By Aura

All artists struggle at some point in their lives. It can be frustrating to not be a master at your craft right away. I was in a weird spot with my own artwork not too long ago. I was frustrated with the flaws in my work and feeling not good enough, I was lost and burnt out. It was then my instructor sent me a video from Jeremy Vickery, a professional lighting artist. In the video, Jeremy described the journey of becoming a professional artist. This was an amazing video, and it had me thinking about all the artists around me who are going through the same journey as I am. I wanted to write this article to share my experience as an artist and share the information from the video. 
 

When we begin something that we love and enjoy, we continue to practice that craft and see improvement. But what happens when it changes from a hobby to an identity, and from an identity to a profession? As you continue through your artistic journey, you may notice the flaws and lack of detail in your work, you may become frustrated that you see your artwork not as good as you originally thought. This phenomenon is super common among artists, why is that?

The major reason that artists find themselves doubting their work and getting stuck in a rut is they become aware of the rules of art and how things are supposed to look. You will begin to learn how things behave and are expected to; once you learn you begin to notice where you may be missing that application of rules in your practice. With this growth follows frustration and it’s easy to get stuck and fall into these spots where you feel that you’re not good enough. It’s important to keep in mind that part of the reason you feel that way is because you’re learning.

You, as an artist, are becoming aware of the flaws and pieces in your work that you’re not pleased with. It’s a difficult process, but as you gain understanding you will begin to slowly but surely see your practice improve. In any skill, it’s expected that once you’re able to apply the learning you have done, you’ll level out for some time before falling into another pit filled with doubt and frustration. This doubt and frustration come from not being able to apply the new knowledge immediately. You may understand the foundations and the basics of what you’re trying to do, but the application is another part of the learning you have to do.

This is the journey of becoming a professional artist, it’s an everyday fight to be better than you were yesterday. 

No one is perfect, you will not just pick up knowledge of a new skill and run with it, it takes practice and time to learn how to apply the skill to your artwork. Learning and practice are not linear, you will learn a new rule before applying it to your work, you will also have to practice the application before it’s any good. This is the cycle of art.

Another aspect artists suffer from is imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is the feeling that despite having a job, commission, or other form of employment you feel you may not be good enough for the job. People describe themselves as frauds when experiencing these types of feelings and it’s completely normal to feel this way at some point in your life.

 

How do we overcome these feelings?

It’s most important to be gentle with yourself and rational. You may realize that you’re not in the spot you want to be, and that’s okay. You will need to be rational with yourself that this spot is not forever if you continue to practice your skills. Take it bit by bit, learn anatomy, then how to shade, followed by learning to add light. It’s all about baby steps! It’s important for artists to be understanding with themselves and understand that nothing comes overnight.

When we feel like we’re not cut out and the obstacle seems too big, it’s always good to break it up into smaller pieces. You can always come back to the bigger picture!

Finally, it's always great to keep in mind that art is a journey, not a destination. 

A true artist will never stop doing art.