And this is why I only make stuff for myself. Not for others to see or judge, never to sell. Making things is my hobby, it's what I do because I love it. I avoid most social media because I don't want the toxicity to poison what I love to do.
This is exactly why I stopped posting. . .not necessarily because of what people said, but the because I was trying to make to much content and sell it. I sold quite a bit. . .but it was exhausting. At my age I just need to enjoy creating. . .THANKS!
I didn't draw or paint all last year because I lost direction. I was trying to please too many invisible critics. Hoping to pick up again this year with a deafness to the inner voices. Thank you for your gentle advice. ❤❤❤
Hello. I found your channel through one of your videos on why I should learn how to draw. I've watched it and now I'm almost drawing every day small or big. Right now I'm at a difficult stage of my life, I'm fighting with major OCD and addiction problems and I am gonna honestly admit, I draw to get away from those things. I started drawing and reading books which have helped me to heal my brain and my habits and now I just doodle what is in front of me. I'm very happy that drawing is becoming a subconscious habit for me. I love it.
Used to do photorealistic drawings. Then I started entering them in shows locally (I live in a highly populated area). And I started winning. I added some high end craft making to my entries and won in many of those too. One year I won most all of the bigger shows. Did it again the next year to prove it wasn't a fluke the year prior. Then I stopped showing. I'd proved to myself that I was an artist. That was enough for me. Went on to do art in other mediums mostly for fun. Then I sold some stuff, and I changed my medium again and now do completely different kinds of art just for me. My whole point is, your art hobby/career will ebb and flow. Go *with* the tide. And if you put pencil to paper, you ARE an artist. You have the right to call yourself an artist from day one. Happy creating!
I agree with everything you said so eloquently. As a writer, photographer and artist, I too found joy, for a while, with my work for a magazine and eventually a newspaper. I created ads and covered news events. A bit of everything. Ultimately I began to feel like a beast of burden and not an artist and creator anymore. I lost the joy for some time. When I picked up my pen and paint again as a retiree, I found what I lost and began creating again. My well meaning husband says your work is so good you should sell it. I have a little but I don’t want to chase that occasional dollar anymore. I just want to draw, paint, write and photograph without money sucking the fun out of it. If someone wants a piece I created, I might sell it. But I am done with marketing.
This is exactly the conclusion I came to recently within myself. It took me YEARS to figure out why drawing was... poisoned for me. I would start to get panic attacks when even trying to draw or paint despite it being a passion, something I need like air. I had given myself so many unsaid rules I felt I had to follow, after years of commissions wondering if a piece was sellable even if I didn't intend to sell it, all of that. I recently deleted all of my art socials, do not post my work anywhere public, and am working on taking it back.
You scared me…I thought you were quitting for real and I was missing you already! Your content is so refreshing and valuable, so I am glad you are aware of the pitfalls and continue on the platform. Thank you for sharing 😊
Each of us is on our own path and journey. Thanks for the encouragement for each of us to be brave enough to follow that path, regardless of whether we are walking alone or with friends.
I'm very much a beginner artist, in my mid-60s. I've no thought that my art will ever be saleable, but I do feel as if I've found a long-lost Love. I recently joined Deviant Art, and it feels very empowering to publicly call myself an artist, and show other artists what I'm doing. I've found it a very welcoming and positive forum. At the same time I'm aware that since joining I feel a certain pressure to do more 'serious' art that I can post, rather than just doodling along. I think there are good and bad sides to this, for me at least. I've a habit of starting a lot of pictures, working out how I want to approach them, and then starting something else. Having an incentive to actually finish some pictures isn't a bad thing! But I'm also aware of the traps you talk about, and I've been pulling back a bit from Deviant Art, and making sure I still have enough time just farting around for fun! Like everything it's a balance 😄
Thanks Danny. I make art for myself, not anyone else. I enjoy it, all of it, the good, bad and the ugly! I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I do it simply for self expression, for relaxation and the sheer joy of it.
This was beautiful. I have always struggled with the tension between art and business. I like that the business side seems to make people see your art as more valid (for some reason) but at the same time I don’t like that world or the type of people who often tend to run it. But I also am never content with the idea of my art being just a hobby either. It’s all very confusing.
When I started making RUclips videos I deliberately decided not to have a regular schedule for posting videos, I knew that would be too much pressure for me and I’d quickly lose the joy of it. I treat RUclips as one more creative hobby which I do it as and when I feel like it. I know this means my channel is probably growing slower, but that’s fine. I’m actually getting close to being monetised and hope I can keep going with the same attitude.
Es gab einige Monate, in denen ich mich von vielen Influenzern auf RUclips und Instagram habe verführen lassen. Mein Ergebnis: zu viele unterschiedliche Materialien, ein Hüpfen von Motiv zu Motiv, die verschiedesten Themen… Ich wurde verrückt, selbst mein innerer Kritiker gab auf und wollte statt alles perfekt gar nichts mehr… Mein Weg seit ein paar Wochen: weniger Social Media, jeden Tag mindestens eine kleine Zeichnung, wofür ich aber mindestens eine Woche etwas beibehalte: entweder das Motiv, das ich in unterschiedlichen Techniken male/zeichne oder ein Medium (inklusive eingeschränkte Farbpalette) mit dem ich unterschiedliche Motive und Techniken male. Und zurück zu den Anfängen: Muster, Formen, Farbpaletten, Skizzen… Bitte mach weiterhin einfache Videos 😍
Thank you for this video. Sometimes I need someone to tell me to go back to the WHY and not get lost in the loud voices of demand. 🙏 Have a nice week. 😊
The thing with creativity takes some time and ideas also don’t always come when you need them. RUclips has handled over its daily business to A.I an Algorithms. These are not aware of human sense of humour or have an idea of daily chores and that humans have a life besides the RUclips space. Or need a timeout from time to time. So in my opinion RUclips kills what made them big. That’s why there is such a big rise of hauls, reactions, reviews, compilations. For these you just have to recycle others material or be able to read some facts, put affiliate links in description and open packages without blood loss. I’m still here because there is a few left that go against the trend and get dinged and muzzled. But still passionate enough to keep going. Twitch is too fast paced for my liking.
Thank you for tackling this subject. It takes a lot of courage for someone to go out there on public and show their work and be criticised, sometimes harshly. And if we add the algorithm to the game, it becomes hard to continue playing safely, keeping good mental health. What is the point of all this! Creating art, even for living, should stay enjoyable and brings happiness to the artist and their surroundings or followers. For those who suffer, don’t quit art, just quit the toxic environment around your art. Change the game 😊
I'm a writer. Been writing since I was 15 and I used to just write for myself or to share with a friend who was doing the same. (Fan fiction before there was internet and it was called that. So many trees and mechanical pencils died for it.) Then my dad got annoyed with me because I wrote whenever I had nothing else I had to do and said I should sell it. Implying it wasn't worth anything unless it made money. Now I have to struggle to shut the worry about making money with my writing so I can just write. It's annoying as hell.
Always love your point of view!! I practiced the ART of medicine. I can relate to this video from a different perspective. Somehow (long story), I ended up owning my own practice, I.e. managing a lot of people, etc. The only time I was truly happy was when I was in the room with the patient, sitting across from them, practicing my art. I burned out and I’m sure it was because of all the “other stuff” but when I quickly closed my practice (“I quit”), I lumped patient interactions with all the rest of the stuff and never wanted to see a patient again. It took me a year and pressure that I needed a job to get me back into medicine. I joined a telemedicine group and every patient I saw by video was like “being in the room with the patient”. I found my joy and delight again 🎉
Hi Danny! I am really drawn to do creative things. I think what happens for me is that I don’t have very much time left over after working, taking care of the house and the car and the general stuff. So I think a logical thought from there is, how can I spend more of the time that I am spending at a job earning money doing what I want to do, which is be creative. It ends up as a “how I want to spend my time and still make a living” issue. I’m not sure how to solve that, but I have realized that doing RUclips videos is a business and like you said you aren’t doing what you want do anymore, you’re running a business. I have no desire to run a business. I like your essays, but don’t sign up because it’s another thing to do having more email that I’ve got to deal with, and like I said, time is an issue with my current lifestyle. Bless you for all you do and I very much enjoy your talks and your art lessons on RUclips.
I went to university about 20 years ago because I felt I needed a degree in art. I got my degree and fell out of love with art because of other people and their opinions. Now I’m older I do it because I have a dream to complete my first graphic novel. I no longer care what others think. Do it because you love it and do it for yourself. ❤
Completely agree. Leaving aside our inner critics and imposter syndrome etc. To stop this, is to take back control. Be driven to do the art you want to see, the content you want to do. IF you start to do mostly the art (or whatever) other people want to see, or content, yes, you will sell more, get more likes, more followers but the problem will only multiply. Many may be OK with it, but some of us have these things inside that mean, it will come to a point that you go downhill. Can some do this and be happy? Yes. But many are not. Even leaving social media out for a moment, it's also why some professional artists starting out may do commissions, but if they do well and financially don't need to, they stop or do less commissions. And then do art they want to create, getting back to why you did it to start with. If we chase other people's dreams, it's unlikely to make us happy. I'd rather be less well off, less followers and happy, than well off with lots of followers and miserable. Enjoy your art, people.
I’m an author, and after a horrible experience with a publisher I almost quit writing. It’s a terrible thing to let someone else steal your joy and passion from you. This week I finally, after almost a year, started to write again. It feels painful and slow but I did it and plan on doing it again each day until it feels natural again. The message in your video is so important to all kinds of creative souls. We are sensitive people but out passions are important and shouldn’t be threatened. We need to protect our creative spirits and keep doing what we do best…create!
This is a question of distinguishing a hobby from work. We are paid NOT for what we want, but for what people want from us. For what WE want, we pay to other people, and often a very high price. It is always necessary to balance these things, because what we want is not equal to what a client wants. It is absolutely normal. Abnormal is to expect that people would be ready to pay us for a lifestyle that we want.
Thank you so much for this, Danny. I think this came in the perfect moment for me. I started to draw last year and was a while just so in awe and happy about creating for myself. Now, I am about to start feeling the pressure of creating „better“ and to do so „faster“ to have something to post on IG. You help me to go back inwards and remind me to enjoy the creative process for myself. The rest - posting and exchanging art with the community - is fun but comes next and on top of this - this should not be the goal or motivation. Thank you for reminding us to not allow ourselves to let art become a burden!
Spot on. I am learning many things from time spent drawing - discipline, focus, how to see from a new perspective, practical tool application and contentment from a project completed. None of this requires external recognition. Enjoy your content. Thank you.
Thanks for this video, Danny. Finally we're talking about this! I've been making art for more than 30 years and I've heard countless senseless things said to me. I have seen myself and my desire and perseverance to continue painting treated as naivety, lack of "business sense", "you are not an artist if you don't sell", "you have to push and keep painting what sells", you don't keep your feet on the ground, you will become famous when you die... blah blah blah... Never, ever anyone who was interested in what it means for me to paint; how it makes me feel; why I paint and sometimes I didn't want to sell some of my paintings; what it means to find what makes you happy and what it feels like; why I'm not at my best when I'm away from my brushes; why I get nervous when I collapse on my brushes from sleep and I can't wait to get up and start again; why I paint what I want and I paint for myself, without worrying if I sell or not... In fact I have done many different jobs in order to defend this freedom of expression and ensure that it can continue to flourish without filters... And I agree, to anyone out there listening I also say: don't quit! What you have is precious, it is an immense gift and, even if it seems like it leads nowhere, it is never like that! Continue just for the pleasure of seeing a color infiltrate the canvas, paper, fabric or other, hear the slight rustle of the brush, smell your tubes of color - I have a purple that tastes like chewing gum. Lose yourself in the moment of the act of painting and simply continue day after day and don't worry about anything else. This is how creativity, when you least expect it, works its "miracles".As for social media, I also thought about quitting and for a long time I posted other things and finally stopped posting. Today I'm posting for the pleasure of sharing what I create. I'm not really interested in how many likes I get. I see social media more as a way to keep track of my work and, if they come, have contact with someone really interested in art. In the worst case scenario, I posted beautiful images and beauty is an added value and balances, at least a little, the infinity of negativity that is shared daily. Danny, can I share the video on my blog, quoting and linking of course?
Even if I never ever made a piece of art, your message and delivery is so calm, so soothing: it can apply to lots of life areas. But yes; I create for myself. The process is what gives me joy. Well, also going back months later and saying, “Gee, this is pretty good!”
The funny thing is I started my channel in the beginning of this year! A few days in, I saw the first big influencer's quitting video - someone I never heard of - Thomas Scott? Then one by one, I saw similar videos popping up all over YT land. I used that as a sign of warning - be true to myself as why I started the channel. Your first video popped up to my feed today "Starting Art over 40" and I saw it has a much higher view counts than your other videos. I could see why, because we, the last genuinely creative generation are finding ourselves again. Being invisible and feeling obsolete is a real thing as one ages. I have wanted to get started (again) with art but there are still a few years left before I can have my daytime back. I will go through your videos and prepare myself as much as I can. Until then, cooking/baking is my 3D art. And I am ok with it. Just subscribed 🙂
Great advice! I make art because I love it. Recently a friend asked me if I ever show my work or sell it. I said no. For a brief moment it made me question myself but not for long. Because I make art cause I love it. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. You rock.
Danny Once again you are SPOT ON! I am always fueled by your “heart to heart” chats. I really love that you transfer your written essays to verbal videos. I listen to them as I do my office job. I really don’t have much time for reading. And when I do have down time I prefer to create! I have followed this channel for several years and it will continue to be my TOP 3! Thank you so much for not being a QUITTER. ❤
Loved what you said! I do have my own channel and IG - I only do what I love. And I do love to do art every day all day. But I can’t video 80% of the art I do because it is art I do from teachers, channels like yours. I absolutely love “classes” online. I will post final work and make sure the teacher is mentioned. I will do original work and video that, but I do not want to compete with the professionals. I so appreciate your channel. So you can’t ever quit. ❤
I'm sure that it can be hard to be an artist and make a living from your content on the Internet. l hpoe you still have fun making your videos and if l haden't seen them l never would have bought one of your books. For me RUclips is a chance to see artists from the whole world even if they are filming in a basement with a phone. ❤
I have to admit, I stumbled across your channel because I want to get back into drawing/sketching/doodling. I loved drawing ever since I was a kid. The reason I stopped was because I felt like I wasn't good or would get discouraged if my sketch/drawing didn't turn out like I wanted to. More often than not I used to get this on-going voice in my head that was so negative, I would just get depressed. But now, I'm actually more disappointed in myself for getting discouraged enough to stop doing one of the things that I enjoyed. So now I find myself asking the question of where do I start.
A lot of people don't care about likes on social media. Likes don't represent anything. I posted the Van Gough's work on my account, and it got just 62 likes. It was an experiment that proved it.
Ah, but likes feed the algorithm beast! More engagement moves the video to where more people may see it to garner more engagement to receive more monetization, rinse and repeat. I think the mistake is to get hooked on YT as an income stream.
Sometimes someone says something that your wee heart needs to hear. You did just that and I'm grateful. It resonates two fold as the day job of teaching has led me out of the classroom,, into management and I hate it. I miss the buzz of the kids and the daily interactions. So. I am going to change something and am going to soothe my soul by continuing to make my funny wee sketches and paintings that only have to entertain and please me. Thank you x
Whew! Glad you aren't quitting. I have thought about this and some of the people I like to watch. I'm not going to have a channel because I really don't have that much to say and the technology is terrifying. I'll just keep creating, being inspired by you and others. Thank you so much, Danny
Hello. I like your video. I'm a music composer for movies, television, and videos. I'm also an artist, photographer, author of a few books. I don't dedicate time to creating videos, or advertising what I do, because for many years I have been online reading articles, watching videos then making comments. I have links on all of my profiles of every work that I do. I focused my videos on one thing, because I was not going to keep making them. I also never focused on followers either. It's very time wasting, and I manage my time wisely. Everything I do is, because I enjoy it. I don't listen to advice on anything. I know what I'm doing, and that's it for me. Listening to other people's lives just showed where they went by their own actions. Doing things the way I know how is how I've gotten through without distractions. Thank you for your video. 😊
thanks, Danny, for reminding me that it's about having fun and if someone likes it and wants to buy it, great, if not, then not. the main thing is for me to enjoy and maybe learn something new out of each sculpt. so easy to stray :)
Wonderful advice, Danny. I drew a handful of times during the years I raised our children and helped with our oldest grandson. Now that I'm retired I make sure to draw almost every day. I draw for me for the most part. I tell everyone that I do not take requests. I learned years ago that when people know you can do something they expect you to make things for them. That takes the joy out of creating for me. I have made and given art to family and friends. All but once it was my choice. The one I gifted was something I'd already done once. I told them no guarantee when it would be finished.
Hey Danny, I love listening to your thoughts about art and why we do art. It makes me think of Duchamp pondering the reasons why we like the things we like, even when it come down to just a simple shovel. Sometimes I think of art as an asynchronous conversation with other people throughout humanity, we do art that pleases and speaks to ourselves while at the same time draws people in to the things we like. We like what we like and we don't know why, but when someone appreciates our work it keeps us motivated. At t he same time it seems like a risky gamble to make living from it.
"Thank you very much for the inspiring words. You hit the nail on the head. I live in Germany, and just recently, a RUclipsr who also offered online courses stopped with the same reasoning because his channel wasn't growing anymore. I found it very sad. Apparently, he too has lost his joy."
Danny, beautiful ! Beautiful advice and segway for both the professional and the 'hackers' like me. As a result of watching a couple of videos I got the 'tickle' of drawing and after 30+ days in a row - improving.
"Making for yourself" .. I try to combine the demands of the company and my inner setting. I'm still learning and I know that I can't do it without the opinion of others. But that's normal in the initial phase. Once one reaches a scale like this or other channels, it is already a higher level beyond marketing to nihilistic philosophy. :) Good luck and I look forward to the next video.
I am so thankful came across your channel. I am 63 and always enjoyed drawing my issues was the opinion of people especially my parent saying I could not do really am good at fashion design I guess it stuck in my mind . Just going to enjoy doing it. I can do it .Thank you ❤❤❤
Thanks a lot Danny for this beautiful video. This is why I only make posts on my social media from time to time car I don't like all of this pressure that comes with Instagram, facebook etc. As David Bowie said: "Never play to the gallery..."
I only had about a hundred subscribers on Instagram, but even then I put so much expectations upon myself that it brought me to burnout. I quit social media and had nearly a 4-years long break from drawing. I still don't feel that passion I used to have. I loved faces and portraits, now I'm indifferent if I see a person or a potato, I don't want to draw them. But thanks to this channel I slowly get back, because I don't want to waste nearly 13 years of self-learning art for some dumb social media trap I got in.
Such a good video. I'm an amateur artist, I had an instagram account and put a few photo's of my art up and before I could say Beetlejuice 3 times. I was getting hit by people wanting to buy my art by NFT's, sounded like total scams and felt that toxic feeling to put more photos up. I can understand why people get caught up in that trap, it would suck the creative juices right out of you. I deleted my instagram account. I don't understand the point of instagram anyway.
Hi Danny, It's five years since I retired from a fairly stressful job in the Packaging industry. In the meantime I've taken my photography more seriously, learning everything I can about using Photoshop and Lightroom and all the rest of the photo apps. I've also been using Affinity Designer to make art, trying my best to do everything on the computer. However, this can only go so far before you realise that people like me are gullible. Capitalism is geared to making money from folks like me. However, Just the other week it finally sunk in that I'm trying to be like someone else. Someone who teaches. I realised that I needed to escape from all this learning and be free to do my own thing,, as you pointed out in this video. I discovered you some time ago on RUclips but wasn't taking physical, paper and pen seriously. I missed out on such a lot of things by not sticking it out and watching more of your videos. I was so trapped in the snare of 'I must learn photo editing' that I couldn't focus on anything else. At the new year I made a resolution to improve my art, thinking I was going to do more with design graphics. And then just this week I re-discovered your channel here on RUclips, signed up for you Essays, and started the ongoing course to learn to draw. Yes, I've done drawing before, I have Betty Edwards books, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but they somehow weren't doing it for me. I think it's your calm manner of putting things across along with watching you make drawings that aren't gallery stuff, that made me realise, what the heck, I can draw! And so I'm back on the road to learning art. One of the things I've learnt over the years is, don't follow too many teachers. It's so tempting to rush off and buy all the books, video tutorials and watch so many RUclips videos that you soon reach burn out and quit. So now I'm following you for drawing and that's it. I also like to watch Pete Beards Channel about the various artists and look at what is possible. So thank you for being here. Perseverance is the only way forward, however dark the road ahead appears to be. As the saying goes, Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This is a wonderful and thoughtful video. I dont use social media but I know my own inner critic is just as harmful. having motivation to get better is good but not at the cost of my art as a whole. its better for me to do mediocre art that I enjoy, than none at all.
Danny, you can't go away! Do whatever it takes - we'll help - to make it all ok to stay & be our mage, guru, artist -in-residence or whatever you want to call it. Then we'll be ok & can focus on the Art of the art. It's that which will save e us all....
I'm sorry you went thru the whole meta media mess. But not sorry because you came out the other end with your resolutions intact. Weirdly, in my own journey, much of the messaging was my internal perfectionism! and I probably didn't have to dump out the history of my life as much as I did. But....C'est la vie. I came out the other side and found my way again. I sure hope that you are here forever! Not fair - I know! But be you - with your voice and your gentle way....and all is well.
Thanks for this open mind words and especially that you continue. I had the same experiences not on youtube but with courses. It took more and more time to prepare and the visitors are not willing to go deeper in knowledge, took to much time. So at last I stopped evereything because I lost my fun to teach people. Now I do it for myself alone and it feel soooo good.
I quit art for a few years, cause no one was buying my art, so it looked pointless and unneeded. But then tried to get back into it and found out just how GOOD I feel just doing for a process. Preferably with my friends. I understood my artist self better then. Now I'm ironically doing all the social media including RUclips 😅 But if this fails, I'm still going to do art. At least for my sanity. So check if your art process does this for you, it's eye opening 🤗
Good commentary, Danny. When I was working in the corporate world I gathered my bravery and submitted some abstract pieces to a local gallery. The gallery owner loved them and said “you’d better get busy making more.” I rented a space and hung my works there with plenty of space around them, like they were in an art exhibit. The gallery owner didn’t like this and wanted me to “fill up” the entire area I had rented. “More! More!” was her mantra. That experience took the joy out of creating for me. I left the gallery and am now retired, enjoying learning how to sketch and watercolor and doodle. It’s so much fun, and that’s really what it’s all about.
Thank you for sharing this perspective, especially since you are speaking from a lot of experience. I’m at the beginning of my art journey, later in life, and have considered documenting the journey along with other endeavors, with a RUclips channel of my own. But I have been concerned about all of the things that you touched on in this episode. You’ve provided good food for thought.
I' am so relieved to discover you are continuing with your videos. I enjoy them immensely. Your heartwarming, thoughtful dialog is so needed in today's stressful life. I am grateful that you helped me get my art practice back. Thank you for being there for all of us would be artists. Thank you for explaining what a little "a" artist is; it puts the fun back in art, and takes the pressure off the need to be an "A" artist.
I did this very thing with writing. I used to love to write and of course everyone was trying to push me to do it professionally and I just enjoyed the hobby, so I stopped writing because of pressure. Now that I'm older I realize that was a huge mistake!
I used to do a lot of art, I could pick up any style quickly and mimic it fast enough to adapt to any situation, then my health basically was attacked years ago, my hands shake violently now, I can't grip or lift anything any more, don't get me started on the severe pain and the immune deficiency, (gotten Covid twice in the past year and I was vaccinated and not going out, Fiancé came home carrying it from work without realizing it, we didn't learn until later that someone from work called off with being sick, and he happened to work in their area carrying Covid home, he would also get sick, but not nearly as severe as I did, the first time I gotten it, we were vaccinated 2x and about to schedule for the 3rd one, it lasted him about 3 days, me an entire month with 103°F fever for at least a week, he had to force feed me because I legit wouldn't wake up long enough to move out of bed for anything, not even the bathroom, I don't even remember most of it because I was so wiped out and exhausted). It drives me insane that I can't get my own life back because of outside circumstances beyond my control. I want to get back into drawing, but it's so difficult to gather the energy and focus, and much worse, some days I can't even grip the pen/pencil to do anything, it gets to painful. Doctors can't even help ease the pain, I'm either allergic to their meds or completely immune to their affects. if I had a nickel for every doctor I've baffled at my existence, to say I'd be rich, is an understatement. I'm forced to quit art against my own will... T_T
This was a great video...which I found after watching your how to draw video. I've been thinking these things for quite some time having the need to express myself, but I hate seeing what being an influencer does to a person if they let it (if they're young). It's great you are going to continue!!! I've really wanted to get into art journaling for a while but I don't draw very well (but my kid does and got into an art school, lol), but I know I can learn to draw well enough for my needs so I'm glad you'll continue to make content.
I suppose a lot of this stems from deciding to make being a creative a career. Once you decide this is your career then it always tends to degrade into a "job" (a terrible word in today's world). I am fortunate that I do not have to make being a creative a career, but unfortunate in that I struggle with giving myself the title of "artist' (hobbyist at best). As a hobbyist I go through bouts of creating, to not creative, to creating again.... as my poorly focused mind permits me. So, the big question..... how can you create, make a living, and not burn out to the point of quitting in today's environment? Another great video, thanks for addressing the topic.
This is the best video about this! I am definitely going to watch this video when I feel defeated or am comparing myself to others who have more numbers on their channels. I would love to make money making videos on what I create, but I don't want to lose my soul along the way.
I make pottery purely for fun. I do art shows to make enough room in my house to make more pottery. It supports me after five years of making. I am still learning and experiment with new items and glazes all the time. Now, thanks to your program, I am adding pictures to my pieces. What bfun I am having discovering I can draw . Thank you
You are wonderful! Like a therapist! Love what you do and glad you’re not quitting! However, if you ever reach that point you feel like you have nothing left to say… I will completely understand. Hope that 2024 will be a productive year for you Danny. Judging from all the comments you are very much loved!
Thank you for the confirmation. I'm working for the film industry for about a couple decades, and somehow at the beginning the wind of such danger just hit me, so I made up my mind to be brave enough to stay small; -I mean not to grow a large company where all is left for me is management instead of the work I love: making stuff.
Not drawing, but once upon a time I found Paul Sellers's woodworking channel. Did some projects, had fun. Take a look at his work, if you have some time. But after some time "somehow" the woodworking videos I watched turned more towards the gear, machines, tools. And also "you can build these projects and will sell for big money" kind of videos. Suddenly woodworking changed from a fun hobby to a mix of "I need moar gear" + "could I or should I just start a woodworking business?" - including lots of anxiety from mostly the latter...
Phew! I thought you might be considering quitting. Glad that’s not the case. My art is nothing fabulous but I have fun and enjoy it. Thanks. Great video.
I sent this video to a good friend who is starting up a RUclips channel. He knows so much about bonsai design and care, that his voice should be welcome. I would hate to see him burn out. So far, he is doing a great job. I enjoyed reading The Peter Principle. The Peter Prescription is also important, and I'm convinced that you read that, too. Regards, Superginger
Thanks for talking on this topic. I'm a new youtuber and as soon as i started youtubing these videos started coming up and I was not budged because I think it's a natural process . True creatives cannot stick to one thing for too long and that's ok . Also , if you take it as a job , aren't people joining and leaving in every other field ???? Most of the people are just using this clickbate now " I Quit" :D😂😂😂 Bcz everyone would want to listen "Why?"
My fear of what others would think of what I create, stops me creating at all..😞. I see many different artists creating their art, on social media, and I feel the usual excitement of wanting to “be able to do that too!”. I even get as far as purchasing the art supplies l need to start, but once l have them, something in my head tells me that I can’t do this, so I don’t. I look at all my art supplies, think of all the money I’ve wasted, think of all the time I’ve wasted by not trying, and just hate myself again..😢
I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening to you.. I feel very much the same. I start something like it ,then think what others would think about it and can't bring myself to do anymore. Don't hate yourself. Be kind to yourself. Take a pen and follow Danny's advice. Just draw something. Sending loving thoughts and encouragement your way.
Eventually route 66 comes to an end, then you need to build your own road. Use your ideas and knowledge, to build your road, even if this a just a dirt road with potholes. Art working is either an easy smooth tarmac road, or a dirty road with potholes, much harder to get anywhere, but the places you go to are visited by only a few..
I think alot of people have a mixed perception of social media with their art. I am finding it to be a waste anymore. I used it as a portfolio for my artwork. I decided to go as a freelance artist after the corporate world in graphic design wasn't ever stable. I was just a number at a picture factory. I do diversify my art skills for income. It's a challenge but I also think of my days as a drone in a corporate office. I don't find my artwork as a task or selling out. I learn from others and I do make time to tinker with ideas and have fun in other genres too. My youtube channel is small but it's kinda something I upload to when I feel inspired. Social media I don't feel the pressure to always post because I don't have many followers there either and those algorithms suck too. Especially Instagram. I think if people push themselves too much with an inner voice they will burn out. It's ok to step away and take a break or find something else that feeds the creative side. I love creating on a daily basis in all types of genres. I found back in 2020 when I broke my elbow of my drawing hand side I was devastated. I couldn't draw with the right hand for 8 weeks. So I told myself I would draw with the left hand and I drew giant chalkdrawings in my driveway to soothe my creative soul. Then I later used those giant chalk drawings as a way to diversify my income to giant windows and I created a new revenue stream. I'm still enjoying it many years later and love learning about it and making connections with others. I think different. Some might think I'm a sell out diversifying all my creative skills for income. But I also keep a part of my creativity for myself. It's the same as I saw people in the corporate office world wrap their entire lives being drones for the man. Then not have any energy left for themselves when they got home to be with their family. They would turn around and drone that too. Just going through the motions and sitting themselves on the couch the rest of the night watching Netflix or whatever and never giving something else a try. I was hungry for creativity and wanting to learn more. I don't watch tv or streaming services. I dedicate my time with other things.
And this is why I only make stuff for myself. Not for others to see or judge, never to sell. Making things is my hobby, it's what I do because I love it. I avoid most social media because I don't want the toxicity to poison what I love to do.
Well said ❤
Thank you for helping me believe in me your awesome .
This is exactly why I stopped posting. . .not necessarily because of what people said, but the because I was trying to make to much content and sell it. I sold quite a bit. . .but it was exhausting. At my age I just need to enjoy creating. . .THANKS!
Me to!!!
I didn't draw or paint all last year because I lost direction. I was trying to please too many invisible critics. Hoping to pick up again this year with a deafness to the inner voices. Thank you for your gentle advice. ❤❤❤
Thanks for sharing, I know this phenomenon very well too.
Hello. I found your channel through one of your videos on why I should learn how to draw. I've watched it and now I'm almost drawing every day small or big. Right now I'm at a difficult stage of my life, I'm fighting with major OCD and addiction problems and I am gonna honestly admit, I draw to get away from those things. I started drawing and reading books which have helped me to heal my brain and my habits and now I just doodle what is in front of me. I'm very happy that drawing is becoming a subconscious habit for me. I love it.
Good luck!
Used to do photorealistic drawings. Then I started entering them in shows locally (I live in a highly populated area). And I started winning. I added some high end craft making to my entries and won in many of those too. One year I won most all of the bigger shows. Did it again the next year to prove it wasn't a fluke the year prior.
Then I stopped showing. I'd proved to myself that I was an artist. That was enough for me. Went on to do art in other mediums mostly for fun. Then I sold some stuff, and I changed my medium again and now do completely different kinds of art just for me.
My whole point is, your art hobby/career will ebb and flow. Go *with* the tide. And if you put pencil to paper, you ARE an artist. You have the right to call yourself an artist from day one. Happy creating!
I agree with everything you said so eloquently. As a writer, photographer and artist, I too found joy, for a while, with my work for a magazine and eventually a newspaper. I created ads and covered news events. A bit of everything. Ultimately I began to feel like a beast of burden and not an artist and creator anymore. I lost the joy for some time. When I picked up my pen and paint again as a retiree, I found what I lost and began creating again. My well meaning husband says your work is so good you should sell it. I have a little but I don’t want to chase that occasional dollar anymore. I just want to draw, paint, write and photograph without money sucking the fun out of it. If someone wants a piece I created, I might sell it. But I am done with marketing.
This is exactly the conclusion I came to recently within myself. It took me YEARS to figure out why drawing was... poisoned for me. I would start to get panic attacks when even trying to draw or paint despite it being a passion, something I need like air. I had given myself so many unsaid rules I felt I had to follow, after years of commissions wondering if a piece was sellable even if I didn't intend to sell it, all of that. I recently deleted all of my art socials, do not post my work anywhere public, and am working on taking it back.
I have been inspired to draw by your videos. I’m enjoying my art more than ever. I am a beginner but I’m learning & loving it.
You scared me…I thought you were quitting for real and I was missing you already! Your content is so refreshing and valuable, so I am glad you are aware of the pitfalls and continue on the platform. Thank you for sharing 😊
Each of us is on our own path and journey. Thanks for the encouragement for each of us to be brave enough to follow that path, regardless of whether we are walking alone or with friends.
I'm very much a beginner artist, in my mid-60s. I've no thought that my art will ever be saleable, but I do feel as if I've found a long-lost Love. I recently joined Deviant Art, and it feels very empowering to publicly call myself an artist, and show other artists what I'm doing. I've found it a very welcoming and positive forum. At the same time I'm aware that since joining I feel a certain pressure to do more 'serious' art that I can post, rather than just doodling along. I think there are good and bad sides to this, for me at least. I've a habit of starting a lot of pictures, working out how I want to approach them, and then starting something else. Having an incentive to actually finish some pictures isn't a bad thing! But I'm also aware of the traps you talk about, and I've been pulling back a bit from Deviant Art, and making sure I still have enough time just farting around for fun! Like everything it's a balance 😄
70 a novice ..But enjoy learning..
Thanks Danny. I make art for myself, not anyone else. I enjoy it, all of it, the good, bad and the ugly! I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I do it simply for self expression, for relaxation and the sheer joy of it.
This was beautiful. I have always struggled with the tension between art and business. I like that the business side seems to make people see your art as more valid (for some reason) but at the same time I don’t like that world or the type of people who often tend to run it. But I also am never content with the idea of my art being just a hobby either. It’s all very confusing.
When I started making RUclips videos I deliberately decided not to have a regular schedule for posting videos, I knew that would be too much pressure for me and I’d quickly lose the joy of it. I treat RUclips as one more creative hobby which I do it as and when I feel like it. I know this means my channel is probably growing slower, but that’s fine. I’m actually getting close to being monetised and hope I can keep going with the same attitude.
"Comparison is a killer of self-confidence, creativity and a thief of joy" I forget who said it first, but I live and breathe it.💟
Es gab einige Monate, in denen ich mich von vielen Influenzern auf RUclips und Instagram habe verführen lassen. Mein Ergebnis: zu viele unterschiedliche Materialien, ein Hüpfen von Motiv zu Motiv, die verschiedesten Themen… Ich wurde verrückt, selbst mein innerer Kritiker gab auf und wollte statt alles perfekt gar nichts mehr… Mein Weg seit ein paar Wochen: weniger Social Media, jeden Tag mindestens eine kleine Zeichnung, wofür ich aber mindestens eine Woche etwas beibehalte: entweder das Motiv, das ich in unterschiedlichen Techniken male/zeichne oder ein Medium (inklusive eingeschränkte Farbpalette) mit dem ich unterschiedliche Motive und Techniken male. Und zurück zu den Anfängen: Muster, Formen, Farbpaletten, Skizzen…
Bitte mach weiterhin einfache Videos 😍
You should make a sleeping app where you read your essays. You have a calming voice
Consistently brilliant content and very motivating, thank you Danny, I really enjoy your newsletters by email, always full of wisdom and common sense
Thank you for this video. Sometimes I need someone to tell me to go back to the WHY and not get lost in the loud voices of demand. 🙏 Have a nice week. 😊
The thing with creativity takes some time and ideas also don’t always come when you need them.
RUclips has handled over its daily business to A.I an Algorithms.
These are not aware of human sense of humour or have an idea of daily chores and that humans have a life besides the RUclips space. Or need a timeout from time to time.
So in my opinion RUclips kills what made them big. That’s why there is such a big rise of hauls, reactions, reviews, compilations. For these you just have to recycle others material or be able to read some facts, put affiliate links in description and open packages without blood loss.
I’m still here because there is a few left that go against the trend and get dinged and muzzled. But still passionate enough to keep going. Twitch is too fast paced for my liking.
Thank you for tackling this subject. It takes a lot of courage for someone to go out there on public and show their work and be criticised, sometimes harshly. And if we add the algorithm to the game, it becomes hard to continue playing safely, keeping good mental health. What is the point of all this! Creating art, even for living, should stay enjoyable and brings happiness to the artist and their surroundings or followers. For those who suffer, don’t quit art, just quit the toxic environment around your art. Change the game 😊
I'm a writer. Been writing since I was 15 and I used to just write for myself or to share with a friend who was doing the same. (Fan fiction before there was internet and it was called that. So many trees and mechanical pencils died for it.) Then my dad got annoyed with me because I wrote whenever I had nothing else I had to do and said I should sell it. Implying it wasn't worth anything unless it made money. Now I have to struggle to shut the worry about making money with my writing so I can just write. It's annoying as hell.
I am inspired by what you are doing. Just bought a new drawing pen. Thank you, sir.
Always love your point of view!! I practiced the ART of medicine. I can relate to this video from a different perspective.
Somehow (long story), I ended up owning my own practice, I.e. managing a lot of people, etc. The only time I was truly happy was when I was in the room with the patient, sitting across from them, practicing my art. I burned out and I’m sure it was because of all the “other stuff” but when I quickly closed my practice (“I quit”), I lumped patient interactions with all the rest of the stuff and never wanted to see a patient again. It took me a year and pressure that I needed a job to get me back into medicine. I joined a telemedicine group and every patient I saw by video was like “being in the room with the patient”. I found my joy and delight again 🎉
This is gold.
Hi Danny! I am really drawn to do creative things. I think what happens for me is that I don’t have very much time left over after working, taking care of the house and the car and the general stuff. So I think a logical thought from there is, how can I spend more of the time that I am spending at a job earning money doing what I want to do, which is be creative. It ends up as a “how I want to spend my time and still make a living” issue. I’m not sure how to solve that, but I have realized that doing RUclips videos is a business and like you said you aren’t doing what you want do anymore, you’re running a business. I have no desire to run a business. I like your essays, but don’t sign up because it’s another thing to do having more email that I’ve got to deal with, and like I said, time is an issue with my current lifestyle. Bless you for all you do and I very much enjoy your talks and your art lessons on RUclips.
You're so right!Thanks !
This was a great heartfelt advice. Not letting the art we love turn into a burden. Thank you for your essays.
I went to university about 20 years ago because I felt I needed a degree in art. I got my degree and fell out of love with art because of other people and their opinions. Now I’m older I do it because I have a dream to complete my first graphic novel. I no longer care what others think. Do it because you love it and do it for yourself. ❤
Completely agree. Leaving aside our inner critics and imposter syndrome etc. To stop this, is to take back control. Be driven to do the art you want to see, the content you want to do. IF you start to do mostly the art (or whatever) other people want to see, or content, yes, you will sell more, get more likes, more followers but the problem will only multiply. Many may be OK with it, but some of us have these things inside that mean, it will come to a point that you go downhill. Can some do this and be happy? Yes. But many are not. Even leaving social media out for a moment, it's also why some professional artists starting out may do commissions, but if they do well and financially don't need to, they stop or do less commissions. And then do art they want to create, getting back to why you did it to start with. If we chase other people's dreams, it's unlikely to make us happy. I'd rather be less well off, less followers and happy, than well off with lots of followers and miserable. Enjoy your art, people.
I’m an author, and after a horrible experience with a publisher I almost quit writing. It’s a terrible thing to let someone else steal your joy and passion from you. This week I finally, after almost a year, started to write again. It feels painful and slow but I did it and plan on doing it again each day until it feels natural again. The message in your video is so important to all kinds of creative souls. We are sensitive people but out passions are important and shouldn’t be threatened. We need to protect our creative spirits and keep doing what we do best…create!
Welcome back! Let us know when your book is ready for us.
This is a question of distinguishing a hobby from work. We are paid NOT for what we want, but for what people want from us. For what WE want, we pay to other people, and often a very high price. It is always necessary to balance these things, because what we want is not equal to what a client wants. It is absolutely normal. Abnormal is to expect that people would be ready to pay us for a lifestyle that we want.
Thank you so much for this, Danny. I think this came in the perfect moment for me. I started to draw last year and was a while just so in awe and happy about creating for myself. Now, I am about to start feeling the pressure of creating „better“ and to do so „faster“ to have something to post on IG. You help me to go back inwards and remind me to enjoy the creative process for myself. The rest - posting and exchanging art with the community - is fun but comes next and on top of this - this should not be the goal or motivation. Thank you for reminding us to not allow ourselves to let art become a burden!
Spot on. I am learning many things from time spent drawing - discipline, focus, how to see from a new perspective, practical tool application and contentment from a project completed. None of this requires external recognition. Enjoy your content. Thank you.
Thanks for this video, Danny. Finally we're talking about this! I've been making art for more than 30 years and I've heard countless senseless things said to me. I have seen myself and my desire and perseverance to continue painting treated as naivety, lack of "business sense", "you are not an artist if you don't sell", "you have to push and keep painting what sells", you don't keep your feet on the ground, you will become famous when you die... blah blah blah... Never, ever anyone who was interested in what it means for me to paint; how it makes me feel; why I paint and sometimes I didn't want to sell some of my paintings; what it means to find what makes you happy and what it feels like; why I'm not at my best when I'm away from my brushes; why I get nervous when I collapse on my brushes from sleep and I can't wait to get up and start again; why I paint what I want and I paint for myself, without worrying if I sell or not... In fact I have done many different jobs in order to defend this freedom of expression and ensure that it can continue to flourish without filters... And I agree, to anyone out there listening I also say: don't quit! What you have is precious, it is an immense gift and, even if it seems like it leads nowhere, it is never like that! Continue just for the pleasure of seeing a color infiltrate the canvas, paper, fabric or other, hear the slight rustle of the brush, smell your tubes of color - I have a purple that tastes like chewing gum. Lose yourself in the moment of the act of painting and simply continue day after day and don't worry about anything else. This is how creativity, when you least expect it, works its "miracles".As for social media, I also thought about quitting and for a long time I posted other things and finally stopped posting. Today I'm posting for the pleasure of sharing what I create. I'm not really interested in how many likes I get. I see social media more as a way to keep track of my work and, if they come, have contact with someone really interested in art. In the worst case scenario, I posted beautiful images and beauty is an added value and balances, at least a little, the infinity of negativity that is shared daily.
Danny, can I share the video on my blog, quoting and linking of course?
Even if I never ever made a piece of art, your message and delivery is so calm, so soothing: it can apply to lots of life areas.
But yes; I create for myself. The process is what gives me joy.
Well, also going back months later and saying, “Gee, this is pretty good!”
The funny thing is I started my channel in the beginning of this year! A few days in, I saw the first big influencer's quitting video - someone I never heard of - Thomas Scott? Then one by one, I saw similar videos popping up all over YT land. I used that as a sign of warning - be true to myself as why I started the channel. Your first video popped up to my feed today "Starting Art over 40" and I saw it has a much higher view counts than your other videos. I could see why, because we, the last genuinely creative generation are finding ourselves again. Being invisible and feeling obsolete is a real thing as one ages. I have wanted to get started (again) with art but there are still a few years left before I can have my daytime back. I will go through your videos and prepare myself as much as I can. Until then, cooking/baking is my 3D art. And I am ok with it. Just subscribed 🙂
Great advice! I make art because I love it. Recently a friend asked me if I ever show my work or sell it. I said no. For a brief moment it made me question myself but not for long. Because I make art cause I love it. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. You rock.
Danny
Once again you are SPOT ON!
I am always fueled by your “heart to heart” chats.
I really love that you transfer your written essays to verbal videos.
I listen to them as I do my office job.
I really don’t have much time for reading. And when I do have down time I prefer to create!
I have followed this channel for several years and it will continue to be my TOP 3!
Thank you so much for not being a QUITTER. ❤
Thanks, very good points
Loved what you said! I do have my own channel and IG - I only do what I love. And I do love to do art every day all day. But I can’t video 80% of the art I do because it is art I do from teachers, channels like yours. I absolutely love “classes” online. I will post final work and make sure the teacher is mentioned. I will do original work and video that, but I do not want to compete with the professionals. I so appreciate your channel. So you can’t ever quit. ❤
I'm sure that it can be hard to be an artist and make a living from your content on the Internet. l hpoe you still have fun making your videos and if l haden't seen them l never would have bought one of your books. For me RUclips is a chance to see artists from the whole world even if they are filming in a basement with a phone. ❤
I have to admit, I stumbled across your channel because I want to get back into drawing/sketching/doodling. I loved drawing ever since I was a kid. The reason I stopped was because I felt like I wasn't good or would get discouraged if my sketch/drawing didn't turn out like I wanted to. More often than not I used to get this on-going voice in my head that was so negative, I would just get depressed. But now, I'm actually more disappointed in myself for getting discouraged enough to stop doing one of the things that I enjoyed. So now I find myself asking the question of where do I start.
A lot of people don't care about likes on social media. Likes don't represent anything. I posted the Van Gough's work on my account, and it got just 62 likes. It was an experiment that proved it.
Awesome idea!
Ah, but likes feed the algorithm beast! More engagement moves the video to where more people may see it to garner more engagement to receive more monetization, rinse and repeat. I think the mistake is to get hooked on YT as an income stream.
"We are working for these voices in our head rather than playing and enjoying making art". That resonates with me and I will change that!!! 😉
Sometimes someone says something that your wee heart needs to hear. You did just that and I'm grateful. It resonates two fold as the day job of teaching has led me out of the classroom,, into management and I hate it. I miss the buzz of the kids and the daily interactions.
So. I am going to change something and am going to soothe my soul by continuing to make my funny wee sketches and paintings that only have to entertain and please me.
Thank you x
Your message and honestly, just your voice is so comforting. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Whew! Glad you aren't quitting. I have thought about this and some of the people I like to watch. I'm not going to have a channel because I really don't have that much to say and the technology is terrifying. I'll just keep creating, being inspired by you and others. Thank you so much, Danny
Hello. I like your video. I'm a music composer for movies, television, and videos. I'm also an artist, photographer, author of a few books. I don't dedicate time to creating videos, or advertising what I do, because for many years I have been online reading articles, watching videos then making comments. I have links on all of my profiles of every work that I do. I focused my videos on one thing, because I was not going to keep making them. I also never focused on followers either. It's very time wasting, and I manage my time wisely. Everything I do is, because I enjoy it. I don't listen to advice on anything. I know what I'm doing, and that's it for me. Listening to other people's lives just showed where they went by their own actions. Doing things the way I know how is how I've gotten through without distractions. Thank you for your video. 😊
I'm so thankful for your videos and really appreciate that you plan to continue sharing your talent with us. 😊
thanks, Danny, for reminding me that it's about having fun and if someone likes it and wants to buy it, great, if not, then not. the main thing is for me to enjoy and maybe learn something new out of each sculpt. so easy to stray :)
Wonderful advice, Danny. I drew a handful of times during the years I raised our children and helped with our oldest grandson. Now that I'm retired I make sure to draw almost every day. I draw for me for the most part. I tell everyone that I do not take requests. I learned years ago that when people know you can do something they expect you to make things for them. That takes the joy out of creating for me. I have made and given art to family and friends. All but once it was my choice. The one I gifted was something I'd already done once. I told them no guarantee when it would be finished.
Hey Danny, I love listening to your thoughts about art and why we do art. It makes me think of Duchamp pondering the reasons why we like the things we like, even when it come down to just a simple shovel. Sometimes I think of art as an asynchronous conversation with other people throughout humanity, we do art that pleases and speaks to ourselves while at the same time draws people in to the things we like. We like what we like and we don't know why, but when someone appreciates our work it keeps us motivated. At t he same time it seems like a risky gamble to make living from it.
"Thank you very much for the inspiring words. You hit the nail on the head. I live in Germany, and just recently, a RUclipsr who also offered online courses stopped with the same reasoning because his channel wasn't growing anymore. I found it very sad. Apparently, he too has lost his joy."
Danny, beautiful ! Beautiful advice and segway for both the professional and the 'hackers' like me. As a result of watching a couple of videos I got the 'tickle' of drawing and after 30+ days in a row - improving.
"Making for yourself" .. I try to combine the demands of the company and my inner setting. I'm still learning and I know that I can't do it without the opinion of others. But that's normal in the initial phase. Once one reaches a scale like this or other channels, it is already a higher level beyond marketing to nihilistic philosophy. :) Good luck and I look forward to the next video.
I am so thankful came across your channel. I am 63 and always enjoyed drawing my issues was the opinion of people especially my parent saying I could not do really am good at fashion design I guess it stuck in my mind . Just going to enjoy doing it. I can do it .Thank you ❤❤❤
Thanks a lot Danny for this beautiful video. This is why I only make posts on my social media from time to time car I don't like all of this pressure that comes with Instagram, facebook etc. As David Bowie said: "Never play to the gallery..."
I only had about a hundred subscribers on Instagram, but even then I put so much expectations upon myself that it brought me to burnout. I quit social media and had nearly a 4-years long break from drawing. I still don't feel that passion I used to have. I loved faces and portraits, now I'm indifferent if I see a person or a potato, I don't want to draw them. But thanks to this channel I slowly get back, because I don't want to waste nearly 13 years of self-learning art for some dumb social media trap I got in.
Such a good video. I'm an amateur artist, I had an instagram account and put a few photo's of my art up and before I could say Beetlejuice 3 times. I was getting hit by people wanting to buy my art by NFT's, sounded like total scams and felt that toxic feeling to put more photos up. I can understand why people get caught up in that trap, it would suck the creative juices right out of you. I deleted my instagram account. I don't understand the point of instagram anyway.
Hi Danny, It's five years since I retired from a fairly stressful job in the Packaging industry. In the meantime I've taken my photography more seriously, learning everything I can about using Photoshop and Lightroom and all the rest of the photo apps. I've also been using Affinity Designer to make art, trying my best to do everything on the computer. However, this can only go so far before you realise that people like me are gullible. Capitalism is geared to making money from folks like me. However, Just the other week it finally sunk in that I'm trying to be like someone else. Someone who teaches. I realised that I needed to escape from all this learning and be free to do my own thing,, as you pointed out in this video. I discovered you some time ago on RUclips but wasn't taking physical, paper and pen seriously. I missed out on such a lot of things by not sticking it out and watching more of your videos. I was so trapped in the snare of 'I must learn photo editing' that I couldn't focus on anything else. At the new year I made a resolution to improve my art, thinking I was going to do more with design graphics. And then just this week I re-discovered your channel here on RUclips, signed up for you Essays, and started the ongoing course to learn to draw. Yes, I've done drawing before, I have Betty Edwards books, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but they somehow weren't doing it for me. I think it's your calm manner of putting things across along with watching you make drawings that aren't gallery stuff, that made me realise, what the heck, I can draw! And so I'm back on the road to learning art. One of the things I've learnt over the years is, don't follow too many teachers. It's so tempting to rush off and buy all the books, video tutorials and watch so many RUclips videos that you soon reach burn out and quit. So now I'm following you for drawing and that's it. I also like to watch Pete Beards Channel about the various artists and look at what is possible. So thank you for being here. Perseverance is the only way forward, however dark the road ahead appears to be. As the saying goes, Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This is a wonderful and thoughtful video. I dont use social media but I know my own inner critic is just as harmful. having motivation to get better is good but not at the cost of my art as a whole. its better for me to do mediocre art that I enjoy, than none at all.
This is the type of positive thinking I wish more people would talk about. Thank you for this!
Danny, you can't go away! Do whatever it takes - we'll help - to make it all ok to stay & be our mage, guru, artist -in-residence or whatever you want to call it. Then we'll be ok & can focus on the Art of the art. It's that which will save e us all....
I'm sorry you went thru the whole meta media mess. But not sorry because you came out the other end with your resolutions intact. Weirdly, in my own journey, much of the messaging was my internal perfectionism! and I probably didn't have to dump out the history of my life as much as I did. But....C'est la vie. I came out the other side and found my way again.
I sure hope that you are here forever! Not fair - I know! But be you - with your voice and your gentle way....and all is well.
Thanks for this open mind words and especially that you continue. I had the same experiences not on youtube but with courses. It took more and more time to prepare and the visitors are not willing to go deeper in knowledge, took to much time. So at last I stopped evereything because I lost my fun to teach people. Now I do it for myself alone and it feel soooo good.
I quit art for a few years, cause no one was buying my art, so it looked pointless and unneeded.
But then tried to get back into it and found out just how GOOD I feel just doing for a process. Preferably with my friends. I understood my artist self better then.
Now I'm ironically doing all the social media including RUclips 😅 But if this fails, I'm still going to do art. At least for my sanity.
So check if your art process does this for you, it's eye opening 🤗
Wise words, Danny.
Thank you for reminding us about the simplicity of creating art. 🙏🏻
Good commentary, Danny. When I was working in the corporate world I gathered my bravery and submitted some abstract pieces to a local gallery. The gallery owner loved them and said “you’d better get busy making more.” I rented a space and hung my works there with plenty of space around them, like they were in an art exhibit. The gallery owner didn’t like this and wanted me to “fill up” the entire area I had rented. “More! More!” was her mantra. That experience took the joy out of creating for me. I left the gallery and am now retired, enjoying learning how to sketch and watercolor and doodle. It’s so much fun, and that’s really what it’s all about.
Business and creativity in contrast of each other
Un millón de gracias!! oro puro tu comentario!!!!🤩🤩🤩
Thank you for sharing this perspective, especially since you are speaking from a lot of experience. I’m at the beginning of my art journey, later in life, and have considered documenting the journey along with other endeavors, with a RUclips channel of my own. But I have been concerned about all of the things that you touched on in this episode. You’ve provided good food for thought.
I' am so relieved to discover you are continuing with your videos. I enjoy them immensely. Your heartwarming, thoughtful dialog is so needed in today's stressful life. I am grateful that you helped me get my art practice back. Thank you for being there for all of us would be artists. Thank you for explaining what a little "a" artist is; it puts the fun back in art, and takes the pressure off the need to be an "A" artist.
Very well said, sir.
I did this very thing with writing. I used to love to write and of course everyone was trying to push me to do it professionally and I just enjoyed the hobby, so I stopped writing because of pressure. Now that I'm older I realize that was a huge mistake!
I used to do a lot of art, I could pick up any style quickly and mimic it fast enough to adapt to any situation, then my health basically was attacked years ago, my hands shake violently now, I can't grip or lift anything any more, don't get me started on the severe pain and the immune deficiency, (gotten Covid twice in the past year and I was vaccinated and not going out, Fiancé came home carrying it from work without realizing it, we didn't learn until later that someone from work called off with being sick, and he happened to work in their area carrying Covid home, he would also get sick, but not nearly as severe as I did, the first time I gotten it, we were vaccinated 2x and about to schedule for the 3rd one, it lasted him about 3 days, me an entire month with 103°F fever for at least a week, he had to force feed me because I legit wouldn't wake up long enough to move out of bed for anything, not even the bathroom, I don't even remember most of it because I was so wiped out and exhausted). It drives me insane that I can't get my own life back because of outside circumstances beyond my control. I want to get back into drawing, but it's so difficult to gather the energy and focus, and much worse, some days I can't even grip the pen/pencil to do anything, it gets to painful. Doctors can't even help ease the pain, I'm either allergic to their meds or completely immune to their affects. if I had a nickel for every doctor I've baffled at my existence, to say I'd be rich, is an understatement. I'm forced to quit art against my own will... T_T
This was a great video...which I found after watching your how to draw video. I've been thinking these things for quite some time having the need to express myself, but I hate seeing what being an influencer does to a person if they let it (if they're young). It's great you are going to continue!!! I've really wanted to get into art journaling for a while but I don't draw very well (but my kid does and got into an art school, lol), but I know I can learn to draw well enough for my needs so I'm glad you'll continue to make content.
I suppose a lot of this stems from deciding to make being a creative a career. Once you decide this is your career then it always tends to degrade into a "job" (a terrible word in today's world). I am fortunate that I do not have to make being a creative a career, but unfortunate in that I struggle with giving myself the title of "artist' (hobbyist at best). As a hobbyist I go through bouts of creating, to not creative, to creating again.... as my poorly focused mind permits me. So, the big question..... how can you create, make a living, and not burn out to the point of quitting in today's environment? Another great video, thanks for addressing the topic.
This is the best video about this! I am definitely going to watch this video when I feel defeated or am comparing myself to others who have more numbers on their channels. I would love to make money making videos on what I create, but I don't want to lose my soul along the way.
The pressures of being commercial are great and I understand your point. And I agree with you thank you
You have great perspective. Thank you
I make pottery purely for fun. I do art shows to make enough room in my house to make more pottery. It supports me after five years of making. I am still learning and experiment with new items and glazes all the time. Now, thanks to your program, I am adding pictures to my pieces. What bfun I am having discovering I can draw . Thank you
You are wonderful! Like a therapist! Love what you do and glad you’re not quitting! However, if you ever reach that point you feel like you have nothing left to say… I will completely understand. Hope that 2024 will be a productive year for you Danny. Judging from all the comments you are very much loved!
Your work, your writing, and your viewpoint changed my life. Thanks for all you have done.
Wow, thank you!
Thank you for the confirmation. I'm working for the film industry for about a couple decades, and somehow at the beginning the wind of such danger just hit me, so I made up my mind to be brave enough to stay small; -I mean not to grow a large company where all is left for me is management instead of the work I love: making stuff.
This video found me in the right moment. Thank you so much
Not drawing, but once upon a time I found Paul Sellers's woodworking channel. Did some projects, had fun. Take a look at his work, if you have some time.
But after some time "somehow" the woodworking videos I watched turned more towards the gear, machines, tools. And also "you can build these projects and will sell for big money" kind of videos.
Suddenly woodworking changed from a fun hobby to a mix of "I need moar gear" + "could I or should I just start a woodworking business?" - including lots of anxiety from mostly the latter...
I would be very much interested in reading your views on life, creativity, arts..
Read Danny’s book You Do You. It’s a book of his short essays about this. A delightful inspiring read.
Was in this rut and gave up painting, All the time the feeling of Not Good Enough, Thank god am out of it after months…
Simply, thank you.
Phew! I thought you might be considering quitting. Glad that’s not the case. My art is nothing fabulous but I have fun and enjoy it. Thanks. Great video.
You are so easy to listen to. And very wise too. Thank you
monetization of content has been a disaster for the human race
Just like allowing speculators, developers, investors, landlords and government into the residential housing market.
@@dc-wp8oc i agree
I sent this video to a good friend who is starting up a RUclips channel. He knows so much about bonsai design and care, that his voice should be welcome. I would hate to see him burn out. So far, he is doing a great job.
I enjoyed reading The Peter Principle. The Peter Prescription is also important, and I'm convinced that you read that, too.
Regards, Superginger
All too true again, Danny! Thanks for spreading motivation and inspiration. Hope you are all well. ❤
Thanks for talking on this topic. I'm a new youtuber and as soon as i started youtubing these videos started coming up and I was not budged because I think it's a natural process . True creatives cannot stick to one thing for too long and that's ok . Also , if you take it as a job , aren't people joining and leaving in every other field ???? Most of the people are just using this clickbate now " I Quit" :D😂😂😂 Bcz everyone would want to listen "Why?"
You got this!
I love your comments. Thank you.
My fear of what others would think of what I create, stops me creating at all..😞. I see many different artists creating their art, on social media, and I feel the usual excitement of wanting to “be able to do that too!”. I even get as far as purchasing the art supplies l need to start, but once l have them, something in my head tells me that I can’t do this, so I don’t. I look at all my art supplies, think of all the money I’ve wasted, think of all the time I’ve wasted by not trying, and just hate myself again..😢
I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening to you.. I feel very much the same. I start something like it ,then think what others would think about it and can't bring myself to do anymore.
Don't hate yourself. Be kind to yourself. Take a pen and follow Danny's advice. Just draw something. Sending loving thoughts and encouragement your way.
Eventually route 66 comes to an end, then you need to build your own road. Use your ideas and knowledge, to build your road, even if this a just a dirt road with potholes. Art working is either an easy smooth tarmac road, or a dirty road with potholes, much harder to get anywhere, but the places you go to are visited by only a few..
Love the analogy! And I live near Rt66 …
I loved your speech :) Thanks for sharing!!!
I think alot of people have a mixed perception of social media with their art. I am finding it to be a waste anymore. I used it as a portfolio for my artwork. I decided to go as a freelance artist after the corporate world in graphic design wasn't ever stable. I was just a number at a picture factory. I do diversify my art skills for income. It's a challenge but I also think of my days as a drone in a corporate office. I don't find my artwork as a task or selling out. I learn from others and I do make time to tinker with ideas and have fun in other genres too. My youtube channel is small but it's kinda something I upload to when I feel inspired.
Social media I don't feel the pressure to always post because I don't have many followers there either and those algorithms suck too. Especially Instagram. I think if people push themselves too much with an inner voice they will burn out. It's ok to step away and take a break or find something else that feeds the creative side.
I love creating on a daily basis in all types of genres. I found back in 2020 when I broke my elbow of my drawing hand side I was devastated. I couldn't draw with the right hand for 8 weeks. So I told myself I would draw with the left hand and I drew giant chalkdrawings in my driveway to soothe my creative soul. Then I later used those giant chalk drawings as a way to diversify my income to giant windows and I created a new revenue stream. I'm still enjoying it many years later and love learning about it and making connections with others.
I think different. Some might think I'm a sell out diversifying all my creative skills for income. But I also keep a part of my creativity for myself. It's the same as I saw people in the corporate office world wrap their entire lives being drones for the man. Then not have any energy left for themselves when they got home to be with their family. They would turn around and drone that too. Just going through the motions and sitting themselves on the couch the rest of the night watching Netflix or whatever and never giving something else a try. I was hungry for creativity and wanting to learn more. I don't watch tv or streaming services. I dedicate my time with other things.