Anxiaties Associated with Art?

[Divine Oblivion]

I've been feeling... Out of sorts, lately. I never post on the forums, I usually just lurk like a little monster waiting to bite your ankles off. :P

On a serious note, I've been feeling very inadequate about myself and my, well, if you could call what I do, "Art". I mostly work with digital media, I like to think I have a grasp on basic anatomy, though I still need work. Digital painting, as well. From what I've read here; art is nothing more but a lifetime of practice.

If you ever feel as though you've truly reached perfection, then why try anymore? I find art to be a fun and challenging subject; I've been drawing since I was little. I love learning about it and trying to apply it to what I do; and for some reason lately, I've just been feeling... fragile.

I can't explain it. Usually; I LOVE critique and advice when it's given, and I snap it up every time and try to apply it to other pieces that I do. But, lately, I've been getting more and more down on myself because of my art. I feel like I'll never learn much past my limited skills as is.

Drawing human facial features... Oh man, don't get me STARTED on that. It's awkward and for some reason I just ALWAYS feel totally uncomfortable doing it. And, trying to receive a piece of critique right now will send me into a spiraling bad mood. And I have no idea why.

TL;DR - I feel insecure about myself and my budding skills as an artist. Advice?

[kool-ka-lang]

I was in your exact, same position before.

And precursor to the onslaught, a lot of people will have said to use the search button. You're not alone. If you'd have read a few threads before, even just on the front page of art discussion, there are sh**loads of people who are anxious about there art to certain degrees...so don't sweat it. There's more than enough people here willing to help out.

This is just a sampling, which is lilnebo's thread.
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138102

And my own personal philosophy on this very topic - learn from it what you can, and sincerely hope you don't "tl;dr" it. ;)

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135551

Even without looking at my thread, lilnebo should have enough there to have ANYBODY going.

[arttorney]

You need to visualize yourself succeeding rather than failing. The brain is very powerful and will tend to fulfill its own prophecies.

Or as Henry Thoreau would say: advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life you have imagined and you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. You will leave some things behind. New, universal and more liberal laws will establish themselves around and within you and you will live with the license of a higher order of beings. If you have built castles in the sky that's great. That's where they should be. Now lay the foundations under them.

[Divine Oblivion]

Hey, thanks you guys. <3 Kool, I was cracking up at the "Fuck yeah." thread! I seriously need to adopt that attitude, I'm such a negative person. Just the kick in the ass that I needed!

Arttorney; trust me, you're not the only one who's told me I need to envision success. I try, and for some reason, it ends up horribly twisting into a grotesque chorus of, "FAILURE." Though I don't believe myself to be a failure, just inadequate, and it somehow transmits into a lack of motivation to DO something.

Confusing, right? Also; love the quote.

[Max Challie]

Enjoy the process rather than focusing on the finished result. If you love drawing, it won't matter how good/bad the finished result is. Find some detail about drawing that you like a little and develop the playful relationship between you and that detail, learn to love the petiteness

or go play outside with a stick, running around, swinging it around, hitting the trees with your sword. fuck yeah