This is the exact thing that demotivates me so much, i get sad that im not good enough, then i stop doing art for a week and come back a little rusty making me feel even worse
😭😭😭😭😭 noo.. don't let it demotivate you. it gets better with time you have to stay through the hard phase and power through with studies and positivity
"You Plan Everything but barely start anything." This is me, currently and it hurts so much. It's the double demon baby of procrastination and perfectionism.
Just because you are afraid to start something doesn't mean you are a perfectionist. Most people are afraid to start anything because they are afraid they will fail but that doesn't mean you are a perfectionist. :/
" It's the double demon baby of procrastination and perfectionism." This reminds me of something called "acedia" basically, Iirc, some centuries ago, the monks or something described a thing like that, called acedia (there is article about it on wikipedia) - and It was, back then, basically really considered as some sort of possession or something, because according to description, person in that state is unable to basically "be here and now, and work on things that they are currently supposed to work" Basically, to not prolong this - Person like this, when they have to do something, feel like the "best thing would be to do nothing" - but when they do nothing they feel bored and unhappy and end up in like a circle of being tired of doing something, and at this same time feeling bored when they won't do something... oh, and in some examples, the person showed as an example (usually a monk) - they are often unhappy because "they want something" - but the problem is - they don't know what it is the thing they want.
I relate so much. I have so many TH-cam art videos, but I have done zero as I feel like I'm terrible at art and there are better artists than me. ( And im lazy 😂)
This is very true. I once made some art of a character of mine and it wasn’t great compared to my other art. But then I did a second version a week or so later and it was at least twice as good
I believe its a lot more about consciously making better observations and decisions than just repeating same drawing over and over again, repetition mostly helps in reinforcing what you already do and giving you new oportunities to learn
To add on to this comment - Or sometimes it won't, or look even worse because making good art can depends on different things like your health or your environment etc., but making bad art doesn't mean you are a 'bad artist'.
There is no worse feeling as an aspiring artist in my eyes than being stuck in the limbo, that is, being simultaneously inspired and envious/demotivated at other artist's work. The constant push and pull between those feelings is tiresome at best and soul crushing at its worst
I’m in shocked you used my TikTok as your talking points for your video! Tysm for this video (and your other ones too!!). You tackle down art problems in our community and it’s such a fresh breath to watch them.
This is why I never compare myself to anyone else no matter how skilled they are nor do I get caught up in perfection. I’m just trying to enjoy myself and branch out my creative abilities when I can
Perfectionism is what recently killed my interest in art. I've thankfully made amends and gotten back into it, but it's a hard process to learn how to balance my desire for what I want and what I'm capable of. I have extremely shaky hands and it makes it extremely difficult to do clean lines, but I'm learning to relax with it. I am proud of my art, I don't compare my art to others in a negative way, but I always held myself to a standard I can no longer achieve. I wish I'd made my realization sooner, 'cause now I'm rusty lol but the joy of it has returned. Art isn't an inherent gift in most cases. It's a skill, and one that is constantly improving as you hone it. Everyone is an apprentice at one point. PS I'm absolutely in love with milanote, THANK YOU SO MUCH! It's exactly what I needed to track the 3 major stories I've been working on, since I can never manage to organize them lol
this video just called me out so bad 😭😭 i've been wanting to open commissions since january but the anxiety of "what if i'm not good enough? what if i just end up wasting my client's money?" seriously keeps me up at night😭 comparing myself to other artists have been a constant plague on me especially when it comes to numbers... i know that my art isnt that bad but i cant stop thinking it aaaaa
I’ve been dealing with this for months now 😭 I hate everything I draw and I can’t even go one minute on social media without coming out almost crying because of how much I compare myself to other artists and sometimes its even harder when I work so hard on art and the post it and it barely gets any attention, it just makes me feel worse I’m happy you talked about this because I’ve seen a lot of TikToks about the topic but nobody has ever talked in depth of this feeling
I used to be a perfectionist artist. I didn't fill my first sketchbook until i was around 18 years old and that sketchbook still had a decent amount of pages ripped out. I used to either rip pages out of sketchbooks or start over from scratch if i messed up a single drawing in my sketchbook. I treated it like a portfolio. Like every drawing in there had to be able to get me into art school. It took me years to get over my perfectionism. I still have to fight the urge to fuss over little details on client pieces, but I'm still so much happier and progress so much faster now that i leave the imperfections. My advice to anyone trying to get over this: 1. Every bad piece is a lesson that helps you improve. 2. If the piece isn't done yet, it may simply look ugly because it is incomplete. I almost erased some of my favorite drawings in the early stages bc the initial sketch and structural lines did not come easy to me and looked god awful. 3. Nobody is forcing you to share your ugly pieces. I have dozens if not hundreds of drawings that has been seen by nobody except myself and my most trusted artist friends. 4. Wanna know why people often prefer sketches over the final image? The sketches are often looser & have more imperfections. Those imperfections give your piece character and charm. Dont hide them. Zoom in close on the works of some of your favorite artists and you may find things like lines that dont properly connect, color bleed, etc. And when friends do notice these flaws and draw attention to them, its usually to compliment them and say how it gives the piece character.
" If the piece isn't done yet, it may simply look ugly because it is incomplete. I almost erased some of my favorite drawings in the early stages bc the initial sketch and structural lines did not come easy to me and looked god awful. " - My initial sketches, starting from the first line to the last line are refined. I don't have ugly sketches. I just don't allow myself at any stage for even one line to be out of place. In perfectionism there is no place for 'in between'.
I think this is my worst trait along with procrastination, especially as a double neurodivergent person (audhd). I have all these ideas that i've perfectly imagined in my head, but then when it's actually time to make them, it never goes as smoothly as i wanted so then i get frustrated, which makes me put it aside for a while. But then, the while turns into days then weeks then months. And then i come back when i feel like it (usually after a long time), and the cycle repeats. One thing that helps me try to break the cycle is a quote i heard in a video somewhere "We don't do perfect, we do done" or smth like that.
New pretty penguin here 👋 just wanted to say thank you. I put my dreams of being an artist aside after a teacher told me I had as much talent as a snail (in a very unkind way), and now, 20 years later, I'm finally saying F that and started drawing again. At the moment my art is a little better than chicken scratchings but your channel has been a massive comfort to me. The way you gently reinforce and motivate has been invaluable and I wanted to express my gratitude for all of inspiration. Thank you.
This is the reason why I stopped posting art (on top of social media literally filling my body with toxicity and pain). I stopped most of my creative hobbies because it was influencing me so strongly in a very bad way. It started to feel like art was a toxic partner who would abuse you. I wanted to originally make money with my art but that sadly didn't work. It's easier to say "this was not meant to be" or "there are already so many artists that do the same things I do but better". Algorithm never "blessed" me with any progress and commissioners can be quite nasty. Art is pain when it involves career, money, and people. I will try to draw more again, but that time only for myself. The burnout was so real.
Wow this is way too real, social medias have eroded my love for art too but I can't just stop using it either because I still believe that I can make it as a fulltime freelance artist someday. If you're wondering? It feels like hell. I burnout very very often. I don't know if it'll be worth it but I already worked too damn hard just to have this little bit of progress. I can't just throw it all away.
The moment I started to monetize my art was the moment I stopped drawing for myself. The more I continued the more I burned out. But also I don't think I would've stopped since it was my only income. Twitter and losing clients dye to various factors stopped me. Now I don't even log in on twitter, found a job. Hopefully will be able to draw more soon again
I feel this deeply. I have been drawing all my life, and I /know/ im good, but sometimes I wonder if I am good enough. People have told me how my style is so cool or how my colors look so nice, how detailed are my drawings, but sometimes I feel this deep panic inside, and the voices in my head start whispering "Am I good, or are they just being nice?" "Do they love it because they have never seen something better?" "Why would they like this?" And sometimes, when I'm in the middle of a drawing, I ask myself: Do I love doing art or is it just the expectation of everyone around me that pushes me to love art? Where does my art love ends and my duty begins? I love art. Sometimes I love the process. Most times I dont like the end result. I hate feeling inadecuate. Sometimes I feel like I'm scamming people into thinking I can actually do art. And the older I get, the more I feel like im getting stuck no matter how much I draw and how much I practice.
Going to share something my DBT leader taught me almost 10 years ago, that I apply to many things in my life-especially my art: “ I don't believe in 'practice makes perfect' because nothing in life will ever be perfect. I believe in 'practice makes permanent'. ” It applies to learning new coping skills for mental health recovery just as much as it can apply to our hobbies and careers. Can't ever improve if you don't continue to try. Aiming to try again gives room for growth while also going forward because you're better than you were the day prior.
3:26 The video explaining perfectionism hits the nail on the head for me. I used to draw frequently in my younger years and had a lot of artist friends. Whenever I shared my art, I had one friend in particular give me constructive criticism with the assumption that I wanted the feedback. Since then, I've been afraid of the guilt and shame of being criticized for anything I shared online. I was afraid of getting their feedback in particular because I felt like I wasn't good enough. I'm still trying to work through this and try to draw for me... but it's been hard. It's been nearly nonexistent but, at the same time, I don't want to give up the hobby. There might also be shame in that because I spent a lot of time and money to work on my art and I don't want it to be all for nothing.
As an illustrator, you have to become comfortable with showing your growth as much as your achievements. Art is a skill and while there will always be people out there that grasp and apply concepts better, it doesn't mean you're not getting better or learning concepts everyday. Absorb, apply, practice, repeat. You're going to do well!
I just recently got back into drawing after like 10 years of not practicing and I felt the perfectionism creeping up within a few days of practicing. For me, the problem was on two fronts, the first problem came with my expectations for my art. I think that lowering my expectations and accepting that I was going to make mistakes helped me let go of this idea of being perfect. The second problem was that I was getting too attached to the visions I had in my head. I think it's better to let my vision and ideas develop on the canvas once I'm drawing, so I'm focusing on developing what's in front of me instead of comparing it to something that only exists in my mind
1:57 My dude you didn't need to call me out like this 😂 Every damn point you made, I was like "Hmm, yeah, that's me". Feels good to know I'm not alone (obviously), though, I guess. So many projects in my head, so many dead projects in my folders. And in the end, not much to show the world, or even myself.
i never feel pressure for perfectionism because no one's art is perfect, no matter what piece of art you see, if you look at it for a long time you will find some flaws, even in the hyper realistic ones
"if you look at it for a long time" - it takes me usually a couple of seconds to scan the artwork, whatever it might be, and finding flaws that are left there by the artist. If the artist was a perfectionist, they would never leave those flaws in the first place.
@@marikothecheetah9342 Every single creation in this world has flaws, and that's not a bad thing, is the proof of humanity, even the mother nature itself has some flaws
@@angelos-ro9qw Of course. On the reason level I know it. On the other level, I cringe, when I see flaws in something. Psychological issues aren't logical. And no, most artists aren't perfectionists. Perfectionism doesn't care what you do.
@@marikothecheetah9342 what kind of perspective is this? If you can find a flaw in anything you look at in seconds then imo you’re trying to find something to complain about. A perfectionist will still make mistakes, just like anyone else.
@@tommcdermott9875 "what kind of perspective is this?" - what kind of attitude is this? You just finished the conversation before you even started it. Congratulations.
I get jealous about how good some people's art is when it comes to lighting, hair, and shadows, and especially wrinkles of fabric, but I try not to let it bring me down so hard. I tend to feel uneasy with the thought of someone being jealous of my art because I never want other artists to feel demotivated by looking at my art and jealousy, when unchecked, can get really damn toxic and it can seep into someone's behavior towards others.
THIS, I've had a horrible block on digital art for this exact reason.. I can only do traditional because I let myself be looser, and nobody ever sees it, as opposed to my digital art that I feel obligated to post..
As somebody who started drawing at the age of 28 and has been playing catch-up with other artists who started when they were younger, what has helped me the most is aiming for improvement rather than perfection. - It doesn't matter how good I am now if I am always practicing because I will be better next week, next month, next year. Also, don't just focus on general improvement but on something specific and do targeted practice (e.g. I want my hands to be better so I will focus on drawing hands this week). Not only will you have goals that are actually achievable but you will reach them quickly, giving you the motivation to keep drawing.
You are not a perfectionist. :) And this is actually a good thing. I don't know why people make perfectionism into this virtue. it's not. It's a hindrance. It's annoying. It makes you miserable in life, not only art. And why ONL:Y artists claim they are perfectionists? :/
I think it might be a healthy way of thinking instead of comparing but when I see people with just crispy lovely art it always just inspires me to want to steal tiny bits of their style that I love cause that’s what I want my style to be too and it’s okay to take little bits from everything !!
You are so right about so many points. About jealousy of young artists achieving so much in 2-3 years, but you don't know maybe they had resources and time for it. About loving your drawing first minute you finish it and then hate the rest of time. About perfectionism not about all details look good in the picture but about the picture being the same as you imagine and want it to be. I really love some 'sketchy' art style of some artists but every time I try to replicate something I see my own art as too messy and when I fix too much it I had to fix other part to clean too for consistency. My only solution for now is almost completely cut myself from following other artists aside from when I gather references, to not be overjealous.
Tysm for this video! I relate to this so much because I struggle from perfectionism that comparing myself to artists being able to achieve something makes me lack of motivation. I also struggle with ADHD and fear of growth since it makes me want to give up at art when it doesn’t come out the way I expected to be. Even procrastinating is the worse…
One thing I’ve started to do to try and overcome my perfectionism is to show my art or writing to my friends to give me honest feedback about it. The fact that my friends calls something I make good, makes me feel better about the thing because I’m aware of the fact that I know that I see every flaw in it while other people just see it as it actually is. My art.
Oh boy, this is me. I feel like everything I do is practice and if I practice enough then, one day, I’ll have to be good enough right? Now practicing isn’t bad but never doing finished work because you don’t think you’re “there yet” really does hold you back. It holds me back.
The jealousy… And the perfectionism 😭 I have the perfect idea for an animation, a drawing Then I stare at the canvas… Push things back since I “don’t have the skill level yet” Then I feel terrible when I see others who are younger than me, making full on animations or drawings that look like masterpieces…. Then I feel like quitting. But a way I’m trying to find around that is thinking about time. It takes time to do things. Imagine how much time they spend doing that. It takes a long time, it’s not like they just pull the “talent” out of their thumb. So you’ll get there eventually. :)
I love your videos because you talk about this kind of things from a very mature and comforting way. im thankful for your work for us, even if i draw since years hearing this helps a lot
oh man. i got recc'd this video and i'm really appreciative that you've made this. i have so much to say. SO much. i've been remarkably perfectionist about my art to the point that i've stopped myself from making things for years and years. it was really bad, and it turned out i had OCD (not "wash your hands a lot of times" type, but subtypes like perfectionism OCD, morality OCD, responsibility OCD, the sort of OCD that makes me feel like i NEED to be the best at everything, i NEED to be responsible for everyone else because no one else can do the job right, i NEED to always have the high ground etc...) and i could directly connect this to ways i'd been treated irl, online, in art spaces, trying to go to art college, etc. for me, perfectionism is seeking the feeling that it's okay for me to exist. that i can share something and it WON'T immediately get torn to shreds, that it is "good enough" by some magical objective standard (more on this later) but ultimately... perfectionism is at odds with the self being good enough to exist by virtue of being oneself! to only be worthy of existence because of being perfect... it's a painful road i definitely agree with the video you showed earlier that talked about perfectionism as a method of self-protection, a "defense mechanism that avoids shame and judgement and blame"... but in the end that puts fear at the forefront of your life, not care. something that has helped me (but this road is still very VERY hard) is to remember that the imperfections mean i'm alive. when i watch an animation and i see some error, it makes me smile usually. when i play a game and encounter a glitch, i like that? i like feeling "there's a story behind this, i can see that other people made this, these people made something and its real, and i can relate to making mistakes" yet... when /i/ am not perfect, i judge myself. why? i want to exist, i want to be good enough to exist and share my work, and i need to be willing to stand up for myself TO myself. because perfectionism, being one's own worst critic, is a defense mechanism that turns us into bullies towards ourselves. we fear ourselves so that we avoid fearing others i do feel that a healthy amount of self criticism can help with growth, but i also feel that self-love is more of a motivator for anything i've ever made and any growth i've ever done... so where does that go? and why? For me personally, having tried to go to art college and follow some "objective" standard of good art... i realized a few things: 1- perfectionism is actually at odds with experimentation/exploration, which is why it strangles art production/happiness. sure, there are the troubled geniuses who experiment and are perfectionist, but they do suffer a lot. experimentation is a form of exploration, and exploring only really comes with doing something you're /uncertain/ about. being confident and comfortable enough with uncertainty, that you explore... think of children and how they definitely don't know how to do abc or xyz, but boy are they ready to rush in and learn! they're open with learning and exploring, they love to explore generally (unless they've been hurt or discouraged from it, which is heartbreaking) art is, to me, often an exploration of something, something we care about and want to share... so... if we act in perfectionist ways, we're in essence stating that we are only allowed to explore and share if its Good enough. it implies there is art that we can make that is just too bad to ever matter. but it holds something that matters to us! if art we make can be Undeserving, and it holds feelings we have, that can hurt! it can make us feel like our /feelings/ are undeserving... where does that come from? 2- capitalism completely fucks with art, valuing what makes money, encouraging competition and isolation, actively discouraging personal art... and that fucked with me immensely there's a LOT i can say about this one, it's hard to summarize and i've already written a lot but... i'll try to be succinct i had gone to some meeting for asking questions about full sail university when i was first looking into colleges. i asked if the representative if they had 2d animation, and the guy literally laughed in my face and said "that's not where the money is" i can't overstate how shocking this was to me as a 17 or so year old. my passion, my dream, was literally being laughed at because money mattered more art often gets treated in ways that overvalue money and audience consumption. commissioners who act like prices should be lowered because they want the art, fans who act like you should change what you do because they want it different, people who act like "the customer is always right" applies to your own personal artwork! artists who try to maintain their own vision can often be bullied, ridiculed , ignored by general adherence to a vague idea of what art "should" look like, even though not everyone values the "industry standard"! people cannot conceptualize that someone may be happier with their art looking less polished, so on. i was one of those people! i was insecure in many ways because of how i felt i needed to be perfect, and i didn't understand how others could exist without wanting to be perfect. i felt like having my own unique voice was not "accessible" and i got repeatedly turned down by different companies, i had bad experiences with schools trying to mold me for the industry, and so on but the thing about what makes money, is that often times algorithms and such try to mold what makes money into an easy formula... experimentation is viewed as risk, sincerity and nuance and individuality is not actually as easy to sell as outrage and cookie cutter slogans. this is by the fact that... thought takes time and effort. our personal experiences take time, our growth takes time, it takes time for us to process complex and beautiful things, to process those things! ...and time is money. AI supplanting human artists is not by coincidence, people in charge who want to make money are well aware that the human element, the individual, is pesky to work with and they would rather make money reliably, cheaply, regardless of if some beauty or love is lost. workers of any kind valuing themselves does not benefit those who are rich. if you work for a boss and you're aware they're mistreating you and that you deserve better and quit... that's a problem if you're essential. but if there are a hundred others just like you, with accessible art just like you, who value the ideals the industry set and are willing to put up with a lot of crap... then you quitting doesn't matter to the boss. they'll find someone else. so it's better (for making money) if the industry discourages individuality. i used to feel bad when artists who were younger than me had better art but... why? why do i feel like my time is "running out" and i am "bad" for not having reached skill earlier? for me, it was ultimately that i felt like i simply couldn't "compete" but why is art a competition? it doesn't have to be! all of this is fake bullshit that doesn't help me or any artist really (EVEN the people who make money), and i don't have to follow that sort of system even if i have to live in it currently thanks to the US being the way it is. i hope every day that people can grow and realize they can do what they want to do, and they're not bad for not following some invisible standards, that they can decide "i am good enough" and that having self-love is NOT being selfish, that valuing oneself is NOT being stuckup. thanks for the video, a lot to think about and i appreciate it
Here’s the thing, I’ve never been a perfectionist, or exhibited the behaviors of one until high-school. I don’t feel comfortable disclosing all the details, but my art at the time…effected things in my life, so much so that the mindless glee I felt drawing before was replaced with a sense of self-hatred that I couldn’t ignore. That in addition to the success my other artist friend was achieving worsened it greatly. I began comparing myself to him often, thinking I could never have that same support or praise given from others. After months of hiatus, I returned to drawing, and although I still feel remnants of that time when I hated what I made and myself for making it, I can acknowledge that I have improved greatly, and will continue to do so if I just kept drawing.
I think for me, I like all art because they are all an expression of you and your progress. We all don't start out amazing and looking at other people's art might inspire you to look up how to make that art and then branch out on your own, like what tools did they use, what drawing software can help you out, etc. I like watching people like Jazza because they keep showing me different art people do and how to get started from scratch. And you're absolutely right, this doesn't just apply to art but life in general, don't compare yourself to others to the point that you feel envious of them because they worked hard to get there and you can see if you can do the same if you really want to be there too. Hey, you know what they say, comparison is the root of all evil. Just use them as something to aspire to be and work for it. Easier said than done though, I know haha, we can all say that but I don't know how many of us actually want to try and just give up because it's too hard to get motivated enough to put yourself out there. (As you said, open yourself up to potentially shame yourself is painful enough to not even try to improve.)
this is how i feel everytimes, drawing that took a days but it's still not feel good as i imagined and it's not even helping no one notices whenever i post it on any other social media.
Personally, I've tried so many ways to draw and think I gotta nail it and make it so good. But then I look at other people's art that looks SO MUCH better than mine, so it makes me feel like trash. I can't keep one artsyle because I wanna seem super good. PLUS , I have BPD ( Bordeline Personally Dissorder ) I feel proud of that one drawing I've done, and then after, I'm not satisfied enough because it doesn't fill in this " high " that I've felt before. Hence, I never feel good about what I make. And I change everything to make myself feel better than others, special per say. Everything in your video is so true, and it makes me feel better to know I'm not alone.
Honestly so glad I found this video rn .I’ve been going through a pour down of emotions lately and things are abit haywire in my life 😅(TMI) and I feel so stuck.After seeing a few art videos earlier on today I had it . Completely broke down because of everything and me not being able to reach the amount of people I want to reach,not being good enough to others younger than me,drawing and just simply not reaching my goals I don’t know anymore. What makes it worse is I can’t stop …and I know I won’t ever stop drawing because I’m in this loop of thinking I’ll be successful,then see some others works ,get depressed and start drawing again after some time and repeat. I love drawing and honestly I just want to be better and good enough to be a successful artist before I’m 22 at least .ATP it feels like everyone who’s doubted my dreams and passion for art were right and I don’t know what to do anymore . If anyone has any advice at …please feel free to share because I’m really at a loss of everything right now …I ant even say what I want to or be more specific but yeah 😢
I honestly have no advice or help... But maybe take a moment to draw stuff you really like just for you I want to share my art but I can't ya know expecting fame so I personally just don't realize how. Much I progressed if I look at my older drawings I think oh it's so cringe which Is proof that I got better it helps and I know this sou ds evil of me but knowing ppl are worse than me makes me feel better what matters most is if ur art impresses you because most will never see the effort and detail of your masterpiece but then again what does some random on the internet know about this haha
i dont know what happened, i used to be a perfectionist but one day I just stopped. Not coloring everything so when you zoom in you can see the background? oh well. Proportions don't really work? Oh well. I like the drawing and that's what matters to me. I don't care about anything else and I know that most people who will look at my art wont over-Analize it so there's no point for me to do the same.
I know its not a solution for everyone, especially if art is a means to pay bills. But getting off social media so i dont compare myself to others was a big help and getting me to enjoy art again. Another one that helped was moving to traditional art. Its a lot harder to be a perfectionist when mistakes are less correctable. Obviously you can still fix them with most traditional art, but if its a big mistake or you're commiting to somethibg with inks or watercolors or such you cant do as much. It really helos to accept a mistake and keeo going just to see the finished piece
I used to be perfectionnist, doing a very clean, fine lineart. When I posted a drawing, If I looked at it for too long, I could see small details that I wanted to change, things that weren't polished enough.. But now, I don't Care. I have a more expressive and even "chaotic" artstyle. I enjoy drawing a lot more. I understood that It doesn't have to be perfect, I barely do lineart because It wasn't fun for me. Now, I try to focuse a lot more on the shapes and colors, the global feeling that comes from the drawing. It's so much fun and people can feel it. We're not perfect and that makes us unique. I stop a drawing when it's no more fun for me to continue it, for me, it's finished then.
I’m lucky I’m one of the artists that didn’t grow up with this kind of mindset! Or I grew out of it. But I was lucky to have some sort of support system every time I did art! I was always praised for it, and encouraged to do more, and though for a time I had perfectionism, it was slowly something my mind got out of as an artist! Allowing yourself to enjoy the progress and seeing how much you’ve improved really helps wonders. A lot of the time people forget that being an artist always starts out as a hobby! And what is a hobby? Something you do for fun! People always forget about that. And sometimes I do too, but every once in awhile you just have to remind yourself pf that. Look back on your own progress and follow your own unique path to being a great artist, in your eyes! You have to appreciate that it’s *yours* and you have to remember to *enjoy* it. Look at others art, not as something to bash your own art with, but something to help push you, to inspire you! Think to yourself when you see good art that “one day, I can reach that skill level! If they can do it, surely I can too!” And it’s a mindset that I’m proud to have nowadays when it comes to my art I will admit I probably have to practice this when it comes to my skills of writing, but it helps immensely. It also just helps to know that, bringing yourself down to bring another artist up does not help the artist feel proud of their own progress. They had their own journey to get to the skills they got now, but they can’t be properly proud of themselves when they see that it brings other artists down. How about we just learn to appreciate each other’s art and progress? There’s no need to bring anyone down, including yourself, for any of this! So to all the artists out there feeling down about their own art, you got this! You’re progressing well! You can still keep improving! Do it for fun, do it for yourself, and do it because you love to draw! ❤
What I did to battle perfectionism is doing art studies! I looked at people’s art and I asked myself what characteristics their art had that mine didn’t. I did this with an artist called Marikyuun first. I then tried to replicate it, and when I accomplished it, I implemented some things of it in my own art! I did this with some other artists and I can say that looking at toher’s art and seeing what they do better than you and how they color, do lineart and other things really helps you make your work better. I’ve loved my art ever since and I’m always improving! 😌💅
I’ve basically always hated my art, am a major perfectionist, stopped posting because of it, and did endless studies until I was “good enough” to make original work. While this technically did make me a better artist eventually, it lead to me hating the process of making work and creating tons of unfinished pieces. When I started making art I’d post everything I made no matter how bad but the better I got the harder it became to enjoy the process or even like the finished pieces. Anytime I ran into the slightest issue I’d stop and do a ton of studies because the piece I was actually working on needed to be perfect. Ultimately killing my love for art and it just became a job, or something I was boxed into doing as it’d become my only skill. However recently I found a counter intuitive fix. Pretty much the opposite of all art advice I hear. I took on a personal project way bigger than was realistic, way too ambitious, way too much work, way outside my skill set. And it made me love art again, and see the most improvement I’ve seen in years. Because it was no longer about making something perfect but about making something important to me. I love the work I’m doing now, and while I still care about the outcome I care even more about making something I can share with other people. It’s a story, and world, and characters I love and need to get out into the world and that’s overwritten my obsession with perfectionism.
For me how I deal with it Is I take the thing I like the most And just talk about it with my artist friends And then after that I look at the bad parts and try to fix it After I fix it it I feel fulfilled and better
Letting go of my extreme want to have a "tiktok sketchbook" helped me SOO much, especially with the quantity of my drawings since now i dont have to worry about adding layers or something insanely interesting to every page i make.
I swear the videos you make always come onto my recommended at just the right time🥲 I’ve been stuck in this limbo of being inspired (by the Epic musical and all the great animatics) but letting the fear of failure keep me from putting pencil to paper/stylus to screen. It’s like if I can’t get it down exactly how I have it in my head, then it’s better off not existing at all
im watching this while working on a story project due in 2 days and this really helped me gain consciousness on why i was taking so long making it 😭😭 thank u
Hey Mohammed. I just wanted to say I needed this today. Ive been crying about my gouache painting for my project not being perfect and this made me feel a lot better. Thanks for this.
It gets wild how much the fear of failing to meet perfection can encroach on every facet of life. We gotta respect our individual journeys and where we are along them. I appreciate you discussing it!
I really needed this video. This is exactly how I feel most days. When I first really got into digital art, I felt so happy and carefree, proud of everything I did and wanted to share it with the world. Seeing how many other wonderful artists were on instagram inspired me, and I’d even study their art and learn from their techniques. Now, I’m so jaded by comparing how many likes my posts get or how much better another artist’s work is to mine. Especially considering I want to turn my stories into comics, seeing other people’s beautiful and successful webcomics just crushes me sometimes, and I feel like I’ll never make immersive and stunning visuals to encompass my stories. It really is one of the most depressing feelings out there.
After being a long time lurker, this is the one that finally got me to subscribe. It describes how I feel most of the time. I get motivation when I can't create, and then when I have time, I stall, and go do something else. A couple of things that have worked are: keep a blank canvas open in Clip Studio Paint and just draw something small when the mood hits, keep a sketchbook and pencil nearby in case a laptop is not practical, and finally if my 7-year-old daughter wants to do a drawing challenge, just say yes. Now, they don't all work 100% of the time, but I have found some small successes in those from time to time.
personal POV, but I find that I can coexist with my perfectionism by truly embracing Mark Manson's concept of embracing negativity--that is, accepting that I will always "chase perfection from behind and that's fine" when i embrace that state as being my default state, suddenly I feel like I can still be a perfectionist while also live with not being perfect enough. I suck, and that's okay. But I will strive to improve forever regardless, and that's okay too.
Thank you so much for his video! Proud to say that I'm finally in therapy! Not only because of my perfectionism (and other problems that were triggered by it) but I really hope to find a way to deal with this sense of "never being good enough" My ocd makes all these feelings even worse and more detrimental. My parents fueling this by never being satisfied with anything unless I got 100% and Bonus Points, makes the whole situation feel super insurmountable to me. Ever since I was a kid I was compared and always told to do more, be better, work harder, which made the perfectionism and beating-thyself-up-over-everything normal to me. It was simply the only thing I knew. Last week my therapist told me I was actually allowed to talk about my feelings and struggles (I'm autistic and struggle a lot with sensory overload, communication and social situations) and that was REVULUTIONARY to me. I always wonder when this will stop but have hardly any hope left that it will stop at any point. Spirituality can help to handle it but (maybe just because that's my lived reality ever since I was born) I don't feel like this'll ever end. Recently I got a scholarship and feel guilty about it because I think I'm not worth and could do better (like I always do). They would throw a big luxurious party for the 30 students of our town who got in and all I could think about was; "I shouldn't be here, they're gonna find out I'm just pretending, I don't know anything, I was just lucky" I sincerely hope this will get better one day. But at the same time one thing I am able to be realistic about is that it'll obviously be hard for someone who was always told: "Why not an A+? Where are the bonus points? Next time you better be the best, stop being so lazy" etc. to be realistic about their situation and skills
I agree with you. During the beginning to middle of my journey around 2022, I was trying to perfect my basics, anatomy, and my own projects. I knew that judging people's art wasn't going to help and it would be stupid if I had done that in the first place. From what I learned watching people draw and drawings and deciding what is missing and what am I lacking. I am always open to learning anything art related.
This reminds me of showing my sister one of my art work and she was praising it like hell while I was looking at all the _tiny little flaws that made me move my cursor to the bin icon_
You know this make me remind myself to why I even started with an art post on My Deviantart to post all of my imperfection or unfinish artwork and I call it My art Vault. A collection of old artworks that I could never throw them or look at it during the time. To why I did this 'Art Vault" I have years of artwork that I just collected in folders or sketches books. I sometimes look into it and smile at how bad most of them are or wonder why I never posted them. So, I did that Posted them every Friday and explain them why the art the way it is. I feel like every artist should do an "Art Vault" Open that old folder of "WIP" or Unfinish Sketches and post them up. share the idea of not to be a perfectionist, everyone has those days of random doodles that never seen the light of day or sketches or an 'Ugly wip". Heck, I agree to what you say. This video makes me feel abit better that everyone suffers these same mental ideas same as me, not just the younger artist or the older Artist, Beginners or Pros. perfection and procrastination killed the creative artist and give then just bad vibes.
Definitely needed to watch this. Going through the same thing myself. From time to time, I post in the discord servers I'm in, i feel that the people who like them are just doing it because we're friends.
guys, you all can do it! your art may not be good enough for YOU now, but keep practicing and you will see a big difference! always keep even your "failed" pieces bc in the future you will see how much you've improved. [also, great video bro!]
Perfectionism was defined as "professional" work, "realism" "beloved art" etc for me. But over the years, especially after therapy for anxiety and slowly chipping away at the things that stressed me out. I realised the reason why I had stopped drawing was because I depended on others to accept and like my art to give me validation that I was improving. Nowadays I just draw because I feel like it, because I have some spare time, because I have an idea and I dont care if its not my original design, I dont care if its fan art, I dont care if I'm taking the freebie or $5 commission that you didn't want to do but are still for some reason angry about, I dont care if its not digital. I still like that validation, but that validation isnt a I post, they like, anymore. Its more about fulfilling a request or surprising people with something they didn't have the skills or confidence to make or draw. And usually those people are genuinely happy and thrilled even if its a messy sketch. And I feel good because: 1. I enjoy their idea enough to draw, and 2. Happy that they are happy. messages that tell me my art is boring or bad or whatever, doesn't bother me anymore, because what I'm making isn't for them. Its for the person I am making it for, or the group I am enjoying myself being a part of. And I just find it funny that they send me the messages, because its not like I'm a better artist than them or their favorite artist so why are you threatened?
That one tik tok clip is so true tho 😭 I literally hate my art so much some times- then the rare times I'm proud of my art, it doesn't get any traction and it's like a punch to the gut ...
Yes on consistency. I have been inspired to really improve my art so that I can draw all of the pieces that exist in my head, and I have started to draw every day for at least 10 minutes a day. I am seeing progress, and it feels satisfying to create. My art isn't where I want it to be, but goodness, I'll never get there if I never start!
I love your channel, I love how you talk about artist from personal experiences, and actually explain real problems in art I used to be a small creator, and I would even be searched on google, I could search myself on google, and see my Tiktok, and TH-cam. I felt proud of that, but it wasn't for my art. It was because I was actually talking about my art, and the struggles I was dealing with with my art. I see all these popular trends all over Tiktok, even creators that have less followers than me get a lot of likes, and I find that inspiring, but every time I post drawings, and try to join trends, I just never finish my videos. Or I just never get views, which is why I take a long time of posting, or even draw in general. My friends expect me to make a comic for them, and I'm half way done with the comic, but I don't like how 'Small' I make the drawings in the frame. I really tried to improve my art, but then I notice how bad the facial structure looks, how the face looks, then the hair. I really hate the fact people actually like my art, but I'm my own hater, and it's not even just for my art, I think it's everything that includes art in general.
It's like I am being read like a book! The number of times I have always paused before starting a drawing because I am like "Is it going to look good? Am I going to be satisfied with it in the end?" And then doing a couple of sketches before putting the pencil down are innumerable!
This video actually kinda of made me smile a bit. I’m a small content creator that does art and I’ve been working on this short video of me drawing a small figurine into a person. When I was designing it, how I drew the face threw me off so much. After that, I decided to draw a different drawing that I also thought was weird so I wanted to draw an another drawing. This was the point when I saw this vid which kinda makes me happy and think of the good things about my art! I haven’t finished my art yet but I feel motivated to finish now :)
Thank you for this personal attack lol While watching this I thought about myself in highschool and one of the first drawings I did in a drawing book I made... Then to the moment I stopped drawing because I had failed an art exam and tore all my drawings off my walls... I still doodled but didn't really do much over the years and I found that drawing book and erased some of the heavier lines on that first drawing and now I feel guilty about "fixing" it instead of doing it over somewhere else... But I do really want to draw again and knowing that I didn't finish drawings in the past, I now think I understand how to get back into it and not stress myself about how perfect it is.... So Thanks!
Like you said in the video, "I have never felt so called out in a video in my life." Absolutely everything covered are the things I do when I try and do any drawing. I'm also now realizing it's why I've been putting off working on a piece I started. I may end up having your video ready to play a lot in the coming days to help me try and over come being a perfectionist. :D
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. How some artists are so hard on themselves. Art can be nothing, and everything. For me art represent the beauty in the world. When you’re feeling down, think about why you’re drawing. For me, i just like to let myself go and create. I just do it, i don’t think about anything else. I think that, one thing more important than your skill is the mindset you have when you create. What makes art so beautiful is the feelings and humanity we put into it. Also, you don’t need to do work you are satisfied with all the time. What i like to do is, i just draw what’s on my mind, and i do very messy sketches, trust me, i’m not fully satisfied with them, but i still find beauty in them, because they’re me!
I know where my perfectionism comes from, bad experiences sharing art esp. at uni, and also a need to turn my hobbies into cold hard cash when the only skills I have to escape poverty are artistic ones (writing and music too)
My big problem is I'm a perfectionist with (undiagnosed) adhd so I want it done right and I also want it done before I lose my focus. I've actually started to force myself to take my time on projects. So I have plenty of half-started physical projects (paintings, clay figure--where I only have a wire body, a diy mini diorama kit, dnd modular pieces), but when I get the motivation to continue on them, I'm happier than when I would try to do it all at once and get frustrated with it.
That bit about perfectionism being an instinct of self-protection makes me think. A lot of times, people internalize the common persecutions of society so that they can guard themselves against them, often by appeasing them. And art, unfortunately, is not very respected or valued by society at large, along with artists themselves. So, when we internalize that, we subconsciously think that the way to protect ourselves from that is to achieve undeniable, flawless genius whose worth can't be disputed by anyone. But no matter how great we get, we're still plagued with perfectionism, because in our subconscious we also know that no a matter how good our art is, the people who devalue art will still not recognize its value. So, perhaps part of overcoming this is not just in self-confidence, but also in apologetically believing art to be important and valuable. Because it is. So making art will always be worthwhile.
Great video yeah, perfectionism is the worst. I'm constantly trying to deal with it as well. I did a master study the other day and was feeling down about it not coming out exactly like it but it was pretty close. I literally had to say to myself "Of course, it's a MASTER study you maniac" and I felt a huge weight lift off. For some reason I have to keep checking myself like that, I blame social media and the ability to see the best of the best art from the entire world on a daily basis. That can't be healthy.
I am this. I get very worked up on wanting to perfect an image to the point that every piece must be a banger. If the art doesn't look good and didn't perform well, for me that is a monumental waste of my time and energy. After that, cue the harsh self-talk and forcing myself to improve without a care to my health.
After graduating from an art college a year ago my perfectionism was definitely affecting me negatively after harsh critique classes and competitive portfolio comparing 😵💫 but once you step back from "improving" and find that good rhythm with what you're creating, do what will make you look back on that artwork with positive memories! It always sucks remembering where you fail, but focusing on aspects of art that helps you reconnect with your inspiration ~that makes you lose your sense of time on passion projects~ or unleashing that inner desire and doodle fanart of that one character that you love to death on random pieces of printer paper that no one will ever see! If it makes you happy to create, that's what I call perfectionism achieved 🎉
This is why I do redraw of my old art, just to see the improvements I made over the time -either within one year or a decade ago- to reassure myself. Of course, it another thoughts also creep in "you done nothing new" or "the new version is soulless". Nonetheless, I beat those thoughts until they're in critical condition despite them coming back. My self worth may be constantly flush down the toilet, but I will not give in to depression without a fight! Keep trying. Fight hard. And fight smarter.
I'm so glad I stumbled onto this video. I'm a perfectionist myself in my 20's and without realizing, I'd constantly as my best friend if she thinks my anatomy looks right or if theres anything wrong with my drawings etc. I noticed also with me being a perfectionist, if I struggle drawing something I'll tend to give up and delete it despite literally nothing looking wrong with it. I love drawing I really do but I also can't help but keep comparing my art and artstyle to other artists, especially younger ones who draw so professionally. A lot of times I feel like my art level and my artstyle looks bad and underdeveloped compared to the level of art people my age is. What I mean by this is I draw animals a lot such as cat's, wolves, lions, deer etc. I've tried so many times drawing humans, backgrounds, learning shading and lighting and I just can't do it yet other artists can and I've honestly tried for years and I'm in my 20's now and still can't. I can't draw backgrounds or humans and I can't draw realism. My artstyle is a mix between cartoon/semi-realism but mostly on the cartoon side so to me a lot of times I feel like my art is like a baby compared to other artists despite me drawing since I was like 6 years old.
Honestly, the "draw every day video" by PewDiePie brought back my passion for art. I had fallen into the "plan everything, do nothing" state, because I had forgotten the real reason I started drawing to begin with-- because it was fun. By planning so much and thinking about things like what's trending, what the algorithm would like, what might be controversial, etc. I had sucked the joy out of drawing... Seeing that guy PewDiePie draw just for the sake of it, it definitely help break that perfectionist mind set that you describe in your video.
This is why I love that i changed from being a perfectionist to a critic of my own work. I see where i went wrong but I still love every piece that I've made and that motivates me to do better. I just need to go back and finish stuff even though I think I learned enough to make a better artwork.
The thing about younger artists being better at drawing than I was at their age did hit me, but your explanation made so much sense because nowadays you have 13-15 y/o artists that draw really good since they have access to lost of resources on the internet, where people like us (I'm 23) didn't have the means or resources of now to get better. For as far as I remember though, I did really enjoy what I was doing, despite lagging behind in my quality of art and the limited resources at my disposal, now I draw MUCH better than I used to 4 years ago and every time I look at what I've done I tend to smile, because it tells me how far I've come and how much I can improve.
Eveytime i try hold myself that and think that i will about to give up of art but when I got up like starting get up and never give up on myself to art and when i look at other artists in social media i not jealous but a tiny bit and i never compare my art to other art and i make myself happy myself for my art ❤❤❤
Perfectionism nearly destoryed me and i never knew about it that and imposter syndrome as i kept comparing my art skills were deteriorating and i was always shaking till.....someone pointed it out and i stopped caring and i actuallt got better,i passed that point in my life and while am not van gough am me now and imma keep doing it and enjoy,and i am making this post to say its not the end guys just keep pushing,that phase gonna pass,mine lasted for a year so hopefully yours will be shorter,anyway bye
This is how I feel a lot. Sometimes when I look at my art, I get upset or aggravated at a small detail that I would feel like I messed up on. Or that Sometimes I get an idea I want to draw, but then either halfway through it and get bored or not do it at all. But other times, I would go through my old drawings, and think that it was really good...I Sometimes don't like being a perfectionist. Because sometimes I feel like I'm going to loose my art skills...or loose my determination or inspiration to draw...
I am 17 right now, and I'm still drawing stuff. But it feels like I'm not able to draw as much as I want to..sometimes it feels like that I don't have the motivation to draw what I want to draw.....
I've been in a huge artblock since last year, and I've kept trying to point out what was the cause of this artblock, and you just put the words on what it was. Thank you
I hate thinking on this. Its so upsetting when i realise i draw because it is expected. I dont enjoy it, i dont improve or try things. I just draw every day, because its expected for deadlines. But im too scared to stop
i used to feel this a whole lot growing up. Some points in my life I felt like I grasped my reason for hating my art and it helped and then I would relapse. I hated the relapse but then again who doesn't. I'm not sure when those feelings would truly go away but I'm sorta glad I'm not the only one who feels this horrid perfectionism. Now I'm at the point in my life where I'm proud of my work, with of course jumps of self hatred in my art. I wanna show off my art a lot more now, feels good man.
MAN WHAT 😭😭😭 9:30 anyways, talking about smth other from that I really relate to this video because everytime i look at my art something about it makes me want to scrap it and restart.
I used to draw a lot when I was a kid (sadly I don't have any of my old drawings because I threw out a lot of stuff years ago). Unfortunately, the older I got, the harder it was for me to learn the fundamentals, so I stopped drawing for a long time afterward. I got back into it sometime around 2015 because I wasn't doing much of anything around that time, but I stopped again because I was unsatisfied with my progress, as well as getting overwhelmed with the fundamentals again. I finally decided to get back into it because of my therapist (I showed him one of my old drawings and he really liked it). It also keeps me from falling deeper into my depression because I lost my mom late last year. It's still hard, but I've been trying to keep at it because I like the feeling I get when I complete something even if it's not "good" or what I'd initially planned to make. I've slowly been learning the fundamentals, but I try not to focus on every single one of them nowadays. Thanks for the video 👍! I really enjoy your stuff!
7:10 I love the attitude that they have towards their old art. Sometimes artists get so stuck in feeling like they haven't improved as much as they'd wanted to (whether that be because they think that their age impacts where their skills should be or that they compare themselves to other artists that they think are better), often spiraling into thoughts of self hatred for where they began and maybe even where they are now. I'd felt like this for a few years, to a point where I stopped drawing altogether - I'd sit with a blank page in front of me for hours and I'd just end up pushing it away because I couldn't draw. It's so important (and honestly a lot of fun with the right mindset) to look back at the artworks/ sketches you'd made years ago and find even just the tiniest thing you can love about them - even a piece that you once hated, can now be something that you find value in. Doing this with things that you're creating now is even more important! Recreating those old artworks can also be really helpful for when you feel like you're spiraling into a negative mindset with your art - maybe not so much for overcoming perfectionism, but for building and strengthening your self confidence. It'll give you that visual reminder of who you are now and that you should be proud of yourself. Remind yourself that every artist has struggled with perfectionism and insecurity with their art, but that even pieces with errors can still have beauty and value. Try to enjoy the process and focus on what you did well
my perfectionism does not only demotivate me to not draw but it hinders my drawing process. instead of worrying about the big picture, it mostly makes more worry about small details that ONLY I will notice and that can only be seen if you ZOOM IN with the drawing app. it's annoying i swear.
@@marikothecheetah9342 THIS!! This made me stop doing manual line weight because "the pixels are 1 bit bigger than a normal stroke." on hindsight it helped me choose a better brush, a brush that has its manual line weight, hard to explain but i'm satisfied with using in my art tho it hindered me back then.
I needed this video right now , i been struggling with every piece of art i make and its so frustrating ! I want to stop being my greatest enemy and embrace the mistskes i do ....i still have a long way to go but i hope that i will find my way and trust myself in my art process....i think in order to improve we have to make several "ugly" art picese
Thanks to Milanote for sponsoring this video! Sign up for free and start your next creative project: milanote.com/mohammedagbadi0224
I am so happy to see a sponser art related!
This is the first time I have ever actually used a content creators sponsored free thing, this is going to be so helpful
MILANOTE SHOULD OFFICIALLY AND RIGHTFULLY BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR SPONSORING HIS STUPID VIDEO.
This is the exact thing that demotivates me so much, i get sad that im not good enough, then i stop doing art for a week and come back a little rusty making me feel even worse
this video was just posted two seconds ago can you shut up
😭😭😭😭😭 noo.. don't let it demotivate you. it gets better with time you have to stay through the hard phase and power through with studies and positivity
@@MohammedAgbadi i knoww xp its hard to stay positive, but looking back at my old drawings from when i started and seeing my improvement really helps
@@MohammedAgbadi bro what is a study?
@@LowerBudgetOppenheimer i guess like studying anatomy for example
"You Plan Everything but barely start anything."
This is me, currently and it hurts so much. It's the double demon baby of procrastination and perfectionism.
bruhhhhhhhhhhhhh....the last part of your comment is so making me feel so......
Just because you are afraid to start something doesn't mean you are a perfectionist. Most people are afraid to start anything because they are afraid they will fail but that doesn't mean you are a perfectionist. :/
" It's the double demon baby of procrastination and perfectionism."
This reminds me of something called "acedia"
basically, Iirc, some centuries ago, the monks or something described a thing like that, called acedia (there is article about it on wikipedia) - and It was, back then, basically really considered as some sort of possession or something, because according to description, person in that state is unable to basically "be here and now, and work on things that they are currently supposed to work"
Basically, to not prolong this - Person like this, when they have to do something, feel like the "best thing would be to do nothing" - but when they do nothing they feel bored and unhappy and end up in like a circle of being tired of doing something, and at this same time feeling bored when they won't do something...
oh, and in some examples, the person showed as an example (usually a monk) - they are often unhappy because "they want something" - but the problem is - they don't know what it is the thing they want.
I relate so much. I have so many TH-cam art videos, but I have done zero as I feel like I'm terrible at art and there are better artists than me. ( And im lazy 😂)
Hah this looks like a comment I would make
getting better comes in layers, your next drawing might not be the best of what you’re capable of but the next one will be better than the last
I hope so😭😭😭 sometimes the next three be so bad i wanna quit but then i lock in and the next one...
*_straight fyre_*
This is very true. I once made some art of a character of mine and it wasn’t great compared to my other art. But then I did a second version a week or so later and it was at least twice as good
I believe its a lot more about consciously making better observations and decisions than just repeating same drawing over and over again, repetition mostly helps in reinforcing what you already do and giving you new oportunities to learn
To add on to this comment - Or sometimes it won't, or look even worse because making good art can depends on different things like your health or your environment etc., but making bad art doesn't mean you are a 'bad artist'.
Exactly! I made so much bad art, but i kept practicing. I got better. But it really depends sometimes.
There is no worse feeling as an aspiring artist in my eyes than being stuck in the limbo, that is, being simultaneously inspired and envious/demotivated at other artist's work. The constant push and pull between those feelings is tiresome at best and soul crushing at its worst
I’m in shocked you used my TikTok as your talking points for your video! Tysm for this video (and your other ones too!!). You tackle down art problems in our community and it’s such a fresh breath to watch them.
out of curiosity, which one was it ?
@@demiladeeethe one played at 0:29
This is why I never compare myself to anyone else no matter how skilled they are nor do I get caught up in perfection. I’m just trying to enjoy myself and branch out my creative abilities when I can
sometimes you just can't help it and you compare yourself with someone else just a little bit and all the feelings start coming back again sigh
You got the right mentality, keep it up and you'll be a killer artist. 🫡
Perfection isn't when you feel bad when comparing yourself to others. It's just insecurity.
Perfectionism is what recently killed my interest in art. I've thankfully made amends and gotten back into it, but it's a hard process to learn how to balance my desire for what I want and what I'm capable of. I have extremely shaky hands and it makes it extremely difficult to do clean lines, but I'm learning to relax with it. I am proud of my art, I don't compare my art to others in a negative way, but I always held myself to a standard I can no longer achieve. I wish I'd made my realization sooner, 'cause now I'm rusty lol but the joy of it has returned.
Art isn't an inherent gift in most cases. It's a skill, and one that is constantly improving as you hone it. Everyone is an apprentice at one point.
PS I'm absolutely in love with milanote, THANK YOU SO MUCH! It's exactly what I needed to track the 3 major stories I've been working on, since I can never manage to organize them lol
This is wholesome. Ly sad. I get carried away read ppls storys
this video just called me out so bad 😭😭 i've been wanting to open commissions since january but the anxiety of "what if i'm not good enough? what if i just end up wasting my client's money?" seriously keeps me up at night😭 comparing myself to other artists have been a constant plague on me especially when it comes to numbers... i know that my art isnt that bad but i cant stop thinking it aaaaa
Think of it this way if the client is willing to pay for your art after looking at the sketch or something they are CHOOSING to pay for that
same😔 I've been asked for almost 2 years now but I just can't do it
As a professional artist... don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! Just keep going!
One of my favorite things is seeing an old piece that still holds up as it’s own artwork even today.
i have some of those and they make me feel really good sometimes...until i start noticing the mistakes❤️
I’ve been dealing with this for months now 😭 I hate everything I draw and I can’t even go one minute on social media without coming out almost crying because of how much I compare myself to other artists and sometimes its even harder when I work so hard on art and the post it and it barely gets any attention, it just makes me feel worse
I’m happy you talked about this because I’ve seen a lot of TikToks about the topic but nobody has ever talked in depth of this feeling
I guess it's a good thing youtube is my only social media
I used to be a perfectionist artist. I didn't fill my first sketchbook until i was around 18 years old and that sketchbook still had a decent amount of pages ripped out. I used to either rip pages out of sketchbooks or start over from scratch if i messed up a single drawing in my sketchbook. I treated it like a portfolio. Like every drawing in there had to be able to get me into art school.
It took me years to get over my perfectionism. I still have to fight the urge to fuss over little details on client pieces, but I'm still so much happier and progress so much faster now that i leave the imperfections. My advice to anyone trying to get over this:
1. Every bad piece is a lesson that helps you improve.
2. If the piece isn't done yet, it may simply look ugly because it is incomplete. I almost erased some of my favorite drawings in the early stages bc the initial sketch and structural lines did not come easy to me and looked god awful.
3. Nobody is forcing you to share your ugly pieces. I have dozens if not hundreds of drawings that has been seen by nobody except myself and my most trusted artist friends.
4. Wanna know why people often prefer sketches over the final image? The sketches are often looser & have more imperfections. Those imperfections give your piece character and charm. Dont hide them. Zoom in close on the works of some of your favorite artists and you may find things like lines that dont properly connect, color bleed, etc. And when friends do notice these flaws and draw attention to them, its usually to compliment them and say how it gives the piece character.
" If the piece isn't done yet, it may simply look ugly because it is incomplete. I almost erased some of my favorite drawings in the early stages bc the initial sketch and structural lines did not come easy to me and looked god awful. " - My initial sketches, starting from the first line to the last line are refined. I don't have ugly sketches. I just don't allow myself at any stage for even one line to be out of place.
In perfectionism there is no place for 'in between'.
I think this is my worst trait along with procrastination, especially as a double neurodivergent person (audhd). I have all these ideas that i've perfectly imagined in my head, but then when it's actually time to make them, it never goes as smoothly as i wanted so then i get frustrated, which makes me put it aside for a while. But then, the while turns into days then weeks then months. And then i come back when i feel like it (usually after a long time), and the cycle repeats.
One thing that helps me try to break the cycle is a quote i heard in a video somewhere "We don't do perfect, we do done" or smth like that.
OHH MY GODDD SAMEEEEEE
What the fuck is a neurodivergent
YOURE JUST LIKE ME FR OMG
Like fr we just wanna get out of the hood 😭
Yes sameee 😥
New pretty penguin here 👋 just wanted to say thank you. I put my dreams of being an artist aside after a teacher told me I had as much talent as a snail (in a very unkind way), and now, 20 years later, I'm finally saying F that and started drawing again. At the moment my art is a little better than chicken scratchings but your channel has been a massive comfort to me. The way you gently reinforce and motivate has been invaluable and I wanted to express my gratitude for all of inspiration. Thank you.
This is the reason why I stopped posting art (on top of social media literally filling my body with toxicity and pain). I stopped most of my creative hobbies because it was influencing me so strongly in a very bad way. It started to feel like art was a toxic partner who would abuse you. I wanted to originally make money with my art but that sadly didn't work. It's easier to say "this was not meant to be" or "there are already so many artists that do the same things I do but better". Algorithm never "blessed" me with any progress and commissioners can be quite nasty. Art is pain when it involves career, money, and people. I will try to draw more again, but that time only for myself. The burnout was so real.
Wow this is way too real, social medias have eroded my love for art too but I can't just stop using it either because I still believe that I can make it as a fulltime freelance artist someday.
If you're wondering? It feels like hell. I burnout very very often. I don't know if it'll be worth it but I already worked too damn hard just to have this little bit of progress. I can't just throw it all away.
The moment I started to monetize my art was the moment I stopped drawing for myself. The more I continued the more I burned out. But also I don't think I would've stopped since it was my only income.
Twitter and losing clients dye to various factors stopped me. Now I don't even log in on twitter, found a job. Hopefully will be able to draw more soon again
I feel this deeply. I have been drawing all my life, and I /know/ im good, but sometimes I wonder if I am good enough. People have told me how my style is so cool or how my colors look so nice, how detailed are my drawings, but sometimes I feel this deep panic inside, and the voices in my head start whispering "Am I good, or are they just being nice?" "Do they love it because they have never seen something better?" "Why would they like this?"
And sometimes, when I'm in the middle of a drawing, I ask myself: Do I love doing art or is it just the expectation of everyone around me that pushes me to love art? Where does my art love ends and my duty begins?
I love art. Sometimes I love the process. Most times I dont like the end result. I hate feeling inadecuate. Sometimes I feel like I'm scamming people into thinking I can actually do art. And the older I get, the more I feel like im getting stuck no matter how much I draw and how much I practice.
Do a brain fart were you just draw anything and everything that comes to ur mind no matter how stupid it may seem
Going to share something my DBT leader taught me almost 10 years ago, that I apply to many things in my life-especially my art:
“ I don't believe in 'practice makes perfect' because nothing in life will ever be perfect. I believe in 'practice makes permanent'. ”
It applies to learning new coping skills for mental health recovery just as much as it can apply to our hobbies and careers. Can't ever improve if you don't continue to try. Aiming to try again gives room for growth while also going forward because you're better than you were the day prior.
Ok but that is actually a really good advice wtf
3:26 The video explaining perfectionism hits the nail on the head for me. I used to draw frequently in my younger years and had a lot of artist friends. Whenever I shared my art, I had one friend in particular give me constructive criticism with the assumption that I wanted the feedback. Since then, I've been afraid of the guilt and shame of being criticized for anything I shared online. I was afraid of getting their feedback in particular because I felt like I wasn't good enough. I'm still trying to work through this and try to draw for me... but it's been hard. It's been nearly nonexistent but, at the same time, I don't want to give up the hobby. There might also be shame in that because I spent a lot of time and money to work on my art and I don't want it to be all for nothing.
As an illustrator, you have to become comfortable with showing your growth as much as your achievements. Art is a skill and while there will always be people out there that grasp and apply concepts better, it doesn't mean you're not getting better or learning concepts everyday. Absorb, apply, practice, repeat. You're going to do well!
I just recently got back into drawing after like 10 years of not practicing and I felt the perfectionism creeping up within a few days of practicing. For me, the problem was on two fronts, the first problem came with my expectations for my art. I think that lowering my expectations and accepting that I was going to make mistakes helped me let go of this idea of being perfect. The second problem was that I was getting too attached to the visions I had in my head. I think it's better to let my vision and ideas develop on the canvas once I'm drawing, so I'm focusing on developing what's in front of me instead of comparing it to something that only exists in my mind
1:57 My dude you didn't need to call me out like this 😂 Every damn point you made, I was like "Hmm, yeah, that's me".
Feels good to know I'm not alone (obviously), though, I guess.
So many projects in my head, so many dead projects in my folders. And in the end, not much to show the world, or even myself.
OK BUT THE FIRST TIKTOK OF NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH AND JEALOUS OF THE OTHER ARTISTS (the good one) IS SO REAL (so I relate)
i never feel pressure for perfectionism because no one's art is perfect, no matter what piece of art you see, if you look at it for a long time you will find some flaws, even in the hyper realistic ones
"if you look at it for a long time" - it takes me usually a couple of seconds to scan the artwork, whatever it might be, and finding flaws that are left there by the artist. If the artist was a perfectionist, they would never leave those flaws in the first place.
@@marikothecheetah9342 Every single creation in this world has flaws, and that's not a bad thing, is the proof of humanity, even the mother nature itself has some flaws
@@angelos-ro9qw Of course. On the reason level I know it. On the other level, I cringe, when I see flaws in something. Psychological issues aren't logical. And no, most artists aren't perfectionists. Perfectionism doesn't care what you do.
@@marikothecheetah9342 what kind of perspective is this? If you can find a flaw in anything you look at in seconds then imo you’re trying to find something to complain about. A perfectionist will still make mistakes, just like anyone else.
@@tommcdermott9875 "what kind of perspective is this?" - what kind of attitude is this? You just finished the conversation before you even started it. Congratulations.
I get jealous about how good some people's art is when it comes to lighting, hair, and shadows, and especially wrinkles of fabric, but I try not to let it bring me down so hard. I tend to feel uneasy with the thought of someone being jealous of my art because I never want other artists to feel demotivated by looking at my art and jealousy, when unchecked, can get really damn toxic and it can seep into someone's behavior towards others.
THIS, I've had a horrible block on digital art for this exact reason.. I can only do traditional because I let myself be looser, and nobody ever sees it, as opposed to my digital art that I feel obligated to post..
As somebody who started drawing at the age of 28 and has been playing catch-up with other artists who started when they were younger, what has helped me the most is aiming for improvement rather than perfection. - It doesn't matter how good I am now if I am always practicing because I will be better next week, next month, next year.
Also, don't just focus on general improvement but on something specific and do targeted practice (e.g. I want my hands to be better so I will focus on drawing hands this week). Not only will you have goals that are actually achievable but you will reach them quickly, giving you the motivation to keep drawing.
You are not a perfectionist. :) And this is actually a good thing. I don't know why people make perfectionism into this virtue. it's not. It's a hindrance. It's annoying. It makes you miserable in life, not only art. And why ONL:Y artists claim they are perfectionists? :/
I think it might be a healthy way of thinking instead of comparing but when I see people with just crispy lovely art it always just inspires me to want to steal tiny bits of their style that I love cause that’s what I want my style to be too and it’s okay to take little bits from everything !!
Inspires me to want to draw and steal tiny bits*
do you like dogs?
sort of
Yeah
They're silly just like cats
yess i have a jack russel called honey boo ❤
Yess, my friend just got a dog named king and I’m going to see him after I finish the video
Cats better.
hugs to all the artists who feel this way, let's keep going, it'll get better and we'll find ourselves and our happiness slowly but surely ❤❤
"You never feel fufilled even after meeting your goals."
YUp, that's me!
i just knew i was not alone fr
You are so right about so many points. About jealousy of young artists achieving so much in 2-3 years, but you don't know maybe they had resources and time for it. About loving your drawing first minute you finish it and then hate the rest of time. About perfectionism not about all details look good in the picture but about the picture being the same as you imagine and want it to be.
I really love some 'sketchy' art style of some artists but every time I try to replicate something I see my own art as too messy and when I fix too much it I had to fix other part to clean too for consistency. My only solution for now is almost completely cut myself from following other artists aside from when I gather references, to not be overjealous.
Tysm for this video! I relate to this so much because I struggle from perfectionism that comparing myself to artists being able to achieve something makes me lack of motivation. I also struggle with ADHD and fear of growth since it makes me want to give up at art when it doesn’t come out the way I expected to be. Even procrastinating is the worse…
One thing I’ve started to do to try and overcome my perfectionism is to show my art or writing to my friends to give me honest feedback about it. The fact that my friends calls something I make good, makes me feel better about the thing because I’m aware of the fact that I know that I see every flaw in it while other people just see it as it actually is. My art.
12:56 that's a lot of drawings, I like those!
thanks!!
Oh boy, this is me. I feel like everything I do is practice and if I practice enough then, one day, I’ll have to be good enough right? Now practicing isn’t bad but never doing finished work because you don’t think you’re “there yet” really does hold you back. It holds me back.
The jealousy…
And the perfectionism 😭
I have the perfect idea for an animation, a drawing
Then I stare at the canvas…
Push things back since I “don’t have the skill level yet”
Then I feel terrible when I see others who are younger than me, making full on animations or drawings that look like masterpieces….
Then I feel like quitting.
But a way I’m trying to find around that is thinking about time.
It takes time to do things.
Imagine how much time they spend doing that.
It takes a long time, it’s not like they just pull the “talent” out of their thumb.
So you’ll get there eventually.
:)
I love your videos because you talk about this kind of things from a very mature and comforting way. im thankful for your work for us, even if i draw since years hearing this helps a lot
omg Thank you so much!
oh man. i got recc'd this video and i'm really appreciative that you've made this. i have so much to say. SO much.
i've been remarkably perfectionist about my art to the point that i've stopped myself from making things for years and years. it was really bad, and it turned out i had OCD (not "wash your hands a lot of times" type, but subtypes like perfectionism OCD, morality OCD, responsibility OCD, the sort of OCD that makes me feel like i NEED to be the best at everything, i NEED to be responsible for everyone else because no one else can do the job right, i NEED to always have the high ground etc...)
and i could directly connect this to ways i'd been treated irl, online, in art spaces, trying to go to art college, etc.
for me, perfectionism is seeking the feeling that it's okay for me to exist. that i can share something and it WON'T immediately get torn to shreds, that it is "good enough" by some magical objective standard (more on this later)
but ultimately... perfectionism is at odds with the self being good enough to exist by virtue of being oneself! to only be worthy of existence because of being perfect... it's a painful road
i definitely agree with the video you showed earlier that talked about perfectionism as a method of self-protection, a "defense mechanism that avoids shame and judgement and blame"... but in the end that puts fear at the forefront of your life, not care.
something that has helped me (but this road is still very VERY hard) is to remember that the imperfections mean i'm alive. when i watch an animation and i see some error, it makes me smile usually. when i play a game and encounter a glitch, i like that? i like feeling "there's a story behind this, i can see that other people made this, these people made something and its real, and i can relate to making mistakes"
yet... when /i/ am not perfect, i judge myself. why? i want to exist, i want to be good enough to exist and share my work, and i need to be willing to stand up for myself TO myself. because perfectionism, being one's own worst critic, is a defense mechanism that turns us into bullies towards ourselves. we fear ourselves so that we avoid fearing others
i do feel that a healthy amount of self criticism can help with growth, but i also feel that self-love is more of a motivator for anything i've ever made and any growth i've ever done... so where does that go? and why?
For me personally, having tried to go to art college and follow some "objective" standard of good art... i realized a few things:
1- perfectionism is actually at odds with experimentation/exploration, which is why it strangles art production/happiness.
sure, there are the troubled geniuses who experiment and are perfectionist, but they do suffer a lot. experimentation is a form of exploration, and exploring only really comes with doing something you're /uncertain/ about. being confident and comfortable enough with uncertainty, that you explore... think of children and how they definitely don't know how to do abc or xyz, but boy are they ready to rush in and learn! they're open with learning and exploring, they love to explore generally (unless they've been hurt or discouraged from it, which is heartbreaking)
art is, to me, often an exploration of something, something we care about and want to share... so... if we act in perfectionist ways, we're in essence stating that we are only allowed to explore and share if its Good enough. it implies there is art that we can make that is just too bad to ever matter. but it holds something that matters to us! if art we make can be Undeserving, and it holds feelings we have, that can hurt! it can make us feel like our /feelings/ are undeserving... where does that come from?
2- capitalism completely fucks with art, valuing what makes money, encouraging competition and isolation, actively discouraging personal art... and that fucked with me immensely
there's a LOT i can say about this one, it's hard to summarize and i've already written a lot but... i'll try to be succinct
i had gone to some meeting for asking questions about full sail university when i was first looking into colleges. i asked if the representative if they had 2d animation, and the guy literally laughed in my face and said "that's not where the money is"
i can't overstate how shocking this was to me as a 17 or so year old. my passion, my dream, was literally being laughed at because money mattered more
art often gets treated in ways that overvalue money and audience consumption. commissioners who act like prices should be lowered because they want the art, fans who act like you should change what you do because they want it different, people who act like "the customer is always right" applies to your own personal artwork! artists who try to maintain their own vision can often be bullied, ridiculed , ignored by general adherence to a vague idea of what art "should" look like, even though not everyone values the "industry standard"!
people cannot conceptualize that someone may be happier with their art looking less polished, so on. i was one of those people! i was insecure in many ways because of how i felt i needed to be perfect, and i didn't understand how others could exist without wanting to be perfect. i felt like having my own unique voice was not "accessible" and i got repeatedly turned down by different companies, i had bad experiences with schools trying to mold me for the industry, and so on
but the thing about what makes money, is that often times algorithms and such try to mold what makes money into an easy formula... experimentation is viewed as risk, sincerity and nuance and individuality is not actually as easy to sell as outrage and cookie cutter slogans. this is by the fact that... thought takes time and effort. our personal experiences take time, our growth takes time, it takes time for us to process complex and beautiful things, to process those things! ...and time is money. AI supplanting human artists is not by coincidence, people in charge who want to make money are well aware that the human element, the individual, is pesky to work with and they would rather make money reliably, cheaply, regardless of if some beauty or love is lost.
workers of any kind valuing themselves does not benefit those who are rich. if you work for a boss and you're aware they're mistreating you and that you deserve better and quit... that's a problem if you're essential. but if there are a hundred others just like you, with accessible art just like you, who value the ideals the industry set and are willing to put up with a lot of crap... then you quitting doesn't matter to the boss. they'll find someone else. so it's better (for making money) if the industry discourages individuality.
i used to feel bad when artists who were younger than me had better art but... why? why do i feel like my time is "running out" and i am "bad" for not having reached skill earlier? for me, it was ultimately that i felt like i simply couldn't "compete"
but why is art a competition? it doesn't have to be! all of this is fake bullshit that doesn't help me or any artist really (EVEN the people who make money), and i don't have to follow that sort of system even if i have to live in it currently thanks to the US being the way it is.
i hope every day that people can grow and realize they can do what they want to do, and they're not bad for not following some invisible standards, that they can decide "i am good enough" and that having self-love is NOT being selfish, that valuing oneself is NOT being stuckup.
thanks for the video, a lot to think about and i appreciate it
Here’s the thing, I’ve never been a perfectionist, or exhibited the behaviors of one until high-school.
I don’t feel comfortable disclosing all the details, but my art at the time…effected things in my life, so much so that the mindless glee I felt drawing before was replaced with a sense of self-hatred that I couldn’t ignore.
That in addition to the success my other artist friend was achieving worsened it greatly. I began comparing myself to him often, thinking I could never have that same support or praise given from others.
After months of hiatus, I returned to drawing, and although I still feel remnants of that time when I hated what I made and myself for making it, I can acknowledge that I have improved greatly, and will continue to do so if I just kept drawing.
I think for me, I like all art because they are all an expression of you and your progress. We all don't start out amazing and looking at other people's art might inspire you to look up how to make that art and then branch out on your own, like what tools did they use, what drawing software can help you out, etc. I like watching people like Jazza because they keep showing me different art people do and how to get started from scratch.
And you're absolutely right, this doesn't just apply to art but life in general, don't compare yourself to others to the point that you feel envious of them because they worked hard to get there and you can see if you can do the same if you really want to be there too. Hey, you know what they say, comparison is the root of all evil. Just use them as something to aspire to be and work for it.
Easier said than done though, I know haha, we can all say that but I don't know how many of us actually want to try and just give up because it's too hard to get motivated enough to put yourself out there.
(As you said, open yourself up to potentially shame yourself is painful enough to not even try to improve.)
this is how i feel everytimes, drawing that took a days but it's still not feel good as i imagined and it's not even helping no one notices whenever i post it on any other social media.
Personally, I've tried so many ways to draw and think I gotta nail it and make it so good. But then I look at other people's art that looks SO MUCH better than mine, so it makes me feel like trash. I can't keep one artsyle because I wanna seem super good. PLUS , I have BPD ( Bordeline Personally Dissorder ) I feel proud of that one drawing I've done, and then after, I'm not satisfied enough because it doesn't fill in this " high " that I've felt before. Hence, I never feel good about what I make. And I change everything to make myself feel better than others, special per say. Everything in your video is so true, and it makes me feel better to know I'm not alone.
Honestly so glad I found this video rn .I’ve been going through a pour down of emotions lately and things are abit haywire in my life 😅(TMI) and I feel so stuck.After seeing a few art videos earlier on today I had it . Completely broke down because of everything and me not being able to reach the amount of people I want to reach,not being good enough to others younger than me,drawing and just simply not reaching my goals I don’t know anymore. What makes it worse is I can’t stop …and I know I won’t ever stop drawing because I’m in this loop of thinking I’ll be successful,then see some others works ,get depressed and start drawing again after some time and repeat. I love drawing and honestly I just want to be better and good enough to be a successful artist before I’m 22 at least .ATP it feels like everyone who’s doubted my dreams and passion for art were right and I don’t know what to do anymore . If anyone has any advice at …please feel free to share because I’m really at a loss of everything right now …I ant even say what I want to or be more specific but yeah 😢
I honestly have no advice or help... But maybe take a moment to draw stuff you really like just for you I want to share my art but I can't ya know expecting fame so I personally just don't realize how. Much I progressed if I look at my older drawings I think oh it's so cringe which Is proof that I got better it helps and I know this sou ds evil of me but knowing ppl are worse than me makes me feel better what matters most is if ur art impresses you because most will never see the effort and detail of your masterpiece but then again what does some random on the internet know about this haha
i dont know what happened, i used to be a perfectionist but one day I just stopped. Not coloring everything so when you zoom in you can see the background? oh well. Proportions don't really work? Oh well.
I like the drawing and that's what matters to me. I don't care about anything else and I know that most people who will look at my art wont over-Analize it so there's no point for me to do the same.
I know its not a solution for everyone, especially if art is a means to pay bills. But getting off social media so i dont compare myself to others was a big help and getting me to enjoy art again.
Another one that helped was moving to traditional art. Its a lot harder to be a perfectionist when mistakes are less correctable. Obviously you can still fix them with most traditional art, but if its a big mistake or you're commiting to somethibg with inks or watercolors or such you cant do as much. It really helos to accept a mistake and keeo going just to see the finished piece
I used to be perfectionnist, doing a very clean, fine lineart. When I posted a drawing, If I looked at it for too long, I could see small details that I wanted to change, things that weren't polished enough.. But now, I don't Care. I have a more expressive and even "chaotic" artstyle. I enjoy drawing a lot more. I understood that It doesn't have to be perfect, I barely do lineart because It wasn't fun for me. Now, I try to focuse a lot more on the shapes and colors, the global feeling that comes from the drawing. It's so much fun and people can feel it. We're not perfect and that makes us unique. I stop a drawing when it's no more fun for me to continue it, for me, it's finished then.
I’m lucky I’m one of the artists that didn’t grow up with this kind of mindset! Or I grew out of it. But I was lucky to have some sort of support system every time I did art! I was always praised for it, and encouraged to do more, and though for a time I had perfectionism, it was slowly something my mind got out of as an artist!
Allowing yourself to enjoy the progress and seeing how much you’ve improved really helps wonders. A lot of the time people forget that being an artist always starts out as a hobby! And what is a hobby? Something you do for fun! People always forget about that. And sometimes I do too, but every once in awhile you just have to remind yourself pf that. Look back on your own progress and follow your own unique path to being a great artist, in your eyes! You have to appreciate that it’s *yours* and you have to remember to *enjoy* it. Look at others art, not as something to bash your own art with, but something to help push you, to inspire you! Think to yourself when you see good art that “one day, I can reach that skill level! If they can do it, surely I can too!” And it’s a mindset that I’m proud to have nowadays when it comes to my art
I will admit I probably have to practice this when it comes to my skills of writing, but it helps immensely. It also just helps to know that, bringing yourself down to bring another artist up does not help the artist feel proud of their own progress. They had their own journey to get to the skills they got now, but they can’t be properly proud of themselves when they see that it brings other artists down. How about we just learn to appreciate each other’s art and progress? There’s no need to bring anyone down, including yourself, for any of this!
So to all the artists out there feeling down about their own art, you got this! You’re progressing well! You can still keep improving! Do it for fun, do it for yourself, and do it because you love to draw! ❤
What I did to battle perfectionism is doing art studies! I looked at people’s art and I asked myself what characteristics their art had that mine didn’t. I did this with an artist called Marikyuun first. I then tried to replicate it, and when I accomplished it, I implemented some things of it in my own art! I did this with some other artists and I can say that looking at toher’s art and seeing what they do better than you and how they color, do lineart and other things really helps you make your work better. I’ve loved my art ever since and I’m always improving! 😌💅
I’ve basically always hated my art, am a major perfectionist, stopped posting because of it, and did endless studies until I was “good enough” to make original work. While this technically did make me a better artist eventually, it lead to me hating the process of making work and creating tons of unfinished pieces. When I started making art I’d post everything I made no matter how bad but the better I got the harder it became to enjoy the process or even like the finished pieces. Anytime I ran into the slightest issue I’d stop and do a ton of studies because the piece I was actually working on needed to be perfect. Ultimately killing my love for art and it just became a job, or something I was boxed into doing as it’d become my only skill. However recently I found a counter intuitive fix. Pretty much the opposite of all art advice I hear. I took on a personal project way bigger than was realistic, way too ambitious, way too much work, way outside my skill set. And it made me love art again, and see the most improvement I’ve seen in years. Because it was no longer about making something perfect but about making something important to me. I love the work I’m doing now, and while I still care about the outcome I care even more about making something I can share with other people. It’s a story, and world, and characters I love and need to get out into the world and that’s overwritten my obsession with perfectionism.
For me how I deal with it
Is I take the thing I like the most
And just talk about it with my artist friends
And then after that I look at the bad parts and try to fix it
After I fix it it I feel fulfilled and better
Letting go of my extreme want to have a "tiktok sketchbook" helped me SOO much, especially with the quantity of my drawings since now i dont have to worry about adding layers or something insanely interesting to every page i make.
I swear the videos you make always come onto my recommended at just the right time🥲 I’ve been stuck in this limbo of being inspired (by the Epic musical and all the great animatics) but letting the fear of failure keep me from putting pencil to paper/stylus to screen. It’s like if I can’t get it down exactly how I have it in my head, then it’s better off not existing at all
im watching this while working on a story project due in 2 days and this really helped me gain consciousness on why i was taking so long making it 😭😭 thank u
Hey Mohammed. I just wanted to say I needed this today. Ive been crying about my gouache painting for my project not being perfect and this made me feel a lot better. Thanks for this.
It gets wild how much the fear of failing to meet perfection can encroach on every facet of life. We gotta respect our individual journeys and where we are along them. I appreciate you discussing it!
I really needed this video. This is exactly how I feel most days. When I first really got into digital art, I felt so happy and carefree, proud of everything I did and wanted to share it with the world. Seeing how many other wonderful artists were on instagram inspired me, and I’d even study their art and learn from their techniques. Now, I’m so jaded by comparing how many likes my posts get or how much better another artist’s work is to mine. Especially considering I want to turn my stories into comics, seeing other people’s beautiful and successful webcomics just crushes me sometimes, and I feel like I’ll never make immersive and stunning visuals to encompass my stories. It really is one of the most depressing feelings out there.
After being a long time lurker, this is the one that finally got me to subscribe. It describes how I feel most of the time. I get motivation when I can't create, and then when I have time, I stall, and go do something else. A couple of things that have worked are: keep a blank canvas open in Clip Studio Paint and just draw something small when the mood hits, keep a sketchbook and pencil nearby in case a laptop is not practical, and finally if my 7-year-old daughter wants to do a drawing challenge, just say yes. Now, they don't all work 100% of the time, but I have found some small successes in those from time to time.
personal POV, but I find that I can coexist with my perfectionism by truly embracing Mark Manson's concept of embracing negativity--that is, accepting that I will always "chase perfection from behind and that's fine"
when i embrace that state as being my default state, suddenly I feel like I can still be a perfectionist while also live with not being perfect enough.
I suck, and that's okay. But I will strive to improve forever regardless, and that's okay too.
Thank you so much for his video!
Proud to say that I'm finally in therapy! Not only because of my perfectionism (and other problems that were triggered by it) but I really hope to find a way to deal with this sense of "never being good enough"
My ocd makes all these feelings even worse and more detrimental. My parents fueling this by never being satisfied with anything unless I got 100% and Bonus Points, makes the whole situation feel super insurmountable to me. Ever since I was a kid I was compared and always told to do more, be better, work harder, which made the perfectionism and beating-thyself-up-over-everything normal to me. It was simply the only thing I knew.
Last week my therapist told me I was actually allowed to talk about my feelings and struggles (I'm autistic and struggle a lot with sensory overload, communication and social situations) and that was REVULUTIONARY to me.
I always wonder when this will stop but have hardly any hope left that it will stop at any point. Spirituality can help to handle it but (maybe just because that's my lived reality ever since I was born) I don't feel like this'll ever end.
Recently I got a scholarship and feel guilty about it because I think I'm not worth and could do better (like I always do). They would throw a big luxurious party for the 30 students of our town who got in and all I could think about was; "I shouldn't be here, they're gonna find out I'm just pretending, I don't know anything, I was just lucky"
I sincerely hope this will get better one day. But at the same time one thing I am able to be realistic about is that it'll obviously be hard for someone who was always told: "Why not an A+? Where are the bonus points? Next time you better be the best, stop being so lazy" etc. to be realistic about their situation and skills
I agree with you. During the beginning to middle of my journey around 2022, I was trying to perfect my basics, anatomy, and my own projects. I knew that judging people's art wasn't going to help and it would be stupid if I had done that in the first place. From what I learned watching people draw and drawings and deciding what is missing and what am I lacking. I am always open to learning anything art related.
This reminds me of showing my sister one of my art work and she was praising it like hell while I was looking at all the _tiny little flaws that made me move my cursor to the bin icon_
You know this make me remind myself to why I even started with an art post on My Deviantart to post all of my imperfection or unfinish artwork and I call it My art Vault. A collection of old artworks that I could never throw them or look at it during the time. To why I did this 'Art Vault" I have years of artwork that I just collected in folders or sketches books. I sometimes look into it and smile at how bad most of them are or wonder why I never posted them. So, I did that Posted them every Friday and explain them why the art the way it is.
I feel like every artist should do an "Art Vault" Open that old folder of "WIP" or Unfinish Sketches and post them up. share the idea of not to be a perfectionist, everyone has those days of random doodles that never seen the light of day or sketches or an 'Ugly wip". Heck, I agree to what you say. This video makes me feel abit better that everyone suffers these same mental ideas same as me, not just the younger artist or the older Artist, Beginners or Pros.
perfection and procrastination killed the creative artist and give then just bad vibes.
Definitely needed to watch this. Going through the same thing myself. From time to time, I post in the discord servers I'm in, i feel that the people who like them are just doing it because we're friends.
guys, you all can do it! your art may not be good enough for YOU now, but keep practicing and you will see a big difference! always keep even your "failed" pieces bc in the future you will see how much you've improved. [also, great video bro!]
Thank you so much 😀
Perfectionism was defined as "professional" work, "realism" "beloved art" etc for me. But over the years, especially after therapy for anxiety and slowly chipping away at the things that stressed me out. I realised the reason why I had stopped drawing was because I depended on others to accept and like my art to give me validation that I was improving. Nowadays I just draw because I feel like it, because I have some spare time, because I have an idea and I dont care if its not my original design, I dont care if its fan art, I dont care if I'm taking the freebie or $5 commission that you didn't want to do but are still for some reason angry about, I dont care if its not digital. I still like that validation, but that validation isnt a I post, they like, anymore. Its more about fulfilling a request or surprising people with something they didn't have the skills or confidence to make or draw. And usually those people are genuinely happy and thrilled even if its a messy sketch. And I feel good because: 1. I enjoy their idea enough to draw, and 2. Happy that they are happy.
messages that tell me my art is boring or bad or whatever, doesn't bother me anymore, because what I'm making isn't for them. Its for the person I am making it for, or the group I am enjoying myself being a part of. And I just find it funny that they send me the messages, because its not like I'm a better artist than them or their favorite artist so why are you threatened?
Not the Special Stage theme song from the first Sonic game
aye les gooooo!!!
That one tik tok clip is so true tho 😭 I literally hate my art so much some times- then the rare times I'm proud of my art, it doesn't get any traction and it's like a punch to the gut ...
Yes on consistency. I have been inspired to really improve my art so that I can draw all of the pieces that exist in my head, and I have started to draw every day for at least 10 minutes a day. I am seeing progress, and it feels satisfying to create. My art isn't where I want it to be, but goodness, I'll never get there if I never start!
I love your channel, I love how you talk about artist from personal experiences, and actually explain real problems in art
I used to be a small creator, and I would even be searched on google, I could search myself on google, and see my Tiktok, and TH-cam. I felt proud of that, but it wasn't for my art. It was because I was actually talking about my art, and the struggles I was dealing with with my art. I see all these popular trends all over Tiktok, even creators that have less followers than me get a lot of likes, and I find that inspiring, but every time I post drawings, and try to join trends, I just never finish my videos. Or I just never get views, which is why I take a long time of posting, or even draw in general. My friends expect me to make a comic for them, and I'm half way done with the comic, but I don't like how 'Small' I make the drawings in the frame. I really tried to improve my art, but then I notice how bad the facial structure looks, how the face looks, then the hair. I really hate the fact people actually like my art, but I'm my own hater, and it's not even just for my art, I think it's everything that includes art in general.
It's like I am being read like a book! The number of times I have always paused before starting a drawing because I am like "Is it going to look good? Am I going to be satisfied with it in the end?" And then doing a couple of sketches before putting the pencil down are innumerable!
This video actually kinda of made me smile a bit. I’m a small content creator that does art and I’ve been working on this short video of me drawing a small figurine into a person. When I was designing it, how I drew the face threw me off so much. After that, I decided to draw a different drawing that I also thought was weird so I wanted to draw an another drawing. This was the point when I saw this vid which kinda makes me happy and think of the good things about my art! I haven’t finished my art yet but I feel motivated to finish now :)
Thank you for this personal attack lol
While watching this I thought about myself in highschool and one of the first drawings I did in a drawing book I made... Then to the moment I stopped drawing because I had failed an art exam and tore all my drawings off my walls... I still doodled but didn't really do much over the years and I found that drawing book and erased some of the heavier lines on that first drawing and now I feel guilty about "fixing" it instead of doing it over somewhere else... But I do really want to draw again and knowing that I didn't finish drawings in the past, I now think I understand how to get back into it and not stress myself about how perfect it is.... So Thanks!
Like you said in the video, "I have never felt so called out in a video in my life." Absolutely everything covered are the things I do when I try and do any drawing. I'm also now realizing it's why I've been putting off working on a piece I started. I may end up having your video ready to play a lot in the coming days to help me try and over come being a perfectionist. :D
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. How some artists are so hard on themselves. Art can be nothing, and everything. For me art represent the beauty in the world. When you’re feeling down, think about why you’re drawing. For me, i just like to let myself go and create. I just do it, i don’t think about anything else. I think that, one thing more important than your skill is the mindset you have when you create. What makes art so beautiful is the feelings and humanity we put into it.
Also, you don’t need to do work you are satisfied with all the time. What i like to do is, i just draw what’s on my mind, and i do very messy sketches, trust me, i’m not fully satisfied with them, but i still find beauty in them, because they’re me!
I know where my perfectionism comes from, bad experiences sharing art esp. at uni, and also a need to turn my hobbies into cold hard cash when the only skills I have to escape poverty are artistic ones (writing and music too)
My big problem is I'm a perfectionist with (undiagnosed) adhd so I want it done right and I also want it done before I lose my focus.
I've actually started to force myself to take my time on projects. So I have plenty of half-started physical projects (paintings, clay figure--where I only have a wire body, a diy mini diorama kit, dnd modular pieces), but when I get the motivation to continue on them, I'm happier than when I would try to do it all at once and get frustrated with it.
☠️
That bit about perfectionism being an instinct of self-protection makes me think. A lot of times, people internalize the common persecutions of society so that they can guard themselves against them, often by appeasing them. And art, unfortunately, is not very respected or valued by society at large, along with artists themselves. So, when we internalize that, we subconsciously think that the way to protect ourselves from that is to achieve undeniable, flawless genius whose worth can't be disputed by anyone. But no matter how great we get, we're still plagued with perfectionism, because in our subconscious we also know that no a matter how good our art is, the people who devalue art will still not recognize its value. So, perhaps part of overcoming this is not just in self-confidence, but also in apologetically believing art to be important and valuable. Because it is. So making art will always be worthwhile.
Great video yeah, perfectionism is the worst. I'm constantly trying to deal with it as well. I did a master study the other day and was feeling down about it not coming out exactly like it but it was pretty close. I literally had to say to myself "Of course, it's a MASTER study you maniac" and I felt a huge weight lift off. For some reason I have to keep checking myself like that, I blame social media and the ability to see the best of the best art from the entire world on a daily basis. That can't be healthy.
I am this. I get very worked up on wanting to perfect an image to the point that every piece must be a banger.
If the art doesn't look good and didn't perform well, for me that is a monumental waste of my time and energy. After that, cue the harsh self-talk and forcing myself to improve without a care to my health.
After graduating from an art college a year ago my perfectionism was definitely affecting me negatively after harsh critique classes and competitive portfolio comparing 😵💫 but once you step back from "improving" and find that good rhythm with what you're creating, do what will make you look back on that artwork with positive memories! It always sucks remembering where you fail, but focusing on aspects of art that helps you reconnect with your inspiration ~that makes you lose your sense of time on passion projects~ or unleashing that inner desire and doodle fanart of that one character that you love to death on random pieces of printer paper that no one will ever see! If it makes you happy to create, that's what I call perfectionism achieved 🎉
This is why I do redraw of my old art, just to see the improvements I made over the time -either within one year or a decade ago- to reassure myself. Of course, it another thoughts also creep in "you done nothing new" or "the new version is soulless". Nonetheless, I beat those thoughts until they're in critical condition despite them coming back. My self worth may be constantly flush down the toilet, but I will not give in to depression without a fight!
Keep trying. Fight hard. And fight smarter.
I'm so glad I stumbled onto this video. I'm a perfectionist myself in my 20's and without realizing, I'd constantly as my best friend if she thinks my anatomy looks right or if theres anything wrong with my drawings etc. I noticed also with me being a perfectionist, if I struggle drawing something I'll tend to give up and delete it despite literally nothing looking wrong with it. I love drawing I really do but I also can't help but keep comparing my art and artstyle to other artists, especially younger ones who draw so professionally. A lot of times I feel like my art level and my artstyle looks bad and underdeveloped compared to the level of art people my age is. What I mean by this is I draw animals a lot such as cat's, wolves, lions, deer etc. I've tried so many times drawing humans, backgrounds, learning shading and lighting and I just can't do it yet other artists can and I've honestly tried for years and I'm in my 20's now and still can't. I can't draw backgrounds or humans and I can't draw realism. My artstyle is a mix between cartoon/semi-realism but mostly on the cartoon side so to me a lot of times I feel like my art is like a baby compared to other artists despite me drawing since I was like 6 years old.
I wonder how tru you are to the community LOVE YOUR VIDS
thankyou❤️
Honestly, the "draw every day video" by PewDiePie brought back my passion for art. I had fallen into the "plan everything, do nothing" state, because I had forgotten the real reason I started drawing to begin with-- because it was fun. By planning so much and thinking about things like what's trending, what the algorithm would like, what might be controversial, etc. I had sucked the joy out of drawing... Seeing that guy PewDiePie draw just for the sake of it, it definitely help break that perfectionist mind set that you describe in your video.
This is why I love that i changed from being a perfectionist to a critic of my own work. I see where i went wrong but I still love every piece that I've made and that motivates me to do better. I just need to go back and finish stuff even though I think I learned enough to make a better artwork.
The thing about younger artists being better at drawing than I was at their age did hit me, but your explanation made so much sense because nowadays you have 13-15 y/o artists that draw really good since they have access to lost of resources on the internet, where people like us (I'm 23) didn't have the means or resources of now to get better.
For as far as I remember though, I did really enjoy what I was doing, despite lagging behind in my quality of art and the limited resources at my disposal, now I draw MUCH better than I used to 4 years ago and every time I look at what I've done I tend to smile, because it tells me how far I've come and how much I can improve.
Eveytime i try hold myself that and think that i will about to give up of art but when I got up like starting get up and never give up on myself to art and when i look at other artists in social media i not jealous but a tiny bit and i never compare my art to other art and i make myself happy myself for my art ❤❤❤
Perfectionism nearly destoryed me and i never knew about it that and imposter syndrome as i kept comparing my art skills were deteriorating and i was always shaking till.....someone pointed it out and i stopped caring and i actuallt got better,i passed that point in my life and while am not van gough am me now and imma keep doing it and enjoy,and i am making this post to say its not the end guys just keep pushing,that phase gonna pass,mine lasted for a year so hopefully yours will be shorter,anyway bye
Your grounded perspective and chill personality is always appreciated. Consistently great content, thank you.
This is how I feel a lot. Sometimes when I look at my art, I get upset or aggravated at a small detail that I would feel like I messed up on. Or that Sometimes I get an idea I want to draw, but then either halfway through it and get bored or not do it at all. But other times, I would go through my old drawings, and think that it was really good...I Sometimes don't like being a perfectionist. Because sometimes I feel like I'm going to loose my art skills...or loose my determination or inspiration to draw...
I am 17 right now, and I'm still drawing stuff. But it feels like I'm not able to draw as much as I want to..sometimes it feels like that I don't have the motivation to draw what I want to draw.....
i love you because you make your sponsors a different section of your video
I've been in a huge artblock since last year, and I've kept trying to point out what was the cause of this artblock, and you just put the words on what it was. Thank you
I hate thinking on this. Its so upsetting when i realise i draw because it is expected. I dont enjoy it, i dont improve or try things. I just draw every day, because its expected for deadlines. But im too scared to stop
i used to feel this a whole lot growing up. Some points in my life I felt like I grasped my reason for hating my art and it helped and then I would relapse. I hated the relapse but then again who doesn't. I'm not sure when those feelings would truly go away but I'm sorta glad I'm not the only one who feels this horrid perfectionism. Now I'm at the point in my life where I'm proud of my work, with of course jumps of self hatred in my art. I wanna show off my art a lot more now, feels good man.
MAN WHAT 😭😭😭 9:30
anyways, talking about smth other from that I really relate to this video because everytime i look at my art something about it makes me want to scrap it and restart.
I used to draw a lot when I was a kid (sadly I don't have any of my old drawings because I threw out a lot of stuff years ago). Unfortunately, the older I got, the harder it was for me to learn the fundamentals, so I stopped drawing for a long time afterward. I got back into it sometime around 2015 because I wasn't doing much of anything around that time, but I stopped again because I was unsatisfied with my progress, as well as getting overwhelmed with the fundamentals again. I finally decided to get back into it because of my therapist (I showed him one of my old drawings and he really liked it). It also keeps me from falling deeper into my depression because I lost my mom late last year. It's still hard, but I've been trying to keep at it because I like the feeling I get when I complete something even if it's not "good" or what I'd initially planned to make. I've slowly been learning the fundamentals, but I try not to focus on every single one of them nowadays.
Thanks for the video 👍! I really enjoy your stuff!
7:10 I love the attitude that they have towards their old art. Sometimes artists get so stuck in feeling like they haven't improved as much as they'd wanted to (whether that be because they think that their age impacts where their skills should be or that they compare themselves to other artists that they think are better), often spiraling into thoughts of self hatred for where they began and maybe even where they are now. I'd felt like this for a few years, to a point where I stopped drawing altogether - I'd sit with a blank page in front of me for hours and I'd just end up pushing it away because I couldn't draw.
It's so important (and honestly a lot of fun with the right mindset) to look back at the artworks/ sketches you'd made years ago and find even just the tiniest thing you can love about them - even a piece that you once hated, can now be something that you find value in. Doing this with things that you're creating now is even more important!
Recreating those old artworks can also be really helpful for when you feel like you're spiraling into a negative mindset with your art - maybe not so much for overcoming perfectionism, but for building and strengthening your self confidence. It'll give you that visual reminder of who you are now and that you should be proud of yourself.
Remind yourself that every artist has struggled with perfectionism and insecurity with their art, but that even pieces with errors can still have beauty and value. Try to enjoy the process and focus on what you did well
my perfectionism does not only demotivate me to not draw but it hinders my drawing process. instead of worrying about the big picture, it mostly makes more worry about small details that ONLY I will notice and that can only be seen if you ZOOM IN with the drawing app. it's annoying i swear.
Yes! One person that TRULY is a perfectionist and gets it. Ever had one pixel removed because you knew you're gonna see it from 100 metres? :)
@@marikothecheetah9342 THIS!! This made me stop doing manual line weight because "the pixels are 1 bit bigger than a normal stroke." on hindsight it helped me choose a better brush, a brush that has its manual line weight, hard to explain but i'm satisfied with using in my art tho it hindered me back then.
I needed this video right now , i been struggling with every piece of art i make and its so frustrating ! I want to stop being my greatest enemy and embrace the mistskes i do ....i still have a long way to go but i hope that i will find my way and trust myself in my art process....i think in order to improve we have to make several "ugly" art picese