{"id":40550,"date":"2019-03-11T06:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/?p=40550"},"modified":"2019-04-12T18:15:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T23:15:18","slug":"youre-doing-it-wrong-how-to-overcome-process-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitruvianstudio.com\/blog\/youre-doing-it-wrong-how-to-overcome-process-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"You’re Doing It Wrong! How to Overcome “Process Anxiety”"},"content":{"rendered":"

To learn how to draw and paint, you must overcome a unique set of challenges. Mastering the skills required to capture what you see, and finding enough time to practice, are daily struggles for most students. And yet, they’re only half the battle. Perhaps the biggest challenge that you face is getting past your own doubts and fears.<\/p>

A common fear afflicting beginners is what we call \u201cprocess anxiety\u201d \u2013 that inner voice that says \u201cYou\u2019re doing it wrong!\u201d If you\u2019ve spent any significant time trying to improve your studio skills, you\u2019re already familiar with process anxiety. It\u2019s a sinking feeling that constantly nags you as you work. It leads you to second-guess every decision because you suspect your whole approach is somehow \u201cincorrect.\u201d<\/p>

It\u2019s easy to feel this way when you\u2019re unhappy with your artwork. But even when a drawing or painting is going well, you can start to wonder if it could be even better\u2026 if you\u2019d just done something<\/em> differently.<\/p>

Process anxiety can be debilitating. It\u2019s hard to move forward if you don\u2019t trust your method, or if you think there might be a better way that you haven\u2019t discovered yet.<\/p>

The good news is that you can overcome process anxiety. In this post, I\u2019ll share a few tips that I\u2019ve learned over the years for silencing that voice in your head.<\/p>

[content_upgrade cu_id=”40549″]Here\u2019s a list of 10 strategies to overcome process anxiety.[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]
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Why We Experience \u201cProcess Anxiety\u201d<\/h2>

Before we discuss solutions, let\u2019s take a look at what causes process anxiety in the first place.<\/p>

It\u2019s actually pretty simple. Drawing and painting has<\/g> a centuries-long history populated by \u201cmasters.\u201d Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Sargent\u2026 These artists, and many more,<\/g> are household names who are often revered as gods-on-earth. When we begin learning to draw and paint, we do so under the long shadow of intimidation cast by such giants. The thought of trying to do something that the masters did so well is daunting.<\/p>

To make matters worse, historical artists rarely documented their methods. In many cases, we simply don\u2019t know for sure how a particular painting was made, but that doesn\u2019t stop people from speculating. As a result, there is widespread disagreement and confusion in the art community about the basic \u201chow to\u2019s\u201d of drawing and painting.<\/p>

Amid this uncertainty, and stewing in the cauldron of various online discussion forums, artists tend to argue and stridently defend their preferred methods. Snarky dismissals of alternatives are commonplace and often sound something like this: \u201cI only paint with genuine unicorn tears, just like the old masters did! Everything else is garbage!\u201d or \u201cIf your palette knife wasn’t forged in the fires of Mordor, you can\u2019t expect to get quality results.\u201d<\/p>

If you\u2019re just getting started with learning how to draw and paint, you can quickly feel overwhelmed and confused. Should you try this technique or that? Should you follow this artist\u2019s advice or someone else’s? With so many differing opinions, it\u2019s easy to see how beginners can second-guess their approach and ultimately develop an inferiority complex. <\/p>

Of course, this problem isn\u2019t exclusive to drawing and painting, but it is perhaps worse than in other fields due to the deep history of art, and the fact that information about the techniques of the past is often frustratingly ambiguous.<\/p>

How to Overcome Process Anxiety<\/h2>

Process anxiety can paralyze you, but there are ways to overcome it. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>

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Stop Looking for the One \u201cAuthentic\u201d Method<\/h3>

It\u2019s common for students to say they want to \u201cpaint like the old masters\u201d, but which ones? What we know of historical techniques suggests that they varied widely across centuries and geography. There is no single \u201cold master technique” for making artwork, but a plurality of procedures that have influenced one another and evolved over time.<\/p>

That variety of approaches survives today. In fact, it continues to multiply as artists embrace new methods and materials, yielding many valid to ways create artwork. So stop trying to find some secret \u201cauthentic” method. It doesn\u2019t exist. Instead, pick one that works for you.<\/p>

How do you do that? Start with these questions:<\/p>