this is going to be long, but i would like to add some own experience as i am currently trying to alter my mindset with actual active effort in order to finally pick up art again after frustration-based avoidance for nearly four years (i've picked up near daily gesture drawing again last week which is a huge step). i'm speaking from the perspective of someone who 1. suffers from proper perfectionism and 2. has a very strong suspicion for, if yet undiagnosed, some level of ADHD. if "anything creative i touch must be perfect right away, else what's even the point" sounds familiar or you just struggle with your own expectations, i wanna share some words. i wanna preface this by telling where my approach comes from. i got out of a year long depression through therapy a while back, in which i was taught (among a lot of other strategies ofc) how thoughts, actions and emotions influence each other, and how thoughts are often the easiest of these three to proactively influence and exert control over. i know it sounds a bit like "if you're depressed just don't be", but it was achieved by rewiring my thinking patterns and the way i perceive and describe things that happen to me. this is kinda the principle by which i go about slowly correcting the way i feel about my art. this strategy helped me to get out of depression, and i've seen improvement in my relationship to drawing and my own art. 1. my first point sounds pretty lame because it's "don't be so harsh with yourself" which we've all heard a million times. but instead of just hearing it, try to really engage with what that means. "99% of artists came from zero skill and the art we see of them is their best work", "you aren't bad, you are just at that point of your journey - any better artist has been where you are right now", "high expectations set you up to fail; you wouldn't expect yourself to do 2m high jump if you're still working on your technique", "perfect is the enemy of finished", "this person is so good, it must have taken them a ton of hard work and study to get there, which means i can get there too because i have the ability to work on my own skills" - these are legit thoughts i am marinating my brain in zo really massage it in. it's not so much about just memorizing these thougths, but to accept them as reality which will soften how we look at our own art. before i start gesture drawing, i meditate for a minute on "it's okay if it's not to your expectations, because you are doing practise right now in order to get there, and doing something gets you there faster than doing nothing". 2. if it hurts you to see art that's better than yours, stop looking at it. i am not joking, this was the first step to my recovery. for as long as i haven't "fixed" my mindset, it's better for me to not look at other people's art too much, because it leads me down rabbitholes of comparison and envy which was really stalling and demotivating me to a devastating degree for a long time. 3. this is one i am still struggling with myself: try to learn how to appreciate the process and how to make the process feel like the most rewarding part of drawing a piece. chasing fame online will lead to stress and again, expectations. i think art shouldn't and can't be rated by how big the numbers online are. i personally see the end result and my friends' reactions as my reward, which meant that over time, while my friends' reactions never changed, my own reaction to the result did. so eventually i dreaded even starting because i knew i would not be happy with the result. which is such an evil catch22: not feeling good enough -> not starting in order to not fail -> not learning anything -> not improving -> not feeling good enough. i thought back to the days where i would draw for hours on end with no such thoughts and realized that back then i drew unburdened by all the knowledge of composition, color theory, anatomy, silhouette, gesture etc etc. i began my art journey because i wanted to express ideas in my head and bring them to life, bring characters i made up to life, and just seeing it slowly manifest on paper was so exciting. i am trying to reconnect with this mindset and joy and marry it with the knowledge without letting the latter stall my process. 4. this one could be helpful for many, but it's mostly something for the ADHD crowd, cause ADHD finds new things really exciting and can get really obsessed with it short term but also get tired of it pretty quickly: switch between your mediums. i am a mostly digital artist, but it was really a great feeling to draw on paper again after such a long time, and at the start of my recovery too. try out watercolors, guache, oilpaints, sculpting with clay, use coal, or a biro, or a white pencil on black paper, get a scratch board, go outside and sketch what you see; or digitally: don't make a sketch and try to only paint or vice versa, draw something you never draw, restrict your color palette, try setting a time limit, get chat gpt to give you a prompt. when art becomes a slog, trying to mix up what you draw or what medium you use can really make it exciting again. 5. if you haven't heard this before, there is a relationship between how well your eye can process and analyze what you see, and how well your hand can reproduce what your eye has analyzed. these two will always outdo each other for a time in alterating phases. sometimes your eye is better than your hand for a while, which are phases where art may feel more difficult, you feel like you have regressed or are stagnating - and then for a while your hand will be better than your eye, and you feel really pleased with your art. when your eye is better, it means you have become better at analyzing what you see, which is progress, and when your hand is better it means you have learned to actually replicate what you analyzed, which is also progress!! so even if it feels like an up and down, it actually means you are steadily learning and are just witnessing the symptoms of that.
Thanks for sharing your journey and insights! Your approach to mindset alteration and the idea of engaging deeply with self-compassion resonate strongly. It's especially impactful how you emphasize the importance of appreciating the process over the end result, and the creative liberation found in varying mediums. These are valuable perspectives for any artist struggling with perfectionism and self-doubt. Keep exploring and sharing your experiences!
Thank you for the tips! I definitely try to compare my artwork to past things I've created rather than to other people so I can see how I've progressed. I also love the phrase 'it's ok to make bad art' to stop me getting too hung up on getting something perfect. I love the sketch you created in the video - what procreate brush did you use? Thanks! Sarah
Thank you for your kind words, Sarah 😊 I'm thrilled to hear you're focusing on personal progress and embracing the journey with your art. Remember, every piece you create, 'perfect' or not, is a step forward in your artistic path. Regarding the sketch in the video, I used brush #13 from my custom Sketching Brush Set. You can find it on my website artsideoflife.com/sketching-procreate-brush-set/ It's one of my go-to brushes for sketching. Keep exploring and creating! 💫🎨
This is a really great video Iva! You’ve provided some very good points about building a sustainable art practice. We are all different and social media doesn’t take that into consideration, which can make us feel like we aren’t keeping up. Thank you for sharing ❤
Thank you so much for your kind words! You're absolutely right - everyone's art journey is unique, and it's essential not to let social media dictate our self-worth or pace. It's all about finding what works for you and nurturing your creative spirit. Keep embracing your individuality in your art practice! 🌟🎨❤️
Thank you Iva! That's exactly what I've been doing recently and I'm open about it when I post on Instagram and more recently in my newsletter on Substack. I think more artists, like yourself, have realised we have to nurture our creativity if we are to sustain our journey.
For tips on how to get work as an artist, check out my interviews I've done with professional artists. You will find them on my website artsideoflife.com/interviews/ Enjoy!
![MISSING: SLIM SHADY [Expanded Mourner’s Edition Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xh8qgHrOO1g/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you so much Iva, I needed that. Great advice!
Glad it was helpful! 😊
oh my goodness, your artwork is amazing! thank you for all the tips. I subscribed.
Thank you 🤗 Glad the tips are helpful ❤️
this is going to be long, but i would like to add some own experience as i am currently trying to alter my mindset with actual active effort in order to finally pick up art again after frustration-based avoidance for nearly four years (i've picked up near daily gesture drawing again last week which is a huge step). i'm speaking from the perspective of someone who 1. suffers from proper perfectionism and 2. has a very strong suspicion for, if yet undiagnosed, some level of ADHD. if "anything creative i touch must be perfect right away, else what's even the point" sounds familiar or you just struggle with your own expectations, i wanna share some words.
i wanna preface this by telling where my approach comes from. i got out of a year long depression through therapy a while back, in which i was taught (among a lot of other strategies ofc) how thoughts, actions and emotions influence each other, and how thoughts are often the easiest of these three to proactively influence and exert control over. i know it sounds a bit like "if you're depressed just don't be", but it was achieved by rewiring my thinking patterns and the way i perceive and describe things that happen to me. this is kinda the principle by which i go about slowly correcting the way i feel about my art. this strategy helped me to get out of depression, and i've seen improvement in my relationship to drawing and my own art.
1. my first point sounds pretty lame because it's "don't be so harsh with yourself" which we've all heard a million times. but instead of just hearing it, try to really engage with what that means. "99% of artists came from zero skill and the art we see of them is their best work", "you aren't bad, you are just at that point of your journey - any better artist has been where you are right now", "high expectations set you up to fail; you wouldn't expect yourself to do 2m high jump if you're still working on your technique", "perfect is the enemy of finished", "this person is so good, it must have taken them a ton of hard work and study to get there, which means i can get there too because i have the ability to work on my own skills" - these are legit thoughts i am marinating my brain in zo really massage it in. it's not so much about just memorizing these thougths, but to accept them as reality which will soften how we look at our own art. before i start gesture drawing, i meditate for a minute on "it's okay if it's not to your expectations, because you are doing practise right now in order to get there, and doing something gets you there faster than doing nothing".
2. if it hurts you to see art that's better than yours, stop looking at it. i am not joking, this was the first step to my recovery. for as long as i haven't "fixed" my mindset, it's better for me to not look at other people's art too much, because it leads me down rabbitholes of comparison and envy which was really stalling and demotivating me to a devastating degree for a long time.
3. this is one i am still struggling with myself: try to learn how to appreciate the process and how to make the process feel like the most rewarding part of drawing a piece. chasing fame online will lead to stress and again, expectations. i think art shouldn't and can't be rated by how big the numbers online are. i personally see the end result and my friends' reactions as my reward, which meant that over time, while my friends' reactions never changed, my own reaction to the result did. so eventually i dreaded even starting because i knew i would not be happy with the result. which is such an evil catch22: not feeling good enough -> not starting in order to not fail -> not learning anything -> not improving -> not feeling good enough. i thought back to the days where i would draw for hours on end with no such thoughts and realized that back then i drew unburdened by all the knowledge of composition, color theory, anatomy, silhouette, gesture etc etc. i began my art journey because i wanted to express ideas in my head and bring them to life, bring characters i made up to life, and just seeing it slowly manifest on paper was so exciting. i am trying to reconnect with this mindset and joy and marry it with the knowledge without letting the latter stall my process.
4. this one could be helpful for many, but it's mostly something for the ADHD crowd, cause ADHD finds new things really exciting and can get really obsessed with it short term but also get tired of it pretty quickly: switch between your mediums. i am a mostly digital artist, but it was really a great feeling to draw on paper again after such a long time, and at the start of my recovery too. try out watercolors, guache, oilpaints, sculpting with clay, use coal, or a biro, or a white pencil on black paper, get a scratch board, go outside and sketch what you see; or digitally: don't make a sketch and try to only paint or vice versa, draw something you never draw, restrict your color palette, try setting a time limit, get chat gpt to give you a prompt. when art becomes a slog, trying to mix up what you draw or what medium you use can really make it exciting again.
5. if you haven't heard this before, there is a relationship between how well your eye can process and analyze what you see, and how well your hand can reproduce what your eye has analyzed. these two will always outdo each other for a time in alterating phases. sometimes your eye is better than your hand for a while, which are phases where art may feel more difficult, you feel like you have regressed or are stagnating - and then for a while your hand will be better than your eye, and you feel really pleased with your art. when your eye is better, it means you have become better at analyzing what you see, which is progress, and when your hand is better it means you have learned to actually replicate what you analyzed, which is also progress!! so even if it feels like an up and down, it actually means you are steadily learning and are just witnessing the symptoms of that.
Thanks for sharing your journey and insights! Your approach to mindset alteration and the idea of engaging deeply with self-compassion resonate strongly. It's especially impactful how you emphasize the importance of appreciating the process over the end result, and the creative liberation found in varying mediums. These are valuable perspectives for any artist struggling with perfectionism and self-doubt. Keep exploring and sharing your experiences!
❤ your great, and inspiration ☺️ to many artists.
Thank you so much 😊 Happy that you enjoyed the video
Thank you for the tips! I definitely try to compare my artwork to past things I've created rather than to other people so I can see how I've progressed. I also love the phrase 'it's ok to make bad art' to stop me getting too hung up on getting something perfect. I love the sketch you created in the video - what procreate brush did you use? Thanks! Sarah
Thank you for your kind words, Sarah 😊 I'm thrilled to hear you're focusing on personal progress and embracing the journey with your art. Remember, every piece you create, 'perfect' or not, is a step forward in your artistic path. Regarding the sketch in the video, I used brush #13 from my custom Sketching Brush Set. You can find it on my website artsideoflife.com/sketching-procreate-brush-set/ It's one of my go-to brushes for sketching. Keep exploring and creating! 💫🎨
Beautiful 👍🙏
Thank you ☺️
This is a really great video Iva! You’ve provided some very good points about building a sustainable art practice. We are all different and social media doesn’t take that into consideration, which can make us feel like we aren’t keeping up. Thank you for sharing ❤
Thank you so much for your kind words! You're absolutely right - everyone's art journey is unique, and it's essential not to let social media dictate our self-worth or pace. It's all about finding what works for you and nurturing your creative spirit. Keep embracing your individuality in your art practice! 🌟🎨❤️
Thank you Iva! That's exactly what I've been doing recently and I'm open about it when I post on Instagram and more recently in my newsletter on Substack. I think more artists, like yourself, have realised we have to nurture our creativity if we are to sustain our journey.
how to get work?
For tips on how to get work as an artist, check out my interviews I've done with professional artists. You will find them on my website artsideoflife.com/interviews/ Enjoy!
@@artsideoflife thank you. Let me watch