How to Regain Trust in Your Art Skills And Overcome Hopelessness
Another year has almost gone by, and what a year it has been. I think it is safe to say that this was a year of uncertainty for all of us but perhaps also of new personal discoveries too. With many us feeling stuck, it's been unavoidable for us to develop and discover new ways to work effectively in the ever-changing environment of our world. And now that we're reaching the end of this hectic year let's take this opportune moment to rethink ourselves, take some time to reflect upon what might have worked for us and what didn't.
A CHANCE TO START OVER
As the new year approaches, it's an opportunity to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. If you are getting back into drawing after a long time or are dissatisfied with your current work, it's a chance to start fresh and let go of any self-doubt or insecurities that may have held you back in the past. It can be a daunting task to face your innermost thoughts and feelings, but by doing so, you can build a strong foundation for growth and create the future you want. By shedding yourselves of these negative emotions, you can tap into your full potential and become the most spectacular versions of yourselves.
TWO WAYS TO SEE THE SAME THING
Let's take a look at two possible ways and how we can interpret the same sentence differently emotionally, and while we do this, say this out loud while listening to how you feel.
"The year is ending, and a new one is about to begin."
For some of us, the thought of a new year beginning can bring us a burst of excitement. A new year that we get to write, and we are the one holding the pen! Yet for others, this simple yet profound sentence could carry regret and maybe even a sense of deep sadness. And some of you might think this has to do with how the previous year had gone, perhaps, all those happy people are high achievers and can breeze through life without any issues, but not you. You have a ball and chain around your ankles, shackling you from reaching the same heights.
But as is turns out, it has nothing to do with how much they achieved at all. It is not success which naturally ushers in even more success, but two key ingredients: mindset and trust. Let us explore and dig deeper into why we might clip our wings before we even get the chance to fly, and what steps we can take to help make our flight more successful.
BROKEN PROMISES - FEELING HOPELESS WITH YOUR ART.
Putting ourselves out there is difficult, and perhaps doesn't work out as we planned, life can be unpredictable and overwhelming at times, especially with so many things outside of our control. We make promises to ourselves to change, become better artists, and achieve some level of success to prove we've made it or are on our way. Yet just as we get started, something will happen to us which veers us off track. Maybe, we tried to change too fast and took on too many new things at once depleting our willpower and leaving us deflated. Or perhaps an obstacle has emerged that we never anticipated, and we can't find a way around it.
So, with no energy left, we fall short on our promises. And that act of letting go of yet another dream hurts us, leading us to begin to lose trust in ourselves ever being capable of achieving what we set out to do. Now, the sheer thought of us trying again makes us feel hopeless because deep down, that belief of never fulfilling our promises takes over. Even if right now we want to make a positive change and we want to work hard towards it, why should we trust in someone who's let us down, time and time again?
If you look at yourself and feel this is you, I want you to know that you are not alone or without hope. A lot of us have experienced failure at different levels, and it's not just a normal part of life, but an essential part of growth.
I don't want you to see failure as a reason to put yourself down, but a necessary step towards the plan you've set yourself out to achieve. Think of the moment in a story when the hero seems without any hope; it's always just before discovering a new and untapped strength within them so that they can unleash it upon the challenge set before them and triumph.
REGAIN TRUST IN YOURSELF AND YOUR ART SKILLS
Once we lose trust in ourselves, it can take no little amount of effort to get back to a place where we not only believe we have what it takes to act on our promises but also fulfil them and achieve the goals we set out for ourselves. I've arranged out here a few do's and don'ts for your art and intentions you place on yourself which will hopefully help you towards regaining the trust you need.
Be yourself - Do what you want to do, and not what is popular. It might sound like lousy advice to go the opposite way of following trends; however, please hear me out. If for example, pink flamingos have taken the storm and are currently the most popular thing to draw, but your style is dark and grungy, not matching what's in vogue. It would be best if you held back your desire to ride the wave of popularity because there is a very high probability that you will not enjoy the process, which in turn is likely to lead you to resent making art altogether. The solution I'm offering you is to drop the flamingo entirely or if needs be, draw a dark and grungy flamingo in your style which speaks to your artistic voice!
Recharge in your comfort Zone - Striving to improve our skills is admirable, but if all we're doing each day is overworking ourselves with difficult or dry tasks, it can strain our creativity and desire to draw. Like an athlete who needs rest to allow their body to repair and grow stronger, so does our artistic muscle need time to recharge. Take moments for yourself to indulge in making art, not for anybody in particular or challenging your skills, but purely for the pleasure of creating it. Removing the expectations we place on our art allows us to build upon our strengths without the additional strain of improvement, and it also helps us become more attuned with why we love to do what we do.
Set small but meaningful goals - Set goals that you have full control of and are process-based, avoid outcome-based goals outside of your control, for example, number of likes or followers on social media. If your aim is set on you achieving a specific number as a basis for success, then you have not allowed yourself any room for failure. Life is not a linear formula that we can follow, and our goals need to reflect that.
A good process-based goal example could be:
I will make time to draw anatomy for at least ten minutes every day this week.
I will dedicate a couple of hours to update my art print shop every week.
I will do my best to post my art on social media three times a week for a year.
Bad examples of the same goals:
I will master anatomy drawing.
I will sell 100 Prints this month.
I will get 10k followers on Instagram this year.
Be kind to yourself - Praise your resilience and effort, celebrate your victories no matter how small they are. If, for example, you find it difficult even to sit down and draw for a couple of hours, yet one day you manage to find the strength to do so; the fact that you have won over your fear and picked up a pencil is a victory worthy of celebration on its own. Give yourself recognition for dedicating time to your art, and be careful not to fall into the trap to base your worth on what you have created. Whether it is a doodle or a masterpiece has no importance at this moment, you beat your art demon, and you deserve the confetti.
HOW AM 'I' SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?
You might be shaking your head and saying: Serena this is all nice and good, but I've tried so many times, and I keep failing; it just won't work for me.
I want you to imagine water flowing over a rocky hillside, slowly carving a path down towards a beautiful lake at the bottom. The more that water runs down, the more it begins to dig deeper. Eventually, it will carve out a channel deep enough for it to effortlessly flow as one consistent stream. This beautiful process is a metaphor for how we get better at walking, drawing, speaking languages and learning anything, but also this is the process that to a degree shapes how we perceive challenges, and in consequence how we feel and respond to them. This process is called brain plasticity, and it happens behind the scenes of every single day.
It means that you can use this process to your advantage by consciously changing your actions to guide the flow to where you want. You have power over yourself to enact positive change by choosing to take action and carve an attitude of success towards your art.
If your habits and thought patterns that we want to change have been allowed to "flow" for a long time, it can take significantly more effort to redirect them towards a more positive direction, so make sure you stick to building good habits for at least three months. It might sound a little daunting at first but remember: the more you persevere, the easier it will become!
IN SUMMARY
Always remember to be kind to yourself because you are capable of achieving great things with consistent positive work. But first, reconnect with what makes creating fun, take the time not only to learn and improve your skills but express with the ones you have now. Although we can feel stuck in an endless cycle of repeatedly putting ourselves down by not fulfilling unobtainable goals, we are the ones holding the pen and writing our script. And never forget you have the natural ability to carve out your path by redirecting the flow of your life, so never be afraid to steer towards your dream.
