Ever since I discovered Adam's channel, I've always thought that he is the Uncle Iroh of art. Thank you Adam for always being there for your fellow artists, whether they're just starting out or even if they're professionals. Thank you Adam 💙💙💙
I woke up today feeling like I had failed and screwing up everything I touched (art wise). I finally personally said, "ENOUGH. I hate being an artist!" So I went into the kitchen and cleaned my stove. While I was cleaning I found myself wondering if Adam Duff has ever gone through this? Sure enough you put out this video. THANK YOU! Today I really needed this. BTW I'm 67.
I just turned 26 and I really felt that. I just graduated and I still don't feel skilled enough to make a living of my art. I get some commission, but it is nowhere near enough to live from. It gives me so much anxiety, because it feels like I should have figured it out by now. Now that I am done with school. It's good to hear that this is not true.
I don't have any artist friends where I could talk about stuff like this so it feels really isolating. I love my non artists friends and family but it's not the same I don't know how to explain it. Your video is really reassuring to hear, thank you.
Recently, I sold out of all of my product for the first time. Everyone was celebrating me and congratulating me but to me it was terrifying. Now I would have to wait, and make new things, restock, take commissions. It's happening! My career it Taking off but oh my gods I'm not buckled in. It sucks. I'm so happy but man I have a lot of work to do now. I have to battle my depression, work a day job, do my commissions, and all of while still going to vend at art festivals. But, if I'm being honest. I don't want anything else. I'll take this shit over a 9 to 5 any day. Keep your head up folks
what an amazing channel. At 25 I left construction to go study music, graduated with a master degree in film scoring without ever having studied music before. Finding our voice takes times and its perfectly fine. Thank you for this this is an amazing talk.
"she praised him too much and gave him false hopes" broke my heart right through. because here you are, doing what you love and need to do, even when it fucking sucks. we talk all day about encouraging people to follow dreams, that anyone can make it if they grind enough, and then as soon as someone is grinding for the love of the game, it's that they've got their head in the clouds. i was also a kid who got endless praise and encouragement from not just my parents, but lots of adults in my life, and somehow i'm experiencing the same "going through it" that everyone else is. but i am also, for the first time in ten years, working on a project *i* want to work on with more passion and excitement--regardless of how hard the work is. it hasn't magically cured me of the ache and exhaustion we're all feeling, but it's helped me feel like i've got a direction to try at least. i know you said nothing here was particularly brave or unscriptedly vulnerable, but it felt like you were verbalizing my heart and head the entire video through. thank you. thank you for putting a voice to this feeling.
It's helpful to hear this stuff. Our social media driven world is causing ADD and other issues among the masses. It's ok to be human, although that's getting much more difficult and unacceptable these days. There's no magic answers in life and there's no one roadmap that fits everyone. I'm not young and I'm on my 3rd or 4th career change in life. It's not about being late, behind, or comparing yourself to others. As many have said before, the only person you should care about comparing yourself to is your past self. You're allowed to grow, change, and explore. Measure your success by your happiness and well being. If either is at a low level then you're doing it wrong.
There is so much value to these types of videos, but it’s so much harder to search for than, let’s say, “anatomy tutorial” or whatever. I am thankful for this channel being a place to come to when in the mood to feel understood and reflect a bit.
24:23. These interactions make it all worth it. I've done a few shows this year and one woman who bought a print offered to pose for one of my figure paintings, saying "it would be an honor." More recently, a full-time figure model reached out. She said she loves my work and wanted to collab. I've followed her for awhile, but haven't been able to join her classes. And she has hundreds of artists that draw her, so the fact that she wanted to be a part of my work felt special. And, perhaps the biggest moment this year was when my brother had me do a commission for his gf's birthday, using a photo of them together as the reference. The text he sent me when he gave it to her said, "She teared up, and said it was the best gift she's ever gotten. She wanted me to thank you and let you know how perfect it was." Even though I'm not profiting yet, these moments keep me going and let me know I'm on my way.
After listening to this talk, it made me realize that many of your art talks matches the tone in your paintings. It has a dark and ugly side but there is beauty and bliss. about it as well.
Adam didn't even know he help so much beginner artists, like me 🙏 dealing with this art depression and so much doubt and compere our self but we have to keep going it's sucks yes, but it's okay don't give up, be patient and keep going guys
As an artist sometimes I feel like I haven't done anything except drawings, burnout and art block, perfectionism to draw better it all make you question your choices in life about being an artist. Is art enough for me ? Am I skilled enough to sell my art or share my art with the world? Will the world even care? Every time I tell someone I'm an artist it's they give me that look, the look that says you're gonna strave to death or it's no career ? You should mange a real job. A respectful careers not to draw around. It's stupid how it makes you feel small and question yourself. So Recently I decided and started to post videos and hopefully create a safe space for all artist support each other. Thank you Adam you're like my god fairy father who I didn't have nor other Artists had, you're such a inspiration artist and I hope I can be voice like you in the future I'm working towards this goal ❤️❤️❤️
Yeah, the struggle as an artist is real... I thought a couple of times to just live stream regularly and show people what I do. But it just doesn't work, because I can't work on my stuff, and entertain people knowing there's a camera pointed at me for a few hours. I realized it's hard to be yourself, but if you don't show yourself people lose interest. The engagement on posts usually shows how much people care about an artist. It's hard to produce art and make people to engage and then just see that nothing I do sticks. Your videos help, but sadly not for long. After a week or so things go back to that "bad feeling of being just an other artist". But I guess that's how it is.
I totally get you, I have tought about this and I believe our main problem is that we compare ourselves too much to others, I think true joy of being an artist is when you do art for yourself instead of 'for others" (as in, constantly thinking what others might think of it, if it's good enough etc). This mindset is quite dificult to achieve when you want to have a professional carreer in art since it's competitive, you're somewhat forced to compare youself to a certain standard Personally I notice when I just make art for me, I truly feel fulfilled and totally in my element, but once I make something that should be "portfolio worthy" i get anxious and start to procrastinate or lose joy in doing it, sometimes it also does the complete opposite and I get actually motivated though.
@@maiskorrel I think artists also have to deal with this impossible dichotomy between themselves and the necessity of the audience. I would hate making art souly for myself (with no intention of ever sharing it with anyone). Creating a piece of art just to put it in a closet never to be seen again after my 10 minutes of admiration feels just as sad as only creating art for other to chase polularity. Somewhere between these two extremes there is creating art that is for you that you also want to share with the world and it actually gets recieved well at all. That is what we are all trying to hit. Inherent in creativity is this yearning to share it with other humans, at least for me.
@@blender-os1641 I create art for myself. I enjoy the creative process and enjoy the results. I like to see my incremental improvement. Having an audience has no weight to me because it makes me happy. Once you get to this point you can create for creation's sake. If people love your work it's a bonus. Don't get trapped in narcissism.
Hi Adam, thank you for validating our feelings. Yes. Radical acceptance is better than denial as long as we keep committing to creating and evolving as artists. We are not trees so we’re not literally stuck. 😂 Thank you and I’m taking a break from painting so this new video is a surprise. Shoutout from a fella Montrealer! 🍀😃🇨🇦✨
Me, at 0:40 with my headphones on, just getting lost in figure drawing practise... looking up to the screen, smiling, feeling understood :) Thank you Adam!
The only thing that is really grinding my gears is people cheating with AI art. I can accept being used as a tool. But there is more abusers out there. That pisses me off. I came to peace that there is always going to be someone better than me. Its just a fact and I live with it. Its really up to us to improve our skill. I would rather do it with honer without the need to cheat.
AI’s biggest weakness is that it can’t tell stories with art (yet). The truth is, we have an oversaturation of beautiful art that’s just there to be beautiful.
Never thought I would see a Vietnamese folklore creature anywhere else other than from some native artists... In the other hand I really feel like a failure today, sometimes I was stuck and being suck for not able to adapt some artstyle for the projects, struggled a whole day to finish a job while others people in the team has done x3 x4 times I do...
There are so many things I have to say about this video, so many things I wish I could write, but in the end, all I'm gonna say is: thank you. "Everything will be alright" is a really powerful thing to hear from a fellow, more experienced artist and human being.
Thanks for another great chat Adam. I’m currently 34 & definitely feel behind in life; I’ve always been a late starter & only discovered concept art in the last year or so, and realised after covid & a brutal heartbreak during that time, that life is too short & I’m going to pursue a life & career as a professional artist. I always had some natural talent for drawing so I decided to lean into it finally. I’ve started late but I’m determined; been training 2-3 hrs every day after work for the last year, and will likely take a mentorship with you sometime next year. Your videos & talks really help, especially listening while studying. Thanks again 🤝🏻
Our stories sound incredibly similar. I wish you well man! I'm in the last year of my twenties and I'm leaning into game design after the tumultuous heartbreaking last years of my life. I'm quite the late bloomer myself but hey! In many ways we're in it together :) Good luck out there, man! Keep on keeping on!
How can the topic of this video be so relatable and out in the perfect time ? I just moved out of my parents' house for college and I'm very far away from home, from friends, from all I've ever known. And honestly my college and their people are sh*t :/ So I'm just alone with my thoughts all day and losing hope and feeling stuck. I started having some really dark thoughts even when I thought I had overtaken them years ago... And then boom, another of your video ! I can't tell you enough how it comforted me, how healing it was knowing I'm not alone in this situation and it's possible to get out of the cycle. I really cannot express it. But know it was impactful (like- reaaally). Anyway I've been meaning to comment for a while now and here I am :) Thank you for your videos, you're amazing :D💛 (PS : sorry for bad english btw, i'm not native and i have two braincells-)
Every now and then I come across some very helpful art tutorials, but your videos are the only ones that never fail to actually help me draw. Thank you Adam.
Damn this speak was strong!! So honest and even a little bit angry. I think that apart of your carreer you save lifes Adam. Your words heals! Thanks again Adam! Merci.
That moment Adam says "... BRUH" I just bursted cry laughing. That BRUH moment just broke a dam inside for some reason :) no kidding... I needed this... Coincidentally I had just a shitty day, feeling like my art is going nowhere 'cause it wants to go everywhere and it just feels so goddamn stressful. That I'm 26 and I feel like I'm going nowhere and that I'm getting old... Hearing from someone who knows that it is ok felt so reassuring...
This is my first video of yours- This shit DOES suck! Most days I pick up my pencil intending to draw, look at it, and go "Why?" because I get most of my satisfaction from seeing people light up while looking at this silly little thing I poured thoughts and tears and memories into and decided to call 'art." But I've become the only person who sees my work, I'm the only one who knows how many perfectionism tears were shed over it, and it doesn't serve a purpose to me, it just hangs on my walls as a reminder of how I failed to sell it to a loving home. After so many failed sales, ghosted commissioners, ambivalent reactions, I feel like I'm just shoving my art into the void. And so many people on this platform make me feel like I'm not marketing myself well, not working hard enough, not hustling like they do. I SHOULD be doing more, SHOULD be working harder, SHOULD be disappointed in myself because this shit is simple! But it's not... simple. At all. It sucks. Thank you for being so honest. Being an artist is lonely, but I feel a little less alone now.
Sometimes you are like the Alan Watts of art and creative youtube stuffs. Don't always agree with you but you are comforting to listen to and have interesting and deep things to say
Adam, no matter how big you get on RUclips, the thing I respect most about you is that you bring people in 1 on 1 and invest into THEM rather than ONLY speaking to the masses. Artists need to be invested in--- people need to be invested in at an individual level. It is very sad that so many feel overwhelmingly lost and purposeless. Emotional attachment to performance is a whole other thing, but you touched on a lot of topics that go deeper than art. I appreciate you, your insight, and your candidness.
Yes to all of this, and I did the exact same thing around the same time frame on Russell Brand. For those very same reasons. I just turned 39, with 4 kids, and I'm still trying to navigate myself towards professional work. So many failures, setbacks, jobs, family trauma, and everything inbetween have made this journey a testament to patience and discipline. And I definitely understand not having that one person to talk to about these trials, so thank you for sharing all of this, it is absolutely invaluable.
You have no idea how much all of these kind of videos are valuable to me, Adam. I'm so grateful you're making them and that I found your channel. I can't name another channel like yours that give these real, down to earth advices.
Love it, man. I remember being 25 and stressing out that I wasn't more 'accomplished' as an artist at that point. Now, at 50, I can only look back and laugh at how I ran around wasting time worrying about such things, and how hard I was on myself. I only hope my kids won't feel such pressures, but I guess everyone goes through it to a point.
as a 21 year old turning 22, you have no idea how much I needed to hear this. I expected myself to be successful already, have everything figured out and ahead of the game. I dread my birthdays because it reminds me that I haven't achieved my idealized self. But that's my idealization. Realistically, it doesn't work that way. I just needed to hear someone say its okay to not have everything figured out, sometimes it takes time and things will be okay. Thank you
I really needed this and I'm sure many others did. I graduated with a degree in illustration 2 months ago and haven't had any luck finding any jobs. Been really stressed feeling like I NEED money right fucking now because I'm 24 and so many people my age that I know have had jobs for years. It's been really killing my mental health every day more and more and some personal life problems adding on top of it. So hearing someone like you say "who the fuck knows what they're supposed to be doing by 25" felt like a bit of a relief.
I’ve always made art ever since I was a kid, yet often fluctuating between not very good to busting out something that surprises me. I also used to work as a designer - no official schooling just some people who believed in me and I blossomed. But due to childhood trauma catching up to me, I had to leave for mental health reasons, and because they were overloading me with work because I would just find solutions to almost any problem they needed and could do almost anything in their business too (restaurant, gambling stuff, etc.). I was too much of a jack of all trades. And I crashed. Couldn’t put my foot down enough to say no I can’t do this, plus my trauma symptoms were increasing more and more. And now I’m 26 and I’ve been unemployed on and off for a year, trying to work stuff out. I’ve been trying to get back into art, but I’m also pregnant and moving and have depression on top of it all. There are some good things, like I am excited for this baby, but the hormones are insane. And all I want is to create, design, decorate my house, and I feel so blocked from all of that right now it’s too much. And the people around me don’t understand these feelings, as much as they try and be supportive I think it just seems silly to them in a way. I just feel like I’m always going to be a failure and always struggling to be something, someone. Just when I start to figure myself out everything changes and it’s so frustrating. It’s like there’s never any consistency or stability even within myself. So, thank you Adam, really, I’m feeling a bit more understood after this video ❤️
The reason why I got into art personally, was because of this struggle, I saw my whole life crumble in front of me, and I needed something to give myself at that moment, and at that moment that was drawing. I am still quite new to it, only has been two years, but I have always noticed the improvement from each piece prior, and I can't imagine stopping anytime soon. Thank you for this video
Well, after two years of fighting against divorce, I’m starting from nothing again as a 30 year old. All I have is my dog and my art and I am so thankful for what I do have left. You always somehow seem to put a pep talk out when I need some guidance and support. Know that without your videos, I would’ve never gone back to school, taught myself how to draw, and reminded me to believe in myself. Thank you Adam, I might not have been around anymore without the videos you put out. Not gonna say it was all you, Marco bucci is in there too, as well as many others, but you’ve always chose to tackle issues directly and with compassion. I hope those of us who needed the talks can make it up to you some day but I wanted to be real and say I’m very grateful.
Man, um i found your channel a few days ago and you've become a giant inspiration immediately. I have been dealing with some personal stuff and you have kind of opened my eyes, which i really needed. So thank you a lot for making these videos. And thank you so much for being here.
when you said who tf knows what theyre doing when theyre 22, youre just fresh out of school/who put it in your head that you have to be established when you havent even given yourself the chance to try first - i just started crying. i am right out of uni with my bfa bc all i knew was loving art and wanting to make it my life and in my first 3 months after graduating and only getting application rejections i felt like ive made a mistake but i dont want to blame myself and beat myself up for chasing after something that just makes me happy. thank you for this. i just want to keep trying
Thank you for be here for us now when we need what you needed. You helped me a lot from a really hard situation in my own head when I thought I'm gonna die and I can't do this anymore. Thank you Adam. You're doing great job ans it works.
After hearing out Im more patient and motivated. Candid spits of true, that the way I feel now and your words resonate with me well, the thing, that somone had been there where Im now, reassuring me and keeps me still to do art Great bow to you !
Thanks for this, I wish I had heard it 20 years ago when I was starting out. When everyone around you seems to be doing so much better and all you are doing is fighting to get someone to look at your work, It is reassuring to hear true honesty within the community that our ups and downs in life and careers as artists and designers aren't so different. Somewhere along the lines of being a professional artist/designer I got so obsessed with being successful that i forgot why I was doing it in the first place. After a long arduous road in the industry I am finally at a place where I create just for myself and have been able to enjoy creating just for the process alone, no clients, no likes, no competition just me and my imagination. Your art talks help me to summerise my own experiences, even in retrospect, so thanks again.
Thank you so much for that. You got a new subscriber. I recently came to the realization that I no longer enjoy or want to continue being a pretentious “too cool for school” artist type. I recently met an artist who was so down to earth and real that I felt like a fraud and I don’t enjoy being like that anymore. I’m also too old to care about being in a f***ing popularity contest.
One of the hardest things I have had to come to terms with is that many of the people I looked up to when I was younger just aren't very nice people. They bully and belittle their students and work in an entirely toxic mindset because they believe, for one reason or another, that's the best way to survive in this industry. Some of them turned out to be bullies- some of them turned out to be sexual predators, to which I am the perfect demographic. Quite frankly, it terrifies me. We are told that we should sacrifice our friends, our health and our life to get to the level that those people are at, but I think I'm finally starting to realize that I do not want to be those people. Thank you Adam for your thoughts and your experience- it's heartwarming to be reminded that there are good people in this industry and there is a way to be happy without being the best in the world.
I just genuinely don’t understand how artists like RJ Palmer, Greg Rutkowski, Artgerm are able to draw anything right now. And many more. And I don’t hear much resistance from the voices in the social medias, these artists take a huge mental health toll right now. I know they have jobs they are committed to and that’s what probably keep them going but I just can’t fathom the frustration they must be feeling when your art being torn apart like that just to keep feeding a machine that goes against you, for a profit of a unethical company that hides behind an “Ai” label. I struggle so much right now sticking to art and genuinely afraid to share my art online, I also know it doesn’t go anywhere but I wish just we had better rights. I’m tired of these companies selling our data to create their own databases to race for power and you can’t even opt out if you wanted to.
Yeah, that shit keeps me up at night. It’s super unethical. They always argue it’s the same as a person learns but that’s really a oversimplification if I ever saw it. It’s so depressing, that style is someone else’s soul, essentially. But most just distill it to a product.
Honestly, I was gonna click off this video after a few mins cause of the piano & how it ironically comes off not genuine. As well as thinking it's being anything helpful but just some basic inspo crap BUUUT wow as someone who has autoimmune issues and is a artist in their early 20's that feels like a complete waste of space cause I'm in that shitty spot, This was really helpful and something I needed to here. Thank you so much for posting this c:
I hope you read your comments because I really want you to know that I really appreciate your videos and it's just what I have been needing to hear. I am a photographer and I discovered your channel 2 days ago. I have been listening to you while I edit. Thank you for all your words, because I started my photography after 40 and I feel so lost sometimes. Love your honesty and your voice calms my anxiety down :)
I can assure you, you're that voice to a 23 year old who just graduated and who is terrified to move forward. I was able to feel emotions and draw today because of this video. Thank you.
Hey Adam, Your channel has been Godsent to me. So many of us who are in the industry or trying to get into, have been craving for knowledge and guidance and you're doing that beautifully. Thank You!
Discovered your videos a week ago, been watching a video or two a day since. This one really hit close to home though, didn't expect to be tearing up but here we are. It's kind of uncanny how you feel like me plus 10-15 years. It's good to know that this all eventually leads somewhere. Thank you for sharing.
I truly am thankful for this, I asked myself if it wasn’t perhaps too late (given financial difficulties), it’s comforting to know others went through the same plight and maddening simul how this is just how we get treated despite being the source of the entire entertaining industry… but in a way we all knew this when we chose to allow us to fall in love with being an artist
Man I love you so much, I love your attitude and simplicity and of course I just love your dark fantasy art, I'm so agreeing with you about that we can all can learn to be human to one another and be more humble and even if critics at times, but still do that with a soft smile and cheering others to be better
It's hard to understand people, honestly...you or should I say your videos, make me feel something strange, when I used to watch "gaming influencer number 13813901" 8 years ago, it was like I was watching a celebrity. They were so bombastic and had such personality, they were trying to stand out, but you sir, you are talking to us like we are best friends, your tone is that of a close family member, you talk so sincere with your words and no matter what, no matter what happens with my art, like I did with other people that were important to me, I will keep following, I will keep watching and I will keep learning from you, thank you.
Its always nice to hear people talk about how being 25 is not far along in life. I've only just started my art journey never having done any kind of art prior. I constantly feel like its too late and I'm walking a doomed path. But being told it isn't, is very comforting
I just stumbled across this channel today but, love you too, man. I struggle a lot with the way propriety, social acceptability, and fear result in people just pretending everything is mild and smooth and simple and that everything’s JUST FINE with them. When it’s not. It would be easier to go out into the world if people were honest, if you didn’t feel like you have to pretend that you’re so whole and tempered and functional as a human being, if you could just share the muddy complexity that it really is. How much easier it would be not to become bitter and mean about others if you shared in your common humanity rather than hiding it. It just seems to all be one huge game we’re all playing, where people play the characters that make them feel safest, and turn against each other left, right and centre. But hey, in spite of that being the way things are, I endeavour more and more to try to break down the barriers when I can; to connect. Thank you so much for talking as yourself here
I’m an independent electronic music artist ,and i do 3D sometimes, and your story it just feels like the voice i needed to hear,this really ease the pain, thank you so so much Adam For being open and sincere ,we are all regular human being trying our best every single day I my self sometime i wanna go in my channel and say things to be able to provide a relief for others who go through the same thing ,but i find it difficult for me to set down and organize all these thoughts that comes and say it, what you doing is really matters for alot of people
I've never had the experiences you mentioned, such as being in a relationship (serious or not), having a "good" job or simply working in a respected industry, being in charge of anything important. I'm 25 and never went for those things, but it's hard af to not feel inferior to basically every other person, while trekking forward anyway. You validate everything I ever felt with your talks. Doubt, depression, being ok with not striving to be the jesus fcing christ of anything. Just trying to find my way with art so maybe one day I can feed myself from it, while not hating myself for whatever it is I end up making.
An important conversation beacuse I think I understand what your saying - quite often , either by collegues or friends, I get directed to a buffe of tutorials and walkthroughs online. And nine out of ten times theyre good, informative and polished to the teeth - and yet I get this artifical sensation, that Im watching a rehearsal or a theatre-act. The presentation has been SO refined, the human element have been erased. If information is the only thing your after, there´s plenty out there. But if you want a deeper discussion about what it means to be an artist, suddenly the field is much more narrow. My question is why are so many artist drawn to these perfect, rehearsed displays thats so devoied of human emotion? Well, thats my five cents. Keep it up Adam, always enjoyable and thoughtful.
Some times it feels like everything is going against you and just want to stop in your track, but somehow your videos make it easier to stay calm and just keep moving. Thank you Adam for everything you share with us.
There's many moments in this that resonate with me and I thank you for it. I also am hypothyroid (graves, had thyroid radiated out). I also would identify as a lonely human, not exclusively because I'm a creative or because I'm autistic, but just in general I feel more drawn to the world of the "maybe," or "what if" than the world of "this is." And also especially my opinion of content creators that carry a hustler-style energy. My top three favorite channels to listen to are you, Ergojosh, and Sinix. All three of you have a calm, casual, HUMAN approach to art and engaging with people. What makes me like somebody is somebody that is doing things which they believe in and do for themselves. You can feel the passion and love in those actions and it attracts you. That is why I pursue my own art education, not to become a professional, just to love myself more, to express my emotions and thoughts better, and if it has a positive impact on others then all the better.
You’ve lived through graves, that makes you a hero in my book. I’ll also mention that you have exquisite taste in RUclipsrs, sonic and ergojosh are amazing - I binge on their videos all the time
@@AdamDuffArt It wasn't an easy survival, that is for sure! I was misdiagnosed with Hashimotos for 4 years and progressed to the point where I began experiencing short term memory loss when I was 26, but with the help of a loved one who was able to keep track and tell I was getting worse we got it taken care of. It was after that and the metabolism/energy crash from hyperthyroidism that I finally became aware that I was autistic, but had just too much energy to let the meltdowns and crashes affect me before. I'm 32 now and finally getting to the point I feel I have a handle on my life and can reliably create windows of time where I can sit and just paint for the sake of painting. Been at it since August of last year and your channel without a doubt is a huge inspiration for half of my approach to digital art. I work primarily as if I'm working with a real canvas and oil paints, rarely using more than 2 or 3 layers, and mostly study actual oil painting tutorials, but I love seeing your creative process in these videos. Building up the form from a blocked in mass is very traditional and aesthetically so exciting to me, almost like sculpting, but in reverse because you usually are adding rather than subtracting.
As artists, we're often deeply connected with suffering. I'm astounded sometimes that I'm even alive today, with all that I've survived. As I'm listening to this video, I'm doing a complete graphical overhaul on an astrological calendar I that I publish. I found that tools like astrology, I've been able to plot and even predict the cycles of highs and lows in my life. It's comforting to know that there's an exact when the challenges will come to an end. You can also look a little deeper and look into the archetypal influences at play, and use the challenges as a catalyst for personal growth. At the end of the day, the perspective on how you choose to relate to suffering will determine whether you become a victim of circumstance, or you become a hero that's going through an underworld journey.
I'm not done watching yet and my attention sadly drifts, but thank you so much for these words! I'm 28 and you just wrapped up perfectly how I feel about my art and career. Thank you for being so honest and authentic
Thank you so much, Adam.I've been listening to your channel since...2 years by now, and I needed this so much. I am not a concept artist but a costume designer, I create costumes for Movies ,Theater in Germany and the designs for it and it applies so much to it...you just see the pretty things online or the interviews of the so well known people, no one is giving a damn about the assistant .the ones who still need to get to this point.The people sitting at home and trashing 4 or 5 costumes (worth about 100€ each ) and hoping to maybe one day reach this level.I am just so sad that most of these people tend to forget ...they've been there before. And you are the first and only professional who finally opens up to this ..says multiple times :me to. And for this. Thank you
i'm usually good with words ( not tooting my horn it's just what people tell me) but right now i have no idea what to say- everything you said brought so much relief, so much security, and not in the way that i know what area im taking my life in, but that its normal that life will be good and bad and that you keep going for what you love. Thank you for being open about this Adam. It really really helps.
This is why I love your content, you speak of things most people would be afraid to admit to themselves they go through. It's become so important to hear the vulnerabilities we face as humans, in this society where people only wanna acknowledge success. You're doing so much by being on here, being your authentic self to give us your experience and advice, and I wanna say thank you for it all.
I hear you open your heart everytime I listen to you. But I swear I just felt your heart beat. Sometimes I think we can feel it echoed in the comments. Both from those who write and those who don’t :) (I like seeing your take on folklore! And the choice of music is very on point)
Thanks for affirming that no one knows what they're doing with their life at 21. I'm at that age, and it feels like I'm getting pressured to figure out what the fuck I want to do with the rest of my life (cough cough, parents) when I'm barely starting to find an art style I enjoy working in and subject matter I care deeply about. It's a terrible pressure capitalism puts on the people living under it that makes everyone "bad" or "unsuccessful" when not contributing to some kind of work force. Thank you for this video. It's nice to hear an outside person say some I've been talking to myself about for ages and haven't won an argument about (in my head). Thanks.
I'm 31 and still don't really know what I want to do. I basically "settled" on something because I need to do some thing and make some sort of decent living. Art is a hobby for me, and as much as having it as a professional earning would be cool, I just don't see it happening. Your videos still give me a voice of reason to listen to that helps quite a bit, I appreciate them, as well as your art. I look at you for inspiration that one day I'll be able to mark down stuff like that. Art is what makes me really happy, my day job is just...something I have to do to live on this earth unfortunately. My 2c is life is not that serious. Enjoy the things you like to enjoy, leave the ego behind and be there for others, we are all family in a sense. Good video Adam, thanks!
Thank you for being an inspiration for many people that are having some rough moments in their life, guiding them when they're feeling lost or down, and showing us that's alright to take our time to explore and experience new things.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Ever since I discovered Adam's channel, I've always thought that he is the Uncle Iroh of art. Thank you Adam for always being there for your fellow artists, whether they're just starting out or even if they're professionals. Thank you Adam 💙💙💙
That’s a good ways of putting it! Somehow, drinking tea AND his videos really go together
wait... but accidentally yehh... that's too perfect haha
THIS! Best comparison ever!
I woke up today feeling like I had failed and screwing up everything I touched (art wise). I finally personally said, "ENOUGH. I hate being an artist!" So I went into the kitchen and cleaned my stove. While I was cleaning I found myself wondering if Adam Duff has ever gone through this? Sure enough you put out this video. THANK YOU! Today I really needed this. BTW I'm 67.
Thank you so much art dad!
Art daddy Adam
I just turned 26 and I really felt that. I just graduated and I still don't feel skilled enough to make a living of my art. I get some commission, but it is nowhere near enough to live from. It gives me so much anxiety, because it feels like I should have figured it out by now. Now that I am done with school. It's good to hear that this is not true.
I feel you man T_T
I am about to be 30 next year and I feel this very heavily
start a youtube channel and sell prints
I don't have any artist friends where I could talk about stuff like this so it feels really isolating. I love my non artists friends and family but it's not the same I don't know how to explain it. Your video is really reassuring to hear, thank you.
I feel you ✨💙
Recently, I sold out of all of my product for the first time. Everyone was celebrating me and congratulating me but to me it was terrifying. Now I would have to wait, and make new things, restock, take commissions. It's happening! My career it Taking off but oh my gods I'm not buckled in. It sucks. I'm so happy but man I have a lot of work to do now. I have to battle my depression, work a day job, do my commissions, and all of while still going to vend at art festivals. But, if I'm being honest. I don't want anything else. I'll take this shit over a 9 to 5 any day. Keep your head up folks
You can do it! Just remember to breathe once in a while! X) keep it up and good luck!
congratulations! Keep it up!!
what an amazing channel. At 25 I left construction to go study music, graduated with a master degree in film scoring without ever having studied music before. Finding our voice takes times and its perfectly fine. Thank you for this this is an amazing talk.
"she praised him too much and gave him false hopes" broke my heart right through. because here you are, doing what you love and need to do, even when it fucking sucks. we talk all day about encouraging people to follow dreams, that anyone can make it if they grind enough, and then as soon as someone is grinding for the love of the game, it's that they've got their head in the clouds.
i was also a kid who got endless praise and encouragement from not just my parents, but lots of adults in my life, and somehow i'm experiencing the same "going through it" that everyone else is. but i am also, for the first time in ten years, working on a project *i* want to work on with more passion and excitement--regardless of how hard the work is. it hasn't magically cured me of the ache and exhaustion we're all feeling, but it's helped me feel like i've got a direction to try at least.
i know you said nothing here was particularly brave or unscriptedly vulnerable, but it felt like you were verbalizing my heart and head the entire video through. thank you. thank you for putting a voice to this feeling.
That means the world to me my friend - thank you :)
It's helpful to hear this stuff. Our social media driven world is causing ADD and other issues among the masses. It's ok to be human, although that's getting much more difficult and unacceptable these days. There's no magic answers in life and there's no one roadmap that fits everyone. I'm not young and I'm on my 3rd or 4th career change in life. It's not about being late, behind, or comparing yourself to others. As many have said before, the only person you should care about comparing yourself to is your past self. You're allowed to grow, change, and explore. Measure your success by your happiness and well being. If either is at a low level then you're doing it wrong.
There is so much value to these types of videos, but it’s so much harder to search for than, let’s say, “anatomy tutorial” or whatever. I am thankful for this channel being a place to come to when in the mood to feel understood and reflect a bit.
24:23. These interactions make it all worth it. I've done a few shows this year and one woman who bought a print offered to pose for one of my figure paintings, saying "it would be an honor."
More recently, a full-time figure model reached out. She said she loves my work and wanted to collab. I've followed her for awhile, but haven't been able to join her classes. And she has hundreds of artists that draw her, so the fact that she wanted to be a part of my work felt special.
And, perhaps the biggest moment this year was when my brother had me do a commission for his gf's birthday, using a photo of them together as the reference. The text he sent me when he gave it to her said, "She teared up, and said it was the best gift she's ever gotten. She wanted me to thank you and let you know how perfect it was."
Even though I'm not profiting yet, these moments keep me going and let me know I'm on my way.
Where can we find your work?
as a lost 21 year old i really apreciate yout talks thank you Adam
I think it sucking sometimes is half the point of it all.
Personal development, mastery, growth. It's a noble path, and what gives it all meaning.
being open and honest with your followers makes us realize your human instead of thinking you're purely robotic. I thank you for that.
Sorry but I'm still 100% convinced that Adam is a robot
After listening to this talk, it made me realize that many of your art talks matches the tone in your paintings. It has a dark and ugly side but there is beauty and bliss. about it as well.
Adam didn't even know he help so much beginner artists, like me 🙏 dealing with this art depression and so much doubt and compere our self but we have to keep going it's sucks yes, but it's okay don't give up, be patient and keep going guys
As an artist sometimes I feel like I haven't done anything except drawings, burnout and art block, perfectionism to draw better it all make you question your choices in life about being an artist. Is art enough for me ? Am I skilled enough to sell my art or share my art with the world? Will the world even care? Every time I tell someone I'm an artist it's they give me that look, the look that says you're gonna strave to death or it's no career ? You should mange a real job. A respectful careers not to draw around. It's stupid how it makes you feel small and question yourself. So Recently I decided and started to post videos and hopefully create a safe space for all artist support each other. Thank you Adam you're like my god fairy father who I didn't have nor other Artists had, you're such a inspiration artist and I hope I can be voice like you in the future I'm working towards this goal ❤️❤️❤️
Yeah, the struggle as an artist is real...
I thought a couple of times to just live stream regularly and show people what I do. But it just doesn't work, because I can't work on my stuff, and entertain people knowing there's a camera pointed at me for a few hours.
I realized it's hard to be yourself, but if you don't show yourself people lose interest.
The engagement on posts usually shows how much people care about an artist. It's hard to produce art and make people to engage and then just see that nothing I do sticks.
Your videos help, but sadly not for long.
After a week or so things go back to that "bad feeling of being just an other artist".
But I guess that's how it is.
I totally get you, I have tought about this and I believe our main problem is that we compare ourselves too much to others, I think true joy of being an artist is when you do art for yourself instead of 'for others" (as in, constantly thinking what others might think of it, if it's good enough etc).
This mindset is quite dificult to achieve when you want to have a professional carreer in art since it's competitive, you're somewhat forced to compare youself to a certain standard
Personally I notice when I just make art for me, I truly feel fulfilled and totally in my element, but once I make something that should be "portfolio worthy" i get anxious and start to procrastinate or lose joy in doing it, sometimes it also does the complete opposite and I get actually motivated though.
that is the reality my friend, if you accept thats the way it is for most artist, you ll feel better.
@@maiskorrel I think artists also have to deal with this impossible dichotomy between themselves and the necessity of the audience. I would hate making art souly for myself (with no intention of ever sharing it with anyone). Creating a piece of art just to put it in a closet never to be seen again after my 10 minutes of admiration feels just as sad as only creating art for other to chase polularity. Somewhere between these two extremes there is creating art that is for you that you also want to share with the world and it actually gets recieved well at all. That is what we are all trying to hit. Inherent in creativity is this yearning to share it with other humans, at least for me.
@@blender-os1641 I create art for myself. I enjoy the creative process and enjoy the results. I like to see my incremental improvement. Having an audience has no weight to me because it makes me happy. Once you get to this point you can create for creation's sake. If people love your work it's a bonus. Don't get trapped in narcissism.
Hi Adam, thank you for validating our feelings.
Yes. Radical acceptance is better than denial as long as we keep committing to creating and evolving as artists.
We are not trees so we’re not literally stuck. 😂
Thank you and I’m taking a break from painting so this new video is a surprise.
Shoutout from a fella Montrealer! 🍀😃🇨🇦✨
This is relatable to the highest degree
Sometimes I lost faith with my art and even questioning if I am good enough? But this is what I love to do
do it as a hobby my friend, and get a better paying job, still okay this way!
Me, at 0:40 with my headphones on, just getting lost in figure drawing practise... looking up to the screen, smiling, feeling understood :) Thank you Adam!
It's good to hear these kinds of talks every once in a while, they always turn up just when I need it to
The only thing that is really grinding my gears is people cheating with AI art. I can accept being used as a tool. But there is more abusers out there. That pisses me off. I came to peace that there is always going to be someone better than me. Its just a fact and I live with it. Its really up to us to improve our skill. I would rather do it with honer without the need to cheat.
AI’s biggest weakness is that it can’t tell stories with art (yet). The truth is, we have an oversaturation of beautiful art that’s just there to be beautiful.
Never thought I would see a Vietnamese folklore creature anywhere else other than from some native artists...
In the other hand I really feel like a failure today, sometimes I was stuck and being suck for not able to adapt some artstyle for the projects, struggled a whole day to finish a job while others people in the team has done x3 x4 times I do...
I’m having so much fun researching it - Vietnamese folklore is incredible
I really needed to hear all of this Adam, with all my heart thank you
Thank you Adam for always being there for us
There are so many things I have to say about this video, so many things I wish I could write, but in the end, all I'm gonna say is: thank you.
"Everything will be alright" is a really powerful thing to hear from a fellow, more experienced artist and human being.
This chanel it's a pillar that as helped for so many things in my life , and my art.
Thanks for another great chat Adam.
I’m currently 34 & definitely feel behind in life; I’ve always been a late starter & only discovered concept art in the last year or so, and realised after covid & a brutal heartbreak during that time, that life is too short & I’m going to pursue a life & career as a professional artist. I always had some natural talent for drawing so I decided to lean into it finally.
I’ve started late but I’m determined; been training 2-3 hrs every day after work for the last year, and will likely take a mentorship with you sometime next year.
Your videos & talks really help, especially listening while studying. Thanks again 🤝🏻
Our stories sound incredibly similar. I wish you well man! I'm in the last year of my twenties and I'm leaning into game design after the tumultuous heartbreaking last years of my life. I'm quite the late bloomer myself but hey! In many ways we're in it together :) Good luck out there, man! Keep on keeping on!
How can the topic of this video be so relatable and out in the perfect time ? I just moved out of my parents' house for college and I'm very far away from home, from friends, from all I've ever known. And honestly my college and their people are sh*t :/ So I'm just alone with my thoughts all day and losing hope and feeling stuck. I started having some really dark thoughts even when I thought I had overtaken them years ago... And then boom, another of your video ! I can't tell you enough how it comforted me, how healing it was knowing I'm not alone in this situation and it's possible to get out of the cycle. I really cannot express it. But know it was impactful (like- reaaally).
Anyway I've been meaning to comment for a while now and here I am :) Thank you for your videos, you're amazing :D💛
(PS : sorry for bad english btw, i'm not native and i have two braincells-)
I’ve lost count on the amount of times I’ve rewatched each of your videos!
Every now and then I come across some very helpful art tutorials, but your videos are the only ones that never fail to actually help me draw. Thank you Adam.
Art is my expression of my life.
I think with my imagination in the abstractness.
It is my spirit to be creative.
Damn this speak was strong!! So honest and even a little bit angry.
I think that apart of your carreer you save lifes Adam. Your words heals! Thanks again Adam! Merci.
That moment Adam says "... BRUH" I just bursted cry laughing. That BRUH moment just broke a dam inside for some reason :) no kidding... I needed this... Coincidentally I had just a shitty day, feeling like my art is going nowhere 'cause it wants to go everywhere and it just feels so goddamn stressful. That I'm 26 and I feel like I'm going nowhere and that I'm getting old... Hearing from someone who knows that it is ok felt so reassuring...
This is my first video of yours- This shit DOES suck! Most days I pick up my pencil intending to draw, look at it, and go "Why?" because I get most of my satisfaction from seeing people light up while looking at this silly little thing I poured thoughts and tears and memories into and decided to call 'art."
But I've become the only person who sees my work, I'm the only one who knows how many perfectionism tears were shed over it, and it doesn't serve a purpose to me, it just hangs on my walls as a reminder of how I failed to sell it to a loving home. After so many failed sales, ghosted commissioners, ambivalent reactions, I feel like I'm just shoving my art into the void.
And so many people on this platform make me feel like I'm not marketing myself well, not working hard enough, not hustling like they do. I SHOULD be doing more, SHOULD be working harder, SHOULD be disappointed in myself because this shit is simple!
But it's not... simple. At all. It sucks. Thank you for being so honest. Being an artist is lonely, but I feel a little less alone now.
I appreciate the brutal honesty. You're always very informative too.
Sometimes you are like the Alan Watts of art and creative youtube stuffs. Don't always agree with you but you are comforting to listen to and have interesting and deep things to say
God bless this man
Adam, no matter how big you get on RUclips, the thing I respect most about you is that you bring people in 1 on 1 and invest into THEM rather than ONLY speaking to the masses. Artists need to be invested in--- people need to be invested in at an individual level. It is very sad that so many feel overwhelmingly lost and purposeless. Emotional attachment to performance is a whole other thing, but you touched on a lot of topics that go deeper than art. I appreciate you, your insight, and your candidness.
Yes to all of this, and I did the exact same thing around the same time frame on Russell Brand. For those very same reasons. I just turned 39, with 4 kids, and I'm still trying to navigate myself towards professional work. So many failures, setbacks, jobs, family trauma, and everything inbetween have made this journey a testament to patience and discipline. And I definitely understand not having that one person to talk to about these trials, so thank you for sharing all of this, it is absolutely invaluable.
You have no idea how much all of these kind of videos are valuable to me, Adam. I'm so grateful you're making them and that I found your channel. I can't name another channel like yours that give these real, down to earth advices.
Love it, man. I remember being 25 and stressing out that I wasn't more 'accomplished' as an artist at that point. Now, at 50, I can only look back and laugh at how I ran around wasting time worrying about such things, and how hard I was on myself. I only hope my kids won't feel such pressures, but I guess everyone goes through it to a point.
Thanks Adam!
as a 21 year old turning 22, you have no idea how much I needed to hear this. I expected myself to be successful already, have everything figured out and ahead of the game. I dread my birthdays because it reminds me that I haven't achieved my idealized self. But that's my idealization. Realistically, it doesn't work that way. I just needed to hear someone say its okay to not have everything figured out, sometimes it takes time and things will be okay. Thank you
I really needed this and I'm sure many others did. I graduated with a degree in illustration 2 months ago and haven't had any luck finding any jobs. Been really stressed feeling like I NEED money right fucking now because I'm 24 and so many people my age that I know have had jobs for years. It's been really killing my mental health every day more and more and some personal life problems adding on top of it. So hearing someone like you say "who the fuck knows what they're supposed to be doing by 25" felt like a bit of a relief.
I’ve always made art ever since I was a kid, yet often fluctuating between not very good to busting out something that surprises me.
I also used to work as a designer - no official schooling just some people who believed in me and I blossomed. But due to childhood trauma catching up to me, I had to leave for mental health reasons, and because they were overloading me with work because I would just find solutions to almost any problem they needed and could do almost anything in their business too (restaurant, gambling stuff, etc.). I was too much of a jack of all trades. And I crashed. Couldn’t put my foot down enough to say no I can’t do this, plus my trauma symptoms were increasing more and more.
And now I’m 26 and I’ve been unemployed on and off for a year, trying to work stuff out.
I’ve been trying to get back into art, but I’m also pregnant and moving and have depression on top of it all.
There are some good things, like I am excited for this baby, but the hormones are insane. And all I want is to create, design, decorate my house, and I feel so blocked from all of that right now it’s too much.
And the people around me don’t understand these feelings, as much as they try and be supportive I think it just seems silly to them in a way.
I just feel like I’m always going to be a failure and always struggling to be something, someone. Just when I start to figure myself out everything changes and it’s so frustrating. It’s like there’s never any consistency or stability even within myself.
So, thank you Adam, really, I’m feeling a bit more understood after this video ❤️
Hope things will work out for the best.. and I'm sorry to hear that you're facing such a hard time..
The reason why I got into art personally, was because of this struggle, I saw my whole life crumble in front of me, and I needed something to give myself at that moment, and at that moment that was drawing. I am still quite new to it, only has been two years, but I have always noticed the improvement from each piece prior, and I can't imagine stopping anytime soon. Thank you for this video
Well, after two years of fighting against divorce, I’m starting from nothing again as a 30 year old. All I have is my dog and my art and I am so thankful for what I do have left. You always somehow seem to put a pep talk out when I need some guidance and support. Know that without your videos, I would’ve never gone back to school, taught myself how to draw, and reminded me to believe in myself. Thank you Adam, I might not have been around anymore without the videos you put out. Not gonna say it was all you, Marco bucci is in there too, as well as many others, but you’ve always chose to tackle issues directly and with compassion. I hope those of us who needed the talks can make it up to you some day but I wanted to be real and say I’m very grateful.
Adam, you channel calmed the absolute untold rage I had over my art block.
This was so awesome. As a 40 yo corpo rat dreaming of art career I really needed it. Thank you.
Man, um i found your channel a few days ago and you've become a giant inspiration immediately. I have been dealing with some personal stuff and you have kind of opened my eyes, which i really needed. So thank you a lot for making these videos. And thank you so much for being here.
You’re very welcome :)
Dude, another life lesson for an artist. Adam, this is your legacy, your life accomplishment, inspiring other artists whilst staying human.
Can't wait to sit down when I get a chance, and listen to this as I draw. It's always so much easier to focus with these videos in the background.
I needed this. Thank you.
when you said who tf knows what theyre doing when theyre 22, youre just fresh out of school/who put it in your head that you have to be established when you havent even given yourself the chance to try first - i just started crying. i am right out of uni with my bfa bc all i knew was loving art and wanting to make it my life and in my first 3 months after graduating and only getting application rejections i felt like ive made a mistake but i dont want to blame myself and beat myself up for chasing after something that just makes me happy. thank you for this. i just want to keep trying
Thank you for be here for us now when we need what you needed. You helped me a lot from a really hard situation in my own head when I thought I'm gonna die and I can't do this anymore.
Thank you Adam. You're doing great job ans it works.
After hearing out
Im more patient and motivated.
Candid spits of true, that the way I feel now and your words resonate with me well, the thing, that somone had been there where Im now, reassuring me and keeps me still to do art
Great bow to you !
Thanks for this, I wish I had heard it 20 years ago when I was starting out. When everyone around you seems to be doing so much better and all you are doing is fighting to get someone to look at your work, It is reassuring to hear true honesty within the community that our ups and downs in life and careers as artists and designers aren't so different. Somewhere along the lines of being a professional artist/designer I got so obsessed with being successful that i forgot why I was doing it in the first place. After a long arduous road in the industry I am finally at a place where I create just for myself and have been able to enjoy creating just for the process alone, no clients, no likes, no competition just me and my imagination. Your art talks help me to summerise my own experiences, even in retrospect, so thanks again.
Thank you so much for that. You got a new subscriber. I recently came to the realization that I no longer enjoy or want to continue being a pretentious “too cool for school” artist type. I recently met an artist who was so down to earth and real that I felt like a fraud and I don’t enjoy being like that anymore. I’m also too old to care about being in a f***ing popularity contest.
Dude I loved this one! So much truth and wisdom! I love listening while I create my clients tattoos. Much love to you sir you got a new fan in me
One of the hardest things I have had to come to terms with is that many of the people I looked up to when I was younger just aren't very nice people. They bully and belittle their students and work in an entirely toxic mindset because they believe, for one reason or another, that's the best way to survive in this industry. Some of them turned out to be bullies- some of them turned out to be sexual predators, to which I am the perfect demographic. Quite frankly, it terrifies me.
We are told that we should sacrifice our friends, our health and our life to get to the level that those people are at, but I think I'm finally starting to realize that I do not want to be those people. Thank you Adam for your thoughts and your experience- it's heartwarming to be reminded that there are good people in this industry and there is a way to be happy without being the best in the world.
I just genuinely don’t understand how artists like RJ Palmer, Greg Rutkowski, Artgerm are able to draw anything right now. And many more.
And I don’t hear much resistance from the voices in the social medias, these artists take a huge mental health toll right now.
I know they have jobs they are committed to and that’s what probably keep them going but I just can’t fathom the frustration they must be feeling when your art being torn apart like that just to keep feeding a machine that goes against you, for a profit of a unethical company that hides behind an “Ai” label.
I struggle so much right now sticking to art and genuinely afraid to share my art online, I also know it doesn’t go anywhere but I wish just we had better rights.
I’m tired of these companies selling our data to create their own databases to race for power and you can’t even opt out if you wanted to.
Yeah, that shit keeps me up at night. It’s super unethical. They always argue it’s the same as a person learns but that’s really a oversimplification if I ever saw it. It’s so depressing, that style is someone else’s soul, essentially. But most just distill it to a product.
Honestly,
I was gonna click off this video after a few mins cause of the piano & how it ironically comes off not genuine. As well as thinking it's being anything helpful but just some basic inspo crap BUUUT wow as someone who has autoimmune issues and is a artist in their early 20's that feels like a complete waste of space cause I'm in that shitty spot, This was really helpful and something I needed to here.
Thank you so much for posting this c:
I hope you read your comments because I really want you to know that I really appreciate your videos and it's just what I have been needing to hear. I am a photographer and I discovered your channel 2 days ago. I have been listening to you while I edit. Thank you for all your words, because I started my photography after 40 and I feel so lost sometimes. Love your honesty and your voice calms my anxiety down :)
I absolutely do read them, and rest assured I care deeply about what you think - thank you :)
Thank you Adam ones again for being here. Giving us hope. Means a lot
I can assure you, you're that voice to a 23 year old who just graduated and who is terrified to move forward. I was able to feel emotions and draw today because of this video. Thank you.
Hey Adam, Your channel has been Godsent to me. So many of us who are in the industry or trying to get into, have been craving for knowledge and guidance and you're doing that beautifully.
Thank You!
Discovered your videos a week ago, been watching a video or two a day since. This one really hit close to home though, didn't expect to be tearing up but here we are. It's kind of uncanny how you feel like me plus 10-15 years. It's good to know that this all eventually leads somewhere. Thank you for sharing.
I truly am thankful for this, I asked myself if it wasn’t perhaps too late (given financial difficulties), it’s comforting to know others went through the same plight and maddening simul how this is just how we get treated despite being the source of the entire entertaining industry… but in a way we all knew this when we chose to allow us to fall in love with being an artist
Man I love you so much, I love your attitude and simplicity and of course I just love your dark fantasy art, I'm so agreeing with you about that we can all can learn to be human to one another and be more humble and even if critics at times, but still do that with a soft smile and cheering others to be better
great chat and insight. good to see another interesting painting :)
Thank you very much Daniel, and thank you for all of your uploads as well - one of the hardest working RUclipsrs out there
@@AdamDuffArt Oh thank you :).
It's hard to understand people, honestly...you or should I say your videos, make me feel something strange, when I used to watch "gaming influencer number 13813901" 8 years ago, it was like I was watching a celebrity. They were so bombastic and had such personality, they were trying to stand out, but you sir, you are talking to us like we are best friends, your tone is that of a close family member, you talk so sincere with your words and no matter what, no matter what happens with my art, like I did with other people that were important to me, I will keep following, I will keep watching and I will keep learning from you, thank you.
thank u Adam. Your pearls of wisdom and insight are always apriciated.
Didn't realize how much I needed to hear this. I'm new to this channel, but thank you Adam for your wisdom and support.
Its always nice to hear people talk about how being 25 is not far along in life. I've only just started my art journey never having done any kind of art prior. I constantly feel like its too late and I'm walking a doomed path. But being told it isn't, is very comforting
I just stumbled across this channel today but, love you too, man. I struggle a lot with the way propriety, social acceptability, and fear result in people just pretending everything is mild and smooth and simple and that everything’s JUST FINE with them. When it’s not. It would be easier to go out into the world if people were honest, if you didn’t feel like you have to pretend that you’re so whole and tempered and functional as a human being, if you could just share the muddy complexity that it really is. How much easier it would be not to become bitter and mean about others if you shared in your common humanity rather than hiding it. It just seems to all be one huge game we’re all playing, where people play the characters that make them feel safest, and turn against each other left, right and centre. But hey, in spite of that being the way things are, I endeavour more and more to try to break down the barriers when I can; to connect. Thank you so much for talking as yourself here
I’m an independent electronic music artist ,and i do 3D sometimes, and your story it just feels like the voice i needed to hear,this really ease the pain, thank you so so much Adam For being open and sincere ,we are all regular human being trying our best every single day
I my self sometime i wanna go in my channel and say things to be able to provide a relief for others who go through the same thing ,but i find it difficult for me to set down and organize all these thoughts that comes and say it, what you doing is really matters for alot of people
I love knowing that all of us artists - musical or visual, really are two versions of the same species
Thank you :)
I’m also an electronic music artist and I do 3D sometimes. It’s hard 😭 Thanks to you and Adam for reminding me I’m not alone
I've never had the experiences you mentioned, such as being in a relationship (serious or not), having a "good" job or simply working in a respected industry, being in charge of anything important. I'm 25 and never went for those things, but it's hard af to not feel inferior to basically every other person, while trekking forward anyway.
You validate everything I ever felt with your talks. Doubt, depression, being ok with not striving to be the jesus fcing christ of anything. Just trying to find my way with art so maybe one day I can feed myself from it, while not hating myself for whatever it is I end up making.
An important conversation beacuse I think I understand what your saying - quite often , either by collegues or friends, I get directed to a buffe of tutorials and walkthroughs online. And nine out of ten times theyre good, informative and polished to the teeth - and yet I get this artifical sensation, that Im watching a rehearsal or a theatre-act. The presentation has been SO refined, the human element have been erased. If information is the only thing your after, there´s plenty out there. But if you want a deeper discussion about what it means to be an artist, suddenly the field is much more narrow. My question is why are so many artist drawn to these perfect, rehearsed displays thats so devoied of human emotion? Well, thats my five cents. Keep it up Adam, always enjoyable and thoughtful.
Some times it feels like everything is going against you and just want to stop in your track, but somehow your videos make it easier to stay calm and just keep moving. Thank you Adam for everything you share with us.
There's many moments in this that resonate with me and I thank you for it. I also am hypothyroid (graves, had thyroid radiated out). I also would identify as a lonely human, not exclusively because I'm a creative or because I'm autistic, but just in general I feel more drawn to the world of the "maybe," or "what if" than the world of "this is." And also especially my opinion of content creators that carry a hustler-style energy. My top three favorite channels to listen to are you, Ergojosh, and Sinix. All three of you have a calm, casual, HUMAN approach to art and engaging with people. What makes me like somebody is somebody that is doing things which they believe in and do for themselves. You can feel the passion and love in those actions and it attracts you. That is why I pursue my own art education, not to become a professional, just to love myself more, to express my emotions and thoughts better, and if it has a positive impact on others then all the better.
You’ve lived through graves, that makes you a hero in my book. I’ll also mention that you have exquisite taste in RUclipsrs, sonic and ergojosh are amazing - I binge on their videos all the time
@@AdamDuffArt It wasn't an easy survival, that is for sure! I was misdiagnosed with Hashimotos for 4 years and progressed to the point where I began experiencing short term memory loss when I was 26, but with the help of a loved one who was able to keep track and tell I was getting worse we got it taken care of. It was after that and the metabolism/energy crash from hyperthyroidism that I finally became aware that I was autistic, but had just too much energy to let the meltdowns and crashes affect me before.
I'm 32 now and finally getting to the point I feel I have a handle on my life and can reliably create windows of time where I can sit and just paint for the sake of painting. Been at it since August of last year and your channel without a doubt is a huge inspiration for half of my approach to digital art. I work primarily as if I'm working with a real canvas and oil paints, rarely using more than 2 or 3 layers, and mostly study actual oil painting tutorials, but I love seeing your creative process in these videos. Building up the form from a blocked in mass is very traditional and aesthetically so exciting to me, almost like sculpting, but in reverse because you usually are adding rather than subtracting.
As artists, we're often deeply connected with suffering. I'm astounded sometimes that I'm even alive today, with all that I've survived. As I'm listening to this video, I'm doing a complete graphical overhaul on an astrological calendar I that I publish. I found that tools like astrology, I've been able to plot and even predict the cycles of highs and lows in my life. It's comforting to know that there's an exact when the challenges will come to an end. You can also look a little deeper and look into the archetypal influences at play, and use the challenges as a catalyst for personal growth. At the end of the day, the perspective on how you choose to relate to suffering will determine whether you become a victim of circumstance, or you become a hero that's going through an underworld journey.
I appreciate you.
I'm not done watching yet and my attention sadly drifts, but thank you so much for these words! I'm 28 and you just wrapped up perfectly how I feel about my art and career. Thank you for being so honest and authentic
I so appreciate you Adam, thank you for your videos.
Thank you so much, Adam.I've been listening to your channel since...2 years by now, and I needed this so much. I am not a concept artist but a costume designer, I create costumes for Movies ,Theater in Germany and the designs for it and it applies so much to it...you just see the pretty things online or the interviews of the so well known people, no one is giving a damn about the assistant .the ones who still need to get to this point.The people sitting at home and trashing 4 or 5 costumes (worth about 100€ each ) and hoping to maybe one day reach this level.I am just so sad that most of these people tend to forget ...they've been there before. And you are the first and only professional who finally opens up to this ..says multiple times :me to. And for this. Thank you
i'm usually good with words ( not tooting my horn it's just what people tell me) but right now i have no idea what to say- everything you said brought so much relief, so much security, and not in the way that i know what area im taking my life in, but that its normal that life will be good and bad and that you keep going for what you love. Thank you for being open about this Adam. It really really helps.
Sending hugs for Adam and everyone who's watching this. 💌
Being an artist feels so hard sometimes. You captured this message perfectly. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us
This is why I love your content, you speak of things most people would be afraid to admit to themselves they go through. It's become so important to hear the vulnerabilities we face as humans, in this society where people only wanna acknowledge success. You're doing so much by being on here, being your authentic self to give us your experience and advice, and I wanna say thank you for it all.
I hear you open your heart everytime I listen to you. But I swear I just felt your heart beat.
Sometimes I think we can feel it echoed in the comments. Both from those who write and those who don’t :)
(I like seeing your take on folklore! And the choice of music is very on point)
As a new up and coming artist, just barely dipping my toes into this youtube thing. This helped. Thank you
Thank you Adam.
Thank you for existing Adam
Thanks for affirming that no one knows what they're doing with their life at 21. I'm at that age, and it feels like I'm getting pressured to figure out what the fuck I want to do with the rest of my life (cough cough, parents) when I'm barely starting to find an art style I enjoy working in and subject matter I care deeply about. It's a terrible pressure capitalism puts on the people living under it that makes everyone "bad" or "unsuccessful" when not contributing to some kind of work force. Thank you for this video. It's nice to hear an outside person say some I've been talking to myself about for ages and haven't won an argument about (in my head). Thanks.
beautiful video man it really got to me
I'm 31 and still don't really know what I want to do. I basically "settled" on something because I need to do some thing and make some sort of decent living. Art is a hobby for me, and as much as having it as a professional earning would be cool, I just don't see it happening. Your videos still give me a voice of reason to listen to that helps quite a bit, I appreciate them, as well as your art. I look at you for inspiration that one day I'll be able to mark down stuff like that. Art is what makes me really happy, my day job is just...something I have to do to live on this earth unfortunately. My 2c is life is not that serious. Enjoy the things you like to enjoy, leave the ego behind and be there for others, we are all family in a sense. Good video Adam, thanks!
Thank you for being an inspiration for many people that are having some rough moments in their life, guiding them when they're feeling lost or down, and showing us that's alright to take our time to explore and experience new things.