Do any of you ever feel scared with art?

[tn100]

:davi: Hi, sometimes I feel scared that I won't succeed with art. Do any of you ever have that feeling? How do I get rid of it?

I know that I love it and I love doing it. I can't imagine myself doing anything else for a living besides this and I stopped going to college so that I can spend everyday training my art skills. I feel like I put it all on the line and if I don't succeed at finding a job doing art then... I don't know... my life would suck. I also have a strict mother that is strongly against me being an artist so the day I can get a job as an artist I will earn back respect and also make my dream come true. I just have this constant pressure over my head and it drives me both to work really hard but also really stressed out. I feel impatient sometimes... I want to know and see myself creating great works now. I guess I'm just scared of it because it's mysterious to me... I don't really know how good I'll be in a year or 5.

:mod:
Help me conquer this!

[HunterKiller_]

Everybody is afraid of failure. Great men are those who have conquered them.

Art is a long and hard road, but the the only time you will fail is if you stop trying.

You're on the right path by being here on CA. There's all the information you want to know about art right at your finger tips.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much you want it.

Many try, but few make it to the top, that's the harsh truth, it's not to discourage you, but rather you should feel compelled to try harder.

[Boolean]

I don't really know how good I'll be in a year or 5.

Show me one person who does.

[skvv]

Re-evaluate how you define success and failure.

If you know that you can't fail, you make more art... and making more art is improvement. Improvement leads to success. The more time you spend thinking about failure is time spent failing.


So trite, a slogan... but this works.

Just Do It

[Farvus]

I know what you mean. It's like putting all eggs in one basket and I guess everybody feels that when starting out with art. I have that fear too but I try to think that success is just a matter of time.

[Brushcommander]

What helps me is looking at my improvement.
Looking at drawings I did when I started out and at drawings I did recently.. and it just forces me to believe that I can do it.
And if I can do it, everybody can.

[Alzorath]

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733/ref=pd_ys_iyr45


It's a very good read if you haven't read it...

[Rabid]

An artist is someone who has learned to trust themself...

[tomwaits4noman]

fear is the mind killer fear is the oblivion that brings total death..........

fear can paralyse you

stop you from creating art.

You worry that you will never improve,
that you will never be as good as the next guy
that you will never make a living out of it.
you will fail!!!!!


examine why you are doing this, why do you want to be an artist?

Is it because you enjoy it you like creating images etc?

keep it as a hobby enjoy the creative progress nurture it, even if your doing it full time treat it as a hobby (sure you have deadlines, pressure etc but try to remember why you want to do this)

stop judging yourself by other people.. its a common mistake to make,

you will never be Da Vinci the same as you will never be Halle Berry...

You are you, use what you got, put the work in and enjoy learning...

You will grow as an artist you'll learn new things. Look at the growth of people here in the space of a year, or even a few months.

If you want to do this professionally start small if you can't break into the industry straight away, you may be only be an artist in your spare time but at least you gaining work experience, or you may have to sub with other things.

create, enjoy and stop panicking

[J Wilson]

Part of becoming an adult is making that separation between yourself and your parents. Mom doesn't approve? Who cares. You aren't asking HER to become an artist, you are making decisions about YOUR life. If art is truelly your passion and goal, and you already know nothing else will make you happy, then there you are. Pressure off.

The process to become a good artist can't be rushed, and it sure can be a bumpier and longer road than other professions. No matter how much you stress, you can't change that very much. Better is to stop worrying and just commit yourself, and enjoy the ride. There's a lot to learn and experience and you should be enjoying it, not stressing.

[dose]

Get the book that Alzorath linked.

[Chris Bennett]

I'll second what Dose has just said. It'll work on you like magic.

[Cthogua]

Get the book that Alzorath linked.

I second that. It's a really good book.

Also, learn to redirect your fear into purposefulness. It can be a good thing, it just depends on your reaction to it. Being afriad and doing nothing means that the fear rules you. Being afriad then doing something about it turns it into a positive force. Eventually, as you begin to prove to yourself that you can do it, the fear becomes desire. You will no longer fear the unknown, you'll crave it.

[s.ketch]

Failure is a choice. You decide if you succeed at art. You like it? You want to do it? Do it. The task ahead of you is never as great as the power within you.

[Anid Maro]

Failure is never trying, failure is settling for mediocrity. Do what you love, do what it takes to be happy with your life. Anything less is beneath you.

[Flake]

+1 vote for "Art and Fear", good book.

It's a very easy read and only 120 pages or so. Bring a highlighter pen.

[Musselfarmstudios]

In regards to fear . . . it's good for some people . . . it keeps them on there toes . . . there are those who can embrace fear and those who let there fears embrace them. It could actually be the motivation that your looking for . . . ie fear of ending up on the street, fear of your mom hating your path . . . use these fears to push you into the direction you need to go!!!

Embrace failure . . . "failure" means that you actaully tried to achieve something . . . it's better to try and fail than to never try at all.

I know that this may sound contrary to what everyone else is trying to tell you but when you fail . . . you learn just as much if not more about what you're trying to achieve . . . The big issue that you really need to understand is what you choose to do after you fail . . . because we all fail . . . it's part of the human experiance.

The key to success is being able to adapt and overcome. It's not always because your not skilled enough or anything like that . . . it may just mean that it wasn't your day. But don't look at failure as something bad.

"I want to know and see myself creating great works now. I guess I'm just scared of it because it's mysterious to me... I don't really know how good I'll be in a year or 5."

In regards to that statement . . . only you can really answer it . . . the small desicions that we make today . . . will greatly effect the outcomes of tomorrow!

So don't just practice drawing but remember that being an artist is also about understanding business and realizing that all these issues exist in the business world as well . . . big difference is that we make our own product.

Watch a little Big Idea with Donnie Deutch . . . or read some Zig Ziglar or Deepak Chapra . . . even the Art of War . . . all this will help you better understand what your going through!

Good Luck!

[Max Challie]

A few years ago, I started to learn how to make Crepé (flat pancakes). When it didn't come together perfectly, I was very disappointed with myself. I sat crying, beating myself up for my failure. Now, I'm happy with them every time. I kept going with them, and they're not bad.

Every failure is a learning experience. Quite a few years ago, when I was very young, I was riding down a steep hill on my bike. I felt I needed to slow down, and panicking, grabbed the front brake handle. The bike tumbled quite literally 360º, and yes, I was crying. It hurt more than a little, and I haven't pulled hard on the front brake handle at high speeds since then. Every failure is a learning experience.

The more difficult a skill is, the more philosophy it produces. Things that are that hard change you, they change the way you think. It's well known how much philosophy is involved in martial arts, in general.
In art, it's best to seek out formal education. But in programming, the best are self-taught. You're thrown right into the deep end, there are plenty of problems, most of which are difficult. And, you have to solve them. They won't go away until you've solved them yourself.
I believe that programmers of high skill are the most intelligent people of our time. They love what they do, they love to solve problems. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved, and some are more fun than others. While you may not know all of what you need to solve a problem, if you just tackle a little piece and learn from that, you may know enough to solve the next piece, and so on.

P.S. Please don't get the impression I'm a programmer. I have not had any experience with programming and simply find interest in the mindset.

[Elwell]

In art, it's best to seek out formal education. But in programming, the best are self-taught. You're thrown right into the deep end, there are plenty of problems, most of which are difficult. And, you have to solve them. They won't go away until you've solved them yourself.
I believe that programmers of high skill are the most intelligent people of our time. They love what they do, they love to solve problems. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved, and some are more fun than others. While you may not know all of what you need to solve a problem, if you just tackle a little piece and learn from that, you may know enough to solve the next piece, and so on.

P.S. Please don't get the impression I'm a programmer. I have not had any experience with programming and simply find interest in the mindset.
Programmers and artists actually have far more in common than you think (http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html).

[thinairart]

But in programming, the best are self-taught.

As a computer programmer and a former electrical engineer, I can tell you that statement is way off. The "problem solving" skills you mentioned are best obtained through a formal study of data structures and algorithms. That is the difference between "computer science" and "programming". I've worked with plenty of self starters who consistently reinvent the wheel on every project versus applying a time tested design pattern they should have learned in school.

[s.ketch]

In art, the best are self taught. But in programming, it's best to seek out formal education.

Fix'd

[Samari]

I think I'll be less fearful about my future if I dedicate myself and my drawings become good. That and I'll enjoy drawing more.

[Cthogua]

I believe that programmers of high skill are the most intelligent people of our time.

Hehe, you may be right on that one, but some of the most intelligent people I've ever met also have some of the weakest social skills I've ever seen. Its not just the general nerdiness of it either. I find talking to really good programmers difficult sometimes because they're so focused on efficiency in everything they do it spills over into their communication. You get exactly the information you asked for and nothing else.

In reality I think its impossible to say "most intelligent" because I think intelligence manifests itself in a variety of ways and places. I also think that there's two distinct types of thinking, linear, and organic/non-linear and people that are great at one are often not so great at the other. People that are extremely good programmers are often very systematic, linear thinkers. Art, however, is great because it can actually be the home of both types. I have friends that are great musicians as long as they are playing an already written piece of music, but are terrible at, and even kind of frightened by improvisation, and others that are the exact opposite.

[Elwell]

Hehe, you may be right on that one, but some of the most intelligent people I've ever met also have some of the weakest social skills I've ever seen. Its not just the general nerdiness of it either. I find talking to really good programmers difficult sometimes because they're so focused on efficiency in everything they do it spills over into their communication. You get exactly the information you asked for and nothing else.

Part of this may be that programming attracts a disproportionate number of folks with Asberger's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome).

[Samurai_em]

You know, I know a few people with 4 year degrees unrelated to what they do now. One guy an with an English Literature degree works for a video game company working on game mechanics now, one guy an Commercial Art degree is now a DJ and works part time for an airline and DJs at clubs on the side, I know a gal that has a psychology degree that works as a graphic designer. None of them knew that they weren't going to to end up Teaching, Being an Artist, or being a child psychologist. In fact except the first guy, they sort of feel like they wasted their time going to school (however they do say that it was in invaluable experience in itself).

Actually I was talking about this with the DJ guy the other day, "you don't really know what you want to do until you get out there and try something and realize you don't like it" lol.

"the road to sucess is paved with failure"

You shouldn't be afraid of failure, because you will fail. When you do though, get back up and try again.

[tn100]

I just ordered the Art and Fear book on Amazon. Looking forward to it.

I really appreciate the help. Yeah, I'm going to just enjoy the art path I chose. Haha, my mom doesn't believe I'll make it so right now I'm on my own. I know I have the passion and I'll work hard everyday.

[Max Challie]

reidaj - thank you for explaining that to me, I'll read over it a few more times.

Cthogua - this is why they can often come off as arrogant. When communicating with them on the Internet, they require a perfectly clear presentation of questions with only the subject present, and there is no socializing. They don't mean to be rude, and they aren't either, they just have a certain standard of communication which to the average thinker seems arrogant. The mindset of the average person causes them to misenterpret what the hacker indended. Beliefs will filter what we hear into something else.

Samurai_em - this is common. People lose interest in their subject after five years, which is pretty understandable. You have to love what you do.