re: self-deprecation among artists
(disclaimer: i am not an expert!! i'm just throwing out some frustrations i have about people who think like this and advice on how to get better. i wanna help others improve!)
i've been seeing this a lot in artists at my college as well as artists online. both usually occur when placed in a position where one compares themself to other artists they adore or look up to and as a result, feels really shit about it.
more often than not, they'll express this frustration in the form of a message somewhat along the lines of "oh, you're so good at [this], i'll never be able to do [that]."
stop doing this!!! stop doing this stop doing this please for the love of god stop doing this
it is not a compliment. you have just forced me to comfort you because i posted something i made where you could see it. i've had this happen so much to me that i've gotten tired of it and figured i should write about it. so here we go.
there's a few sections to this, so let's start with the first:
How do you get to this point in the first place?
this usually happens to artists near the beginning of their journey, but it also can occur while being an experienced artist. often, it's when one is in a setting where they have to be surrounded by artists they perceive have a higher skill than them. this happened recently irl in one of my classes.
now let me clarify that everyone starts at a different place! each artist's experience is unique and some may be more fortunate than others when it comes to time and equipment.
a feeling like this can happen to anyone in any profession at any age and at any skill level. hell, it's happened to me when i was younger. the important thing is that you identify this is a problem and you work to get over it.
Why do you feel like this?
comparison is the bane of every artist's existence. this is where this feeling stems from. it feels overwhelming when you're not equipped to handle it, and i would be lying if i said i didn't deal with this myself.
however, no one is objectively "the best artist". it all comes down to terms of taste and specialties.
i may envy someone who's good with realism, as i am someone with feet firmly planted in the more exaggerated, cartoonish world. however, we both trained ourselves in very different areas. they might be good with realism, but not so good with a cartoon style. this literally all comes down to how you've practiced your own work, and seeing the strengths of others only.
i'd love to get good at realism, but my comfort zone is cartoony. however, if i wanted to get better, i'd study those who are experts in that field as well as broken down tutorials and steps until i felt i was improving. and then i'd continue to practice this skill to better build my muscle memory.
i would never try to "compliment" someone else's work and then lament in the same message how i'm not "good enough" at it. it may seem like in the moment, i'll never get there.
that's like trying to run a marathon for the first time ever without training for it and expecting to place first.
this person in front of you has been training themselves in this specific technique far longer than you have, but remember: they started where you are. you will not improve if you do not practice.
How can I create a better mindset?
it's not easy to get out of thinking like this. i've been there. but you gotta start.
you may not be at the place you want to be right now, but you will get there if you put in the work. it's easy to look at something in 5 seconds, but that image may have taken 5 hours, 5 days, 5 months, etc. to create. however long it took them to master that skill is included too.
an example of a better mindset is accepting constructive criticism when it comes to your art.
i've witnessed someone crash out during final crit at college because others were giving them suggestions on how they can improve and they thought it was a personal attack. you need to be open to others looking at your art and advising you on how you can make it better. if you just do stuff in private, you'll never be able to get someone's opinion on how you can make it better before you finish. if you fear that they're gonna be hostile, clarify that it has to be constructive. not a "oh you drew this arm wrong", but instead a "i see how you drew this arm, here's a few things to try out and see how it looks!"
you have to get used to this if you're wanting to work in the industry, too. ANY kind of art industry.
you gotta take baby steps. it's frustrating to try something and not be good at it the first time, but that just means you have time to try again. doing something "perfectly" the first time doesn't build muscle memory whereas doing something multiple times despite making mistakes does.
So yeah. This has always been an issue among artists, and I don't fault anyone who thinks this way. You're not "wrong" if you think this way. This is just my opinion from someone who's received messages and been talked to in person where I may have been complimented on my work, but I've instantly had to comfort whoever gave me that compliment. I just want others to be able to get better and improve how they think about things like this, as it does make it uncomfortable for the parties they try to talk to.
You having confidence in your work means that you improve. You being able to have an open mind and try new things means that you improve. Sure, your path to doing this may be longer than others and you won't get there right away.
But you'll never get there if you don't start.
