{"id":40329,"date":"2019-02-25T06:00:41","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T12:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/?p=40329"},"modified":"2019-02-22T13:15:12","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T19:15:12","slug":"8-lies-that-stop-you-from-being-a-good-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/blog\/8-lies-that-stop-you-from-being-a-good-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Lies That Stop You From Being a Good Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning to draw is like taking a hike through a dark, mysterious forest that you\u2019ve never visited before. Because you like challenging yourself, you take a deep breath and head into the woods alone. You\u2019re inspired by what you see, and you\u2019re proud of yourself for venturing off of your normal path and exploring this entirely different world. However, because the forest is dark and this path is unknown to you, you quickly become afraid. Every noise and shadow is amplified.
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Suddenly, this journey shifts from exciting to intimidating. Should you push past your fears and continue down the path or should you turn back to what\u2019s familiar?
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If you opt to continue on your trek through the forest, you\u2019d find that those ominous sounds were actually coming from small animals playing amongst the leaves. There was nothing to be afraid of after all.
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Learning to draw is similar. It\u2019s easy to get scared away by our own thoughts. But, by confronting those ideas that hold us back, we can discover a new path.
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In this post, we\u2019ll look at the most common fears we have about learning to draw.<\/p>

[content_upgrade cu_id=”40328″]Here\u2019s a list of 10 quotes you need to read about the artistic experience.[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]
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Fear #1: I\u2019m not talented<\/h2>

That’s not true. If you can hold a pencil steady enough to write your name, you can learn to draw. It may be that some of us are able to grasp concepts and apply them more readily, while others have to work a little harder, but don’t let that hold you back. We have yet to meet the student who simply \u201ccan\u2019t draw.\u201d
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Besides, \u201ctalent\u201d is over-rated. The ability to draw well isn\u2019t an instinct. It\u2019s not the product of intuition, or a gut feeling. No one is born an artist, or a musician, or even an accountant. Every skill we acquire throughout our lives takes practice.
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Successful drawing is actually the product of analysis. If you observe your subject carefully, ask the right questions, employ a reliable method, and above all else – lots of practice<\/em>, your drawings will improve. We\u2019ve seen it work with students countless times.[bctt tweet=”Natural talent doesn\u2019t dictate your ability to draw. Here\u2019s why:”]
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Fear #2: I’m Not Creative<\/h2>
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Well, that\u2019s just silly. Humans are creative beings. If you’ve ever made dinner from scratch (be it beouf<\/g> bourguignon or a peanut butter sandwich), you’ve created something. So let’s abandon the notion that you’re not creative.
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But it doesn\u2019t matter anyway. Learning to draw is not about \u201ccreativity.\u201d It\u2019s about developing skills. Even with an abundance of ideas for the art you want to make, you still need a skill set to take you from holding a pencil to precisely recreating what you see in front of you.
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Fear #3: I\u2019m Too Old
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You’ve always wanted to learn how to draw. When you were a kid, you enjoyed doodling or had an appreciation for realistic artwork. Then life happened, and you gave up on your childhood dream to draw. Now that you’re several decades removed, is it too late to learn how to draw?
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Of course not! Your brain doesn\u2019t lose its ability to learn new things simply because you\u2019re getting older.<\/a> In fact, the self-discipline that often comes with age can be a huge asset in this kind of learning.
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Fear #4: It Will Take Many Years to Become a Good Artist<\/h2>

What do we mean by “good?\u201d While it’s true that, through practice, your skills will get better with time, it’s also possible to make progress with your drawing ability in just a few weeks. “Good” is better than what you were yesterday, last week, last year, etc. Plus, we all know that “good” is subjective.
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Instead of lamenting how long it will take to reach some arbitrary, subjective milestone, focus on improving your current skills. \u201cProgress\u201d is a reasonable goal. \u201cGood\u201d doesn\u2019t really mean anything specific.
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Fear #5: I\u2019ll Never be as Great as _________<\/h2>

Comparing yourself to others is never a good idea. It\u2019s ok to be inspired by other artists, but take your own path. Your work is your work, and exists on its own merits. This is one of the more difficult things to accept as a developing artist, because there is so much <\/em>great artwork out there.
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Just remember: every artist, today and in the past, has struggled with the same fears as you. Everyone has heroes they look up to. Deep-down, everyone feels that their own work doesn\u2019t measure up. But in the end, role models can help you because they show you what\u2019s possible, providing direction and goals for your work. That\u2019s hugely valuable!
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Fear #6: I Don’t Have Enough Time to Learn to Draw<\/h2>
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If you have enough time to read this article, you have enough time to improve your drawing.
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Even a few minutes each day is better than nothing at all. The trick is to turn it into a commitment. That means adding drawing practice to your daily schedule. Make it a priority. If you devote 20 minutes each day to drawing<\/g><\/g>, you’ll have logged over 120 hours (three 40-hour weeks) by the end of the year. That\u2019s not bad!<\/p>

If you have time to watch your favorite TV show, you have time to sharpen your drawing skills.<\/p>

Fear #7: What If People Don\u2019t Like My Work?
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This is a common fear for many of us. After pouring your heart and soul into a drawing, after getting the courage to share it with others, some random person says that they don’t like it, and just like that, your world begins to implode.
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It’s a horrible feeling, and one that we try to protect ourselves from at all costs, even if that means not trying to achieve something in order to avoid ensuing humiliation.
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Instead of making it about others, make it about yourself. Learn to draw, not to impress others, but to impress yourself and stretch your skills. When your drawing motivation is to improve and express yourself, you won’t focus as much on the critique of others.
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Their criticism won’t diminish your progress. Keep pushing forward.
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Fear #8: I’ve Tried Drawing Before But I Feel Stuck<\/h2>

Progress is always non-linear. If you\u2019ve ever tried to lose weight, quit smoking, or improve your job performance you\u2019re already familiar with plateaus and setbacks. <\/p>

Learning to draw is no different. Each drawing you make will feel different. You\u2019ll be happy with some, and not with others. In either case, your focus should be on making your next drawing better.<\/p>

Sometimes a minor change to your procedure can break you out of a rut. Try drawing a different subject, or experiment with new materials. Stock up on different kinds of paper and pencils and focus on experimentation for a while. Take a class or a workshop. It\u2019s common to experience \u201cAha!\u201d moments when you divert your attention from your perceived lack of progress, and try something new.
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Think of it this way: if your goal was to get in shape, and you felt you weren\u2019t making progress at the gym, the last thing to do would be to stop exercising. Instead, you\u2019d make changes to your workout. Tailor your drawing practice to fit your goals, and don\u2019t be afraid to shake things up if the status quo isn\u2019t working for you.
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But What About Bears?<\/h2>

Continuing with the forest metaphor, sometimes there are legitimate things to fear in the forest. Bears might be one of those things.
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A bear could be considered any valid concern you may have or any seemingly insurmountable obstacle that you may encounter when learning to draw or paint.
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This is why you shouldn\u2019t walk alone. When you\u2019re new to the forest (i.e. the world of drawing), you can always benefit by having a guide\u2014 someone who\u2019s walked this path before, knows all the best outlooks, and more importantly, knows how to handle bears. Besides, I actually really love bears!
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Let us be your guide. Check out our drawing basics course here<\/a>.<\/p>

[content_upgrade cu_id=”40328″]Don\u2019t forget to download this list of quotes that every beginner artist needs to read.[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]
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When you\u2019re learning to draw, here are 8 things that can easily get in your way and sabotage your progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[390],"tags":[389,387],"class_list":["post-40329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-developing-your-art-skills","tag-art-skills","tag-learning-to-draw"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}