Here are five tips to help you gain more confidence as an artist:
ONE - DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS Stop comparing yourself to others because it can lead to frustration, discouragement and failure. I find myself feeling discouraged sometimes looking through Instagram and seeing beautiful works done by other artists and thinking they are so good. Why can’t I paint like them? But wouldn’t life be boring if everyone painted the same style? Yes! My friend loves abstracted works, but not me. My sister loves photorealistic works, not me. I’m so glad that there are so many different artists and styles for all of us. As you continue to learn and paint, you will develop your own style. I’ve taken a lot of classes from other artists and through all of these experiences, I still continue to grow and develop my skills. I’ll never be just like them because I have my own way of doing things, my own way of seeing, my own faults and my own strengths. You do too! If you want to compare your work, compare it to your past work and see how much you have grown.
TWO - ART IS A JOURNEY Remember creating art is a journey, not a destination. Once you’ve reached your destination, then there is no moving forward, no motivation to continue or grow. That’s no fun. You may hit some roadblocks or bumps in the road but don’t let that stop you. Keep going and you’ll eventually see improvement in your painting.
THREE - MOTIVATION Think about what motivates you. What gets you in the right mindset to paint? For me, when I need a little push to paint, I’ll look through my collection of floral photos on my phone. Or I’ll go through my Pinterest boards. Sometimes I’ll go to my local garden center and take pictures of some flowers I want to buy. This one is my favorite because just being around flowers makes me happy. So if you’re feeling motivated you’ll likely paint and continue to develop your skills, leading to more confidence.
FOUR - ALWAYS BE LEARNING It’s so fun to take courses from other artists and learn new ways of doing things but it can get expensive. That is why I’m so glad there is YouTube out there with loads of great artists and free tutorials for developing your skills. If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, go check it out. Take classes online or at your local gallery. Or message your favorite artists online and ask questions. I know from experience, they would love to hear from you! You never know, you might pick up a new trick or two.
FIVE - PATIENCE Don’t give up! It will take time to improve and develop your skills. At around the age of 40 years old, I developed shaking in my hands due to “Essential Tremors”, which I inherited from my father’s side of the family. I could no longer paint with smooth strokes. I had to quit watercolors and switched to acrylics because I knew that acrylics would allow for corrections so much easier. I love creating so much that I changed my mindset and learned a new way of doing things. So don’t give up because if you do, you’re guaranteed to never improve as an artist. Even if you’re not improving as much as you like, keep on painting and I promise you’ll learn new things and gain new skills. The more you know, the more your confidence will improve, too!
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