level up like crazy was to drop my tablet (like, figuratively, not actually... That would be a costly drop), and get back to good old paper and ink. Not pencil, straight up INK ! No rehearsal, no sketching, no searching, sculpting and ctrl+Z'ing my way through the search... just straight up go for the jugular in one stroke, sink or swim style. At best, you come up with an incredible piece you're instantly proud of in a matter of minutes, at worst, you just wasted a sheet of paper, rinse and repeat until you get there. I promise you, this is a well needed creative reset to your brain when you've been stuck on tablet and ctrl+Z for too long.
I literally have just been talking to my wife about how I felt in a creative slump and had fallen out of love with my art. Then you post this video almost by magic and give me the impetus to shake the slump and learn! Thank you Sam you are an awesome artist and a genuine guy!
This is a good one to constantly learn and practice from others. The lows make us working harder to get to the top. Sometimes they suck but it’s part of it
Thank you for sharing. I've learned to show my work to other people because I've learned that some of the pieces of work that I do which I am not happy with or think is 'bad' (relatively speaking) are the pieces that many people think are my better pieces. Even though it doesn't change my mind of the piece that I did, I do ask questions of what they liked about the piece and what they didn't like in order to learn what it is that makes them think the piece is better than the pieces of art that I've done which I think are better pieces. I've learned alot about my own drawings, style of drawing, my weaknesses and strengths, and what others see in my pieces. It has helped me to grow more confident even if I don't think a piece is worth the time spent....there is aways something to learn.
you know it's serious when sam doesn't get scared of us
Ya
@@shaimahossain3663of
@@shaimahossain3663translation: of
Real
Fr
I think when you hate your art the most is when your taste has grown to a point where your own art isn't don't it for you anymore, which means you're about to hit a breakthrough so you can meet your own taste again! At least that's what i always tell myself
Great way to look at it
I believe sam's right but I just wanted to sneak a comment lol 😂
This can apply to many skills, usually when you're at your most frustrated, that is the point where you are learning the most.
Thks to you I've one of the persons that you hate😅@@samdoesarts
Yeey. I'm going thorough that right now.🥹 a couple of months back I was so happy with what my art became. Now I feel like I lost something on the way😮
The way I audibly gasped when I saw the title
no fr 😭
same😭
SAME 😭
REAL😨😭
my reaction was just "...how???"
Bravo, Sam. Thank you for showing your humanity. Thank you for being vulnerable so that other artists can know that they are not alone.
♥
SCOTT!!😃
Worlds collide! And Sam I really appreciate that artists always see things in their own work that outsiders don’t , including myself but improving from people we admire is the best thing we can do to reignite your own appreciation for creativity. That’s why I love you guys !
Scott and Sam are definitely some of my artist role models
scott and sam, my two favs!!
We love you scott!
If Sam hates his art, we’re all cooked💀😂
(Relatable to what your feeling though)
yup
Fr what I was thinking when I saw the notification 😭
Frr. Sam didn't think of his art babies when writing that title 😢
Real
Fr ,we respect our art teacher
I have been stuck hating Every piece I work on for the past... Many many weeks.
It's hard to imagine Sam feeling the same slump. But it's somehow comforting to know that no artist is alone.
Thank you for this!
I literally screamed, "TAKE THAT BACK!" when I saw the title.
Me too
Wait this is actually so refreshing. I dislike most of my pieces. Seeing this is very validating
And I'm just here for the psychology of it. I don't understand this problem, why do you hate your art?
late but, i think we hate our art simply because we can see how much better we could be in our head. i dont remember the name of the sculptor, but there was this story about a sculptor being so hard on his pieces that most of their final pieces were very slim in consequence of him taking clay out all of the time he found a detail unsatisfying. i think in order to progress, artists still have to complete their pieces to have a final judgement and to know where to take off from there but it's still very unsatisfying most of the time and it happens that some just stay in an endless loophole of never finishing a piece because they aren't satisfied. perfectionism 101 really
I cant even describe how helpful it is to hear that some of my absolute favorite artists struggle with the exact same things i do. I've always grown frustrated with myself when i fell into a slump, and it ruined the experience of creating for me. I never want to grow to hate my passion. Thank you for the great video, sam.
I went through 6 years of being absolutely terrified of creation. I couldn’t even look at art of any form that had to do with a flat canvas. I’m better now but the lasting effects are devastating to my creation process.
Never understood that problem... It's like pressuring oneself to improve despite being great already.
I just look at my art and if I don't like it I try to identify why and then I fix it. Then again, drawing is my 3rd art, there's also music and writing. And I take breaks from each of those, they kinda rotate around, and after every break I come back to it with a new mindset.
I struggle with this but with music, I know I've improved a lot but I still can't help but lilsten to recordings from three years ago and wish I had that inspiration I used to have back then.
@@amiapsychopatso relatable.... i guess all creative people struggle with this problem at some degree 😢
7:11 "If you're not in a slump now, I hate you" I hate myself too Sam, don't worry.
No, but seriously. Artists have some of the cruelest inner voices sometimes, and as an artist myself i also am no exception. I'm the oposit of sam, i struggle with realisim and my style looks extremely stylized and cartoony so I've been trying to do realisim and breaking out of my comfort zone as well, mostly with different body types and breaking same face syndrome.
I hope you get out of your art slump soon sam.
I'm exploring realism as well! Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose 🤣 You've got this ✨
@@psalmsart ... I am going to try realism.
Some times I really forget that I'm not the only one that is plagued by this critic. Thank you for making this video
Love that your showing that no matter how skilled you are, and no matter how long you've been doing art, we ALL make art that we hate
Thank you so much, Sam. I appreciate it. Im in my lowest moment right now, hating everything about my art. I feel like i need to rethink why i draw and what i want to show. Because everything I’ve beed creating is not me at all. So hearing words of encouragement from you were really helpful for me. Thank you
I lost my creative job due to the decline in the animation industry and I've been in a slump ever since. This video was really insightful and helped tremendously to get me back on my feet. Thanks, Sam :)
the title scared me so much, i was like, “no you don’t sam!! that’s not possible!!”
Seeing the title next to his beautiful drawing really made me understand that every artist has these feelings, regardless of their skill
When I go through a period where I hate my art, I just stop drawing for a while. Sometimes my art brain needs a break and I don’t pick up a pencil until I feel inspired enough to
I noticed that when I look at an artwork of mine, I remember what I thought/felt while making it.
So, I try to have fun with all my artworks, so that when I look back on them, I’ll remember that instead of remembering how I stressed out and beat myself up over little mistakes.
It makes me like my art a lot more
"It is what it is, Man."
Literally art in one sentence. Btw, love your vids ❤
2:09 BINGO! You've hit upon the reason I have given up music after 45 years; I wasn't learning anything and thus my passion diminished. Instead I have begun to learn how to draw, as I have virtually no experience in figurative art- and I'm highly enthusiastic about it as it is a whole new world for me.
Those slumps are dangerous man. I went from art being the biggest passion in my life and doing it every day to other aspects of life just hitting me hard and not being able to do anything artistic for a few years, now im trying to get back into it and literally feel like I have lost over a decade of knowledge and experience that I had before and its making it so difficult to come back to and try to grow and be happy with anything im doing so trust, I get it.
We hope you have a speedy recovery, artist 🫡
I am really surprised that actúally a lot of artists are going through the same and it's quite inspiring knowing that you're not the only one who sucks sometimes.
I’m glad I watched this, because recently I’ve been drawing things I’m used to drawing rather than trying a dynamic pose or a side profile. I’ve been working on a piece with 7 different characters, all with different poses at different angles and it has taken me WAY too long, but most of the process has been practicing drawing arms, legs, hands, head shapes, angles, etc. But I’ve managed to get out of my comfort zone and I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out so far. It’s different from my usual pieces and it looks great, even though it’s not perfect, but I’m glad I’m improving.
I'm a sucker for pretty stuff which lead me to reading manhwa and stuff like that. Love your style and the way you make your videos. I really wish you illustrated art for manhwa or designed some characters for games.
I think that we have all greatly idealized great artists like Sam, that we do not think that they go through such difficult processes, and then we understand that we all sometimes feel trapped.
Love that you spoke about this topic! One thing I would like to add: Pay attention to who you are OUTSIDE of your art. What's the stuff you like & dislike. Especially music being a good stimulant to the type of art you produce. All these smol things add character & personality to your characters. It's helped me at times when I've been in a slump, so I hope that it helps you too ❤
To be uncomfortable is to learn discipline.
Idfk where this came from. lol, it just popped into my brain as Sam was talking about comfort zones and how he has to get uncomfortable again 😅
I couldn't relate to you more when it comes to my own art.. let's do our best together 💜
Been in a slump for bout a year now, no idea I needed to hear this as much as i did. Thanks, Sam
very inspiring Sam,
way to inspiring
Not me sobbing looking at my art after this guy's title.
I was just thinking to quit my art because on how bad I've been doing for the past week or so. But after watching this video made me realize even artist who are master at drawing can struggle sometimes. Thank you for inspiring me as you always do with your sweet words.
I relate with the struggling with stylization one. What I hate is that sometimes it's almost subconscious. Like you get a reference, you draw, and realize you made it too realistic. It almost feels like edging having to stop yourself from doing more on your work when your body is screaming to do more 😭 Also this feeling like you downgraded because u used to draw more but now you're drawing a character with a few strokes, a few shades (The art style I like is like that), it's frustrating but it's also enjoyable once you get to do them 😭♥️ Art is such a rollercoaster ride
This video actually got me to start working on things I kept telling myself I’d do but never did ! Thank you :D
Honestly, I think I really needed this type of video. For a while, I have been very stuck on my own art and not knowing what to really do with it anymore thank you! ❤
8:04 A lot of people can resonate with this I think. Honestly thanks for making this video, Sam! 👍
I actually really understand the feeling of being unsatisfied with what you made and just striving to make something you’ll like, regardless whether you like your art or not, it’s always been a huge inspiration to me and a huge part of my art growth, super comforting to know I’m not the only one ever hating on my own work, ❤
“a never ending journey of learning” is the perfect way to describe art but not only visual art, it’s the description of every type of art, whether it is making music or being professional in a martial art u will always learn. It might be hard or maybe annoying to continue learning over and over again but u can even learn to appreciate learning. It’s something I have learned not long ago but never really got to say it to anyone and the fact that Sam made a whole video about it makes me feel really happy because it’s important to know and to never give up. ❤
I love you Sam, ur an amazing creator and I hope you know you have amazing talent.
I saw someone said one time that theres two types of artists, the not improving artist that thinks its improving (doesn't look for more ways to learn new things, like new techniques or styles), and the improving artists that dont think they are growing and getting more talented with their efforts (the ones that actually works really hard and thinks that its all the same), and you actually can notice the difference in their pieces.
I feel this is so normal but also so stressful. The two extremes are bad equally. You work so hard for doing things good but you're actually blinded by your high or low standards that you actually cant see your changes or improvements.
I've seen my work and in some point there was a pretty noticeable change, but with time passing I've been feeling stuck in the same place. Not getting worse, but not improving. It makes me feel that I got no right to call myself an artist.
I hope you find your way out of this feeling, you dont know how great i feel after watching your videos, and I'm pretty sure that there's a lot more people that thinks the same. Your funny and full of needed information videos gives me so much faith in that one day i will improve has much as you have done. And it also reminds me that patience is needed to see the actual results 😅
And see this video is also so helpful cause you start understanding that you're not always gonna be 100% satisfied, but you still got to work at it and do your best.
Well, sorry for the long comment, i just felt a little identify with this video 😅😁
It really gets scary when you're about to finish a piece but you find yourself hating it and you can't figure out why 😂
its comforting to know that we all go through it in one way or another
I'm definitly in a slump with figure drawing, dynamic poses, and confidence with drawing bodies
Same
Thank you so much for this video! When you're in a slump like that, it's so easy to think you're the only one struggling and that all other artists are at 100 percent all the time, especially professionals. It's so reassuring to hear that we're not alone and that there's a way up, especially from an artist I look up to as much as you!
You inspire me so much I hope you keep making content!
Yea me too❤
it's nice to hear about struggling with stylization and not anatomy or theory etc. i also get stuck with the geometry of it all and people who can do stylized art have such energy that i get jealous of. anatomy is simple to look up, style is so vague it's a ride to study.
I struggle liking my art, so I can't wait to watch this video ❤
Don’t worry dude, your not alone. I’m in this ‘I hate my art’ stage, (except my art is way worse). I’m not learning anything from any tutorials or things I’ve tried, and I’m not really getting anywhere. But to keep going always remember that if this is happening, you’re probably really close to improving or learning something, as realising you don’t like your art is the first step towards improving.
Sam bro how can you hate something looking so amazing
This is actually super helpful man, thanks for this
When i saw the title today: what!? why sam hate's he's art?😨
I hate my art before but i learn how to love my art now...i must say artist have their back on each other🌸✨
My situation is not related to drawing but your point is really relatable and can be applied to studying Mandarin. At the start, I feel like I am making a lot of progress, learning a lot of new words. Now I feel like I am in the slump and make no progress because I only read, write or listen to something I am familiar with. I don't have a courage to take a step to read something harder because I am afraid I might disappoint myself. Now that I have watched your video, it's time for me to pull myself up again!!!
I don't like my art either, let's go team and suck together ❤
I really love the way you say: You got to punch the things you think is difficult, and learn how to draw them! Thanks for your advice, it helps a lot.😊
Had a massive slump a few months ago. Going pretty well right now. Working on a video where I find an art style right now which really helped. And I've also been reading art books on the train to work, which I think really helps too.
"Find people who inspire you". I'm looking at you right now, bro. Great video, thank you for bringing that up! p.s. That one piece with the gutarist - absolute fire, imo.
Ngl I was drawing while watching this and just looked at my art and said yeah that's sh* then tries to draw a realistic drawing w/o learning a thing.. It's still sht
Thank you - it's amazingly refreshing to hear "if you're in a slump go challenge yourself to LEARN" instead of "if you're in a slump you just have to force yourself to do more", and it's exactly the push I needed right now to go crack open the new anatomy book I got.
Take that back rn-
One thing I noticed when you, Sam, were drawing is that when you are making the rough sketch for the heads, you only use one circle for the cranium. I saw in a video just today that you can try using two. That will help your perspective for the angle of the OC and give you a good reference for the ear.
God bless you Sam =)
Samdoesartblock?
For me as someone who is young but into art for 5 years the last year or two were the most serious ones to art ,sometimes someone just doesnt like there art cause they dont take it seriously ,why dont i draw it again till its what i want .i think the main thing that makes us artists is that we never stop practising or learning thats also why i like your vids they r inspiting and i begin entering digital art days ago bcuz of u so thank you
I'm the only person who thinks he is handsome 💀👽
If samdoesart pin this comment I'll stop making thirsty arts
😏
Bowlcut lmao
I've been in the same boat for a few weeks now, so recently I've gone back to studying things that are uncomfortable to me as well. This video has certainly inspired me, thank you and good luck on your journey too!
I feel so bad that you view your art this way bc it’s the best art ever and your my favorite artist in the world and I wish I could draw like you. We all have rough days, months, or even years, but never stop doing what you do bc your amazing
Im a 3D artist. In 3D modelling there are 2 primary paths in which you can create things, 'Hard Surface Modelling' & 'Sculpting'. personally I use hard surface modelling, and i have been using this method for 4 years. recently I started a project on a character, which is rather far out of my comfort zone. The basic design of this character is a humanoid with small robotic features and silicon skin. Logically when creating a humanoid Sculpting would be the primary technique used in creation, however i modelled the entirety of the feet to neck using Hard surface modelling. Once i reached the head i tried Hard surface, 3D scanning and even grafting other heads which i had downloaded together. to no ones surprise none of these methods had worked, and i have reached the ultimate barrier of 'Learn to Sculpt' which now realising i have been avoiding since day 1.
Unfortunately I'm still incapable of Sculpting and have a lot to learn still. however i have managed to attempt to learn to sculpt, and in time i shall master it. Without said barrier, i would've never of attempted to learn at all. the moral of this comment is that to annihilate an issue you must understand how to. which seems obvious, but knowing you are good at one thing can be your undoing, as you may not accept that not every task can be solved with the same ideas, you must adapt to the difficulty which is against you.
As a young artist, I mostly feel like my art isn’t what I thought it would be. I’m proud of it and then I don’t like it. Sam is one of my art idles for rendering. His talent kinda scared me though. Especially when he showed his sketches from middle school (which is where I’m at). But seeing the title proves that nobody is perfect. Thank you Sam for sharing. Thanks for making me and possibly others feel not so alone anymore.
You are one of the artists that I admire the most and inspire me to improve my drawings, and of all the great artists that I admire, you are the Lord of Lights and Shadows. Thank you very much for your teachings and advice.👏
I am on week two of learning art a little more seriously, the cool thing about learning is you always bump into "new" things. New struggle, new concepts, new perspective. Every day it's a new thing, which also make every day a little bit novel. It is refereshing and makes me feel like when we are kids. It is all excitement and it makes me to only want to keep going.
Oh, glad to know I'm not the only one that goes through these phases lots of the time lol.
Things will work out eventually. Last week I've met some people and one of them told me "nothing good last forever, but the good part is nothing bad last forever too". Having ups and downs is part of the process. We are humans beeing who are constantly evolving. I think the most important part is beeing concious of it, so that we can work our way through it.
you're one of my biggest inspirations, so seeing that you also have ups and downs makes me feel better about this feeling
Thanks you so much. You helped all of us and you made me happpy to know that even art gods like you can feel this.Hope your struggles will be won.
I've been going through this recently. I find that rediscovering the "fun" helps. Sometimes I need to be reminded to just have fun.
I have been learning to draw for around two months now after a decade long break. I used to draw as a kid but just stopped at some point and now, in college, I finally decided it's time to learn it for real. I'm lucky as I'm still at the stage where every time I draw I learn something new and keep drawing things I'm more and more happy with. I'm sure I'll experience similar stuff as you a lot in years to come, but for now I'm just enjoying the ride and having fun leveling up my abilities!
I’ve been going through this for the past few months. I feel like I’m finally coming out of it. I always forget to study other artists and how much that helps me. I keep a journal and every day i dedicate writing an entry on of my favorite artists. Breaking down their style and pieces. It’s so helpful.
Im literally feeling this for the past days, i felt like my art is not as good as what i did before and im just spending hours and hours drawing just for it to look like something i dont like. I was literally about to cry when this video came out the same time i was drawing just earlier and feeling like 💩 and i felt like this video was meant for me...
Thanks dad❤
Wow I find it funny how all of today I had no motivation to draw and post. Even completely scraping Ideas to make my own TMNT iteration..and then I see this video. It really helped me. Thanks :)
Thank you for making this! You're 100% right, I just wanted to add a small thing i found helps me working as a freelance artist.
I have clients that expect the same style from me all the time and its a more realistic style, but Ive always felt drawn to stylistic approaches. Its been about 3 years that ive been working realistically, always feeling conflicted because I am good at realistic but really find it demotivating to not express myself in the style I want to. I realized recently that personal stylized art isnt just something i should do from time to time but is something i NEED to do in order to still feel motivated to do my freelance work. Its freeing not just being able to do art in the style i want, but also to know its just for me and no one else. I don't actually think id enjoy doing freelance in a more stylized way, I enjoy having the freedom to explore what I want to. So for any working artist out there remember to do things for only yourself sometimes, even just a 30 minute warm up before working :)
i find it hard as a beginner to like anything that i draw. positivity and seeing the flaws as ways to improve i think is a good way to go about it.
Being an artist is like being in a relationship; You fall in love in the beginning then it’s up and down because love doesn’t last forever. But everyone who makes it through those ups and downs says the same thing: that they fall in love again and again. Thats what you gotta do now. You’re about to ascend to a higher level 💯
It feels kinda nice to have someone as skilled and talented as Sam go through the same phases we all go through, I hope you end up getting out of that slump and becoming an even better artist than you already are Sam! And to anyone else out there who feels the same way, you're not alone, and you will get through this and come out of that experience better than you were before
I've been following you for a couple of years, and I feel like in the recent months you've been taking bigger risks, composition wise, harder ideas to execute. I absolutely love the new direction you're going in.
Keep trying new things, we've been noticing ! Keep up the great work ^^
Genuienly, this video came at such a good time.
I've been recovering from a 2+ month long burnout and even in the after effects of it, I've been feeling really REALLY low about my art despite people liking it.
So this video coming out like, right now, I'm taking to heart sm AAA
Great video. It doesn't just connect with new artists but people that have been around for a while as well. I still have moments where I have imposter syndrome even though I've been working in movies, animation and games for almost 20 years
man i just discovered your chanel 10 mins ago and the first thing i thought was "i wanna be like him" cuz i'm just 14 and i've always drawn but now i'm stuck whit my art, and your channel is so perfect and helpful AND you're funny so yea, i'm obsessed thanks man (when i read the tittle i sincerely choked on my coke💀)
Ive been in and out art slump for months and now that ive gotten out of it ive been feeling so good about myself, instead of taking 8+ hrs on a peice its more like 2+ hrs and ive been feeling way more motivated i hopw people can get out of their slump to cause this is the best ive felt in awhile, i hope you feel better about yourself soon sam ❤
It's things like these that help me keep pushing through. It reminds me that all the artists I look up to have been through the exact same situation as I'm in right now. This speaks to me
Bro…. Lemme just tell ya that this was kinda a perfect timing? I recently moved out of the house and live with my sister, and I kinda had this idea in my head leading up to it that “once I move out/graduate, I’ll have the time and motivation to draw everything I want and it’ll be fantastic” and of course, it hasn’t been like that. I have work now, and even though I have all this time on my hands, I just keep realizing that I feel so drained because I’ve been having what I call ‘Drawing Withdrawals’ -nothings turning out right, I’m not feeling happy or inspired by my art, and thus feel like I’m not going nowhere- and I usually try to watch a video from you or other artists before I draw to help me get in the mood, and bro. This one? Dang it really worked. I finally pinned down my inspiration that’s been floating around in my head, like finally catching a slippery bar of soap- I’m so glad you made this. I just love how you really look out for the little art babies like myself- thanks Sam TvT
honestly if the most viral artist in the world dislikes his art that really shows that everyone can be insecure yknow? i think thats kinda inspirational
Thank you, Sam. Sincerely..
It helps quite a lot mentally, to realize that we're not alone going through these phases
Hating your own art is so relatable, I've been stuck in this phase for so long... idk when I will be able to enjoy and like my art again, I will try the advices 😔 Thank you for telling us what you're going through because everyone can feel like that towards their art even the best artists !
This is my favourite video of yours. The funny part is that I'm going through the exact same thing and went through the same realisations the last month. People love my art, and always say how great it is, but i've also lacked connection. But then again, when did I sit down and look at other people's work for a study? When did I let myself get inspired by others?
So i've started putting in more rules in my work, more meaning and have been looked at what I love in my idol's art.
I've just switched to Cara and have been able to reconnect with some of my all time favorite artists, and it's been helping so far. Like you said, facing what you have trouble with is the best remedy.
For me it is always the same: the basics. Never learned them properly, and it shows. I just practice and hope one day it will be better. I have many ideas, but lack of skill limits what I can draw :
I still find it so crazy that artists I idolise also feel this way. I’m personally trying to become an artist, it’s my passion I had to stifle because of family and life restraints, so I couldn’t even get any teaching on it. I’m trying to make a go of it now but sometimes my motivation is gone, I worry all the time about every piece I try to do. But now I’m slowly starting to feel better about it since I found my wife who supports my passion and since I started watching Sam. I hope we can all get through things like this and hope Sam starts to feel better too
Sam, you do not understand amount of hope I felt and how much this video lifted me!!! I literally was having this exact issue of seemingly “forgetting” how to draw and I felt like nothing I drew sat right with me. I went on RUclips today in hopes I could find a video to help me (for the thousandth time) and here is the video sitting right in front of me! Tysm Sam ur the best and keep going pls pls!!!!!
Lmho I needed to get that out
You hit the nail right on the head!
What I've learnt years ago from Nikolas Tower is that both art skill and perception are sinusoids but they're a little offset one from another. So sometimes the perception catches up with our skill and that's when we feel like everything we make sucks; and the best way to combat it is to experiment and study and learn :)
I'm loving this more recent movement of the pros being real with their struggles.
I love Sam, he’s always so honest, and it only grows my respect for him.
I personally like to draw more realistically, but all of this is still relatable.
Thank you, Sam.
The one thing that made me level up like crazy was to drop my tablet (like, figuratively, not actually... That would be a costly drop), and get back to good old paper and ink. Not pencil, straight up INK ! No rehearsal, no sketching, no searching, sculpting and ctrl+Z'ing my way through the search... just straight up go for the jugular in one stroke, sink or swim style.
At best, you come up with an incredible piece you're instantly proud of in a matter of minutes, at worst, you just wasted a sheet of paper, rinse and repeat until you get there.
I promise you, this is a well needed creative reset to your brain when you've been stuck on tablet and ctrl+Z for too long.
I literally have just been talking to my wife about how I felt in a creative slump and had fallen out of love with my art. Then you post this video almost by magic and give me the impetus to shake the slump and learn! Thank you Sam you are an awesome artist and a genuine guy!
This is a good one to constantly learn and practice from others. The lows make us working harder to get to the top. Sometimes they suck but it’s part of it
Thank you for sharing. I've learned to show my work to other people because I've learned that some of the pieces of work that I do which I am not happy with or think is 'bad' (relatively speaking) are the pieces that many people think are my better pieces. Even though it doesn't change my mind of the piece that I did, I do ask questions of what they liked about the piece and what they didn't like in order to learn what it is that makes them think the piece is better than the pieces of art that I've done which I think are better pieces. I've learned alot about my own drawings, style of drawing, my weaknesses and strengths, and what others see in my pieces. It has helped me to grow more confident even if I don't think a piece is worth the time spent....there is aways something to learn.