I don’t really see my art as “WOW, AMAZING! BOW DOWN BITCHESSS!!!” However, I used to really hate my art but I am slowly getting to actually see that my art is rather pretty decent. I think this isn’t really ego but me finally gaining confidence in my own art and feeling comfortable with it! :) To everyone who hates their art, you’ll grow out of it. You’ll improve and soon hopefully see that you’re art isn’t that bad at all. I like to call this confidence in your art which is much different from Ego and the subject of this video. Not saying Ergo’s wrong, just trying to clarify to people the difference between Confidence and Ego Confidence : “My art and progress is really nice!” Ego : “My art is better than everyone else’s!” Stay confident folks! Confidence is sexy.
I think another important aspect of ego that Josh is talking about in this video is that self-image that thinks "I am better than this" that leads to art block and fear or lack of confidence in starting drawings, like "i know my first sketch of the day is gonna suck but I'm better than that". Instead, we should let go of that BS and accept that what we draw (especially in warm-ups) isn't a reflection of our value as an artist
I don't think i could exactly have an ego in light of one of my friends. for example i can't draw a strand of hair while they take like 30 seconds, but i think im getting confident in my art because semi recently i got way better in facial features.
No, your ego can make you hate your art too. Your ego can screw with your self-worth and self-esteem just as much as it can make you over inflate it. A good ego-check is a healthy thing to do every once in a while.
being that one 'art kid' in school really changed the art world for me . i was friends with a group of artists and we were really close because of it - but there was this very noticeable rift between us all once i started getting picked out of all of them as the 'best' . i really had to humble myself
I was naturally born to draw I can feel it my mom said she prayed for it and I used to just draw things I see and I met some art guys too that did original characters and i also got really good at doing original and they started treating me like I'm an anomaly and even now I still try to take myself off of that pedestal. Everything he said in this video happened to me, I was afraid to draw last year because I was afraid I couldn't maintain it
Dude that was literally me, I always had a talent for art and was constantly praised by my friends and teacher so I got into a art group online and seeing how I was better than the others made me give backhanded compliments and "joke" about their art (honestly I was just being rude), at least I got a reality check 4 years ago so I humble myself as well
I tend to get praised for my art by my family and friends and art teacher and whatever, I’ve taught myself and I’m always proud after I’ve made a good work, but I’ve never gotten arrogant about it I feel like I couldn’t if I tried. It makes me very happy and grateful to win awards and get into special groups in school but I am glad I’m always just focused on getting better and never getting ahead of myself. I’m always hungry for critique haha. If I do get arrogant I ask the people around me to keep me in check. It’s super important to me to never think I have nothing left to learn, I only just started.
Does anyone get this intense egotistical feeling of pride and coolness when you’re drawing and it’s turning out really good? And then you just stare and admire it for so long? Kinda like artist’s high (instead of runner’s high)?? It’s such a rewarding feeling to create something beautiful but it makes me feel a bit narcissistic and as if I don’t need to improve
I get that but in a way of like "OMG I created something amazing for once finally..... If i keep practicing more i will do EVEN BETTER". That's how i go with this
+1 audio book! I tend to put art videos as white noise in the background while I draw, and this guy is like one of the art youtubers with dopeass voices lol
Again, ego is not always in the form of this loud arrogance. I know myself that my ego has caused alot of my insecurities from years of punishing myself for ridiculous expectations. You are your own person, and I’m very different from me but I’m just putting this out there!
Not necessarily - in the past I was so insecure about my every next drawing that I had art blocks. It turned out it was because I kept thinking that I should have been better already and I got scared of making mistakes and messing up new drawings because it would make me see how bad I was. Luckily I realised that it had all to do with my ego and nothing with actual believing I'm that bad - if not for the ego, then there's nothing wrong with being bad, especially starting again :) But it's true that artists have many battles: ego, insecurities, imposter syndrome, unequal growth of skill vs. perception, all kinds of critique (that sometimes is very disrespectful), etc. And we have to deal with that, grow thick skin and yet still keep our sensitivity.
Bloated ego can be a sign of underlying insecurity. One puts an image in their head that they're better than everyone because they can't believe that they can be enough as a regular person, there are other examples but this is one.
ego isnt always about arrogance , insecurity itself is a form of ego, because you feel afraid people will know your weakness.. people with checked ego , they don't care about what other feel towards them and only focus on personal improvement. google 'ego vs soul' to know more.
When it comes down to it, superiority and inferiority are two sides of the same coin; you need a bloated ego to have either (and most often both of them interchangeably). Whether you think you're the best artist to have ever graced the earth with their brilliance or the worst artist to have ever even had the ~audacity~ to try, you are still giving yourself too much credit. Time spent telling yourself that you are worthless is still time spent obsessing over yourself.
I once received advice from another artist who told me the following: "Art is like IT and Mathematics, if you decide to move on to that area of knowledge you will likely study and research how to improve your work the rest of your life, because new techniques and new theories will emerge over time, the work cycle will be continuous, so don't let your ego or narcissism dominate you, because it will make you lazy and arrogant, be like a child always enthusiastic about learning new things and always willing to fix what is badly done ". I keep this advice to this day, as I still consider myself a student in development.
I've only always had one art friend since I was a kid, we were like rivals as we considered ourselves on similar levels, struggled with similar aspects of our art and excelled at others. Though we were diffrent artists, we always came to eachother for critics, we'd even let eachother sketch on our drawings, drawing became more of a social activity, communal, teamwork etc despite how conservative we both are. I think if it wasn't for him I'd be not only a less refined artist, but be over my head about my art as well, improved me as a person. :) I only wish that everyone had a buddy like that.
I envy your friendship. i tried to find even a single friend like that but i feel like they are just don't care or is it just me too scared of talking about personal stuffs and now i'm just stucked here with myself
Aww that's so nice, my friends are artists but one of them are REALLY big on people "coping" her and shes not straight up about it but you can tell... This sucks for me bc sometimes she wont show me her work until shes done with it bc she scared of me coping her.....i know this is immature about her but I just kinda get inspiration from her and draw on my own. The point of this story is HELP ME like this sounds stupid but honestly I don't really know how to word something so that she doesnt think I'm coping her and its more like a common thing we like kinda thing. Reply to this with advise for a 13 year old pls
@@sadiesavanna8369 I will attempt to help, I had a friend who put me off of drawing for two years because of similar events. Just do your thing and don't pay attention to it as much as you want to, and eventually she'll want to share the art she's proud of. The space also might help both of you develop your skill even more.
“Your message and how you impact others with your art is your focus “ - this was something I needed to hear👂🏾 been focused on too many Other things. Thank you Josh ✨
I felt this so heavily, no cap when I was a younger artist I Seriously thought I was the best of the best and nobody could tell me nothing until I genuinely looked at my artwork and then I became Crushed and that stunted my art growth. It’s OK to take criticism but we also have to learn how to use criticism productively otherwise we think criticism is pointless and we truly never grow. Alr thank you for listening to my Ted talk 😭✨
I totally agree, and I get that sentiment. I used to get a lot of praise for art/academics/music/etc and sometimes it went to my head. Now I know better, I know I'm not that great at any one thing (I'm pretty mediocre at a lot of things tho, so that's fun!), but I also have the confidence to take criticism (even from myself) and work to improve. I'm more about self-improvement now than my level compared to others. One thing that's tough for me now though is accepting praise; I want to be humble but when people are like "ahh that's so good" or "you're amazing at this" I'm kinda like ugh,, I don't want to hear this. Does this make sense?
@@coryellis1877 100% sometimes I see other peoples art and I’m just like maybe the people who are complementing me don’t really know anything about art But honestly art is like being an individual some people kind of look the same some people kind of act the same but they are never the same. Art is art at the end of the day we just have to make sure that we respect our minds And How we view criticism good and bad It’s like giving too much nutrients to plant Too little of the plant will die. Too much the plant will die.
@@coryellis1877 since I’ve started my TH-cam channel I’ve been trying to regrow my opinion about my art but honestly being an artist is a journey so it really starts with yourself
I already knew i had to lose my ego but hearing this really makes sense to me. Recently I realised i put a lot of my self worth into my art and my grades, but its been always hard to be content with my art, my grades are not that good anymore amd i lose motivation really easily. I tend to come off as arrogant sometimes as well as really insecure. Its always so hard for me to figure out what's going on in my head and even harder to put it into words. I feel like you're so good at it, or maybe its just bc you're older lol. Either way thank you great video :))
god, same- i noticed a cycle of me thinking my art is good, leaving it be, coming back to it a year later and thinking it's utter garbage... so i just put the pen down mid-drawing thinking 'who cares? future me thinks i'm trash anyway'
@@ratticusthewinion i think means your improving, since future you’s skill is higher than the past you, future you can see the mistakes that past you couldn’t see
Yeah. As someone who tries to make original or creative stuff, it definitely comes from ego, or a sense of self in your work like Josh said. When someone says Something You Made looks like something else, it hurts your art's originality. It hurts you.
Ah thats a great point that I wish I covered. Its something we all feel but we can also empathize that we just tend to compare with our own uniquely limited mental libraries of content.
I would take that nicely, but it depends what they’re referring too. If they were saying my dog looks like a cat (since I’m kinda bad at drawing dogs, I’ve never drawn them) I would say it’s a cat. If I was drawing a base design and someone was breathing into my face saying it was scribble, when I’ve only drawn the head and neck I would take that offensive.
For me it's actually an anxiety think. I am afraid that if people notice a similarity I will be dog piled for "Stealing" another artists/creators idea/character
I clicked this video thinking “haha I’m definitely safe from having a bad ego”. But oh heck, I was wrong. I am so hesitant to share so many things on my art account because I’m afraid my image will be tarnished. Which is ridiculous, but still. I thought I was just being insecure but I realize now that in a way, my pride was getting in the way. Also I didn’t know about your story of choosing Ergo Josh as your TH-cam name 🥺 low key sad but also really neat to hear about that Latin and stuff ☺️
Been pondering this concept a lot since graduating Fashion School as my post secondary degree. All my teachers praised my work and told me I would be successful in my future, yet as soon as I graduated there were no jobs and HUGE competition for fashion and art jobs. I ended up needing to work in restaurants to support myself. I just remember feeling so heartbroken and absolutely hating my job even though I had some pretty great coworkers. I felt SO unsuccessful and kind of a failure. Especially since my parents really wanted me to go for a government job that paid well. That was one year ago, now I look back and I am able to feel proud of how committed I was to keep drawing and creating beautiful work, even if it was just commissions. Now I’m even learning how to paint which, beforehand, I avoided due to ego. I was too afraid to be « bad » at anything art related. Thankfully, I’m learning to let go of my fear and anxiety surrounding such thoughts. Thank you for a great video, really thought provoking.
There was a piece of advice my high school art teacher taught all of us, and it helped separate myself from my art when I went into college. However, that was years ago and I’m graduated from both. My high school teacher told us his story about his experience in art college. His professor instructed his students to grab their favorite piece of artwork and meet him at the top floor of the school. This was a lesson on letting go, because the professor proceeded to tell his students to toss their work, because they needed to learn to not grow so attached. It made critiques in college so much easier and it humbled me while I was still so young and influenced by others. That story always stuck with me.
I am really glad knowing a channel like yours exist. Your content is a big help for struggling artists. Not in a tutorial perspective but in a philosophical point of view about ourselves and our art. I appreciate that.
Man, this really spoke to me, not just what he's saying but the impact behind it while he's creating such beautiful anatomy... I wish I never stopped drawing and getting inspired all those years ago after my mentor passed. I feel like I'm so behind and outta style and it really hurts, but he's so inspiring it's like Ms.G purposely put his channel in my sights from heaven above and gave me a little push. At first I wasn't even going to look at his video since he used Procreate and I don't (can't since Android and Surface Pro), but something in my mind just said do it and that was probably one of the best decisions in my life. His presence, soothing voice, encouragement, and constructive criticism reminds me so much of her and honestly I cry everytime I watch a video since he was like a Godsend for me. Thank you so much for being here for young, aspiring, old out of touch, and even non-artists because you dont know how much youve made my day just by posting a few hours ago. God bless you 💛
I truly value the message you share in this video. My ego stood in my way of expressing myself in art. After my drawing got viral I was afraid to produce art because my ego was constantly telling me that I always need to create art that is genius/brilliant, that sketches and little doodles weren’t enough to post and it breaks my image as an artist. I took a long break because I cried every time I had in mind posting something. Being artist is hard itself , my dear friends , don’t take yourself seriously , world is putting so much stress on you , why do you need to make it even more ? Your art is incredible in the way it is , as long as you make it from the place of love , without fear and hesitation . Have fun creating , it doesn’t matter how much likes and views you get , as long as you create , you are going to have it all at the end . Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you love, love you ♥️
For me, being the only art kid in my whole grade is really making my ego raise higher and higher until i got to be friends with an artist group at my new school. I really have troubles with getting that "im the best" thoughts out of my mind then. But now im trying to restrain myself from doing that, i want to slowly get out of this cycle. Thank you for making this video! This is really a rare topic to discuss because a majority of the art community always say "my art is bad"
I think I need to get out of this toxic bathwater guys... seriously though, been extremely insecure lately and just keep whipping myself over my own art.
yes im the exact same!! sometimes when people compliment it a lot, i compare it to other artists, who are wayy more better than me and get little recognition. it ends up making me feel undeserving of the love my art recieves.
I needed to hear this. I've been so busy this past year trying to get my art out there, worrying that I as an artist was not good enough - not necessarily the quality of my art, even though I'm in no way the best at anything I do and I've still got a long way to go, my growth since fusing my passion for art with my interest for history has been quite a ride, but that I wasn't good enough. That I'm not funny or extroverted enough, that I'm not good at connecting with people, that any sort of art thing I try to do online is doomed to fail from the start not because I'm bad at drawing, but because I'm just not good enough, as a person, as the artist behind the art. Just hearing somebody talking about going back to the roots and rekindling the passion, that it's okay, good even, to take a step back and let the work speak for itself.... it was very comforting. Thank you, Josh.
So this has finally convinced me to do commissions and sell artworks full-time, I'm currently quite young and have been drawing for my whole life. I haven't stopped at all, and when I got into confident lines and dynamic poses I really started to believe I could sell this work, but the fact that teachers and other people don't trust being an artist as a working, and stable income, that held me back. I recently sold a piece which made my day and, lol by now, there's no stopping me
2:20 Thank you for finding the words for a phenomenon that's been holding me back recently. This hit deep. That anticipation of disproving yesterday's comfortable feeling of progress if today's session goes wrong. Ego needs to be mastered; something I'm definitely working on. All the best, ergojosh.
awesome video, very true. i guess ego is actually synonymous with self-esteem? big ego = high self-esteem, and the trick is to try and not put too much ego in your art or else you’re gonna get your sense of self-esteem from people’s reception of your work. thx for explaining that slippery slope
I will admit that I see myself as having a big ego, many of my friends have always said i'm a calm wholesome person, and I take this in and add that to my ego, many of my friends say I am a great artists, my teachers say this as well dubbing me as the "art kid" at school. I've always been complimented on my art inflating my ego a lot up to the point where I'm afraid to try new things, I'm very afraid on making something terrible and ruining my reputation, or something like that. I've noticed this myself that I'm afraid to do new things because of my ego. But one day recently I had this new art teacher he was very laid back and cool, he was also once an architect which then became an art teacher. I showed him art thinking he would compliment it like everyone else, but instead he critiqued it. It was so refreshing for me and hearing him talking about how to make my art better genuinely pointing out things I've done wrong, and I took all of this in and always seeked his criticism. Knowing he might be able to chip away at my ego I had a feeling I had. And honestly he's been helping me a lot, and my art has improved substantially compared to the start if the year. I'm still fighting this ego of mine and enjoy art to the fullest because honestly art is something I really wanna pursue in the future.
Great video, like always! :) I noticed that ego can also cause art blocks. On the surface it seems that perfectionism and doubting ourselves, which also accompany artists a lot, make many of us stare at new canvas or piece of paper and we immediately assume we'd fail and it causes art blocks. It happened to me, those art blocks lasted for months after I returned to drawing after years of break (when before the break everybody kept saying how good I was and that it was talent - another awful art myth that causes a lot of damage). And I kept thinking that I would and should have been much better by then, it caused horrible amounts of pressure and in the end sucked all the rest of the energy I had after whole day at university and studying, so I did nothing about my art skills in the effect. It took some honest thinking about the reason why I kept getting stuck and one day I realised it had something to do with my ego. That the assumption what I should have been caused fear of making mistakes and seeing how bad I was. Once I decided to approach it all as a total beginner and let myself make mistakes I finally got over it. I started learning faster because I stopped being afraid of failure and I never had an art block ever again. I know I have a very long way to become a great artist, but I stopped concentrating on whether I'm good or not, I just saw myself somewhere in between and concentrated on the goal and on enjoying the process again.
This is why I always get into it when people ask me about art block. I feel like we use the word wrong. Most people who are claiming they have an issue with it are dealing with an emotional issue, rather than a blockage of creativity and expression. It has a similar result, but the cause and remedy are very different.
@@ergojosh True! I used to moderate a big art group and the art block subject often returned in discussions. Some people were simply overwhelmed by possible choices of subjects, all they needed was a group daily challenge where they would get a theme, for others art block was caused by every day life problems or even some psychological problems that they buried deep in subconscious. And some were just lazy and needed a person to tell them to draw or to send that famous short comic (by Shen Comix) where a wannabe artist gets a pencil put into his hand to just start drawing instead of overthinking. Art block is a name used for many different and complicated issues.
I think something I have learned over the last 10 years of my art is that I used to just enjoy drawing because I wanted to. I wanted to draw cartoons. That was the dream. I would always draw and make up my own stories from inspiration of the cartoons I watched. Now for some reason, I just feel like that part of me is somehow lost and gone. I just feel like now I don't want to draw because getting better from where I am just seems too hard. I make excuses that I need a Cintiq or that I need this or that. I have pencil and paper, but the part of me that use to understand how to just draw with out thinking is so far gone. The last 3-4 years has really been a decline of my drawing. It just seems like I lost direction, passion... But what doesn't make sense to me is that I still surround myself with it. Whether it be story-boarders, creators of tv cartoons, web animators, artists on TH-cam (ergo too, of course). I still love art and enjoy all the different styles and artists I admire. A huge part of me I think is just lost on how to improve. I just think about getting better and the near thought just gives me anxiety and I start overthinking about who do I learn from? what do I draw? How do I draw? It just feels like I can't focus because I can't find where my focus needs to be. Its clear that I have lost a clear goal and I think that is probably the biggest reason I feel this way is that I just feel like I have no direction. One day I wanna draw cartoons, the next day I wanna be like ergo, being able to draw the figure effortlessly and just understand what I am drawing. I don't understand what I am drawing, not for a second. Sometimes I just wonder if I can leave art behind, but I don't know what else is there. I can't help but feel I want to let go of art... It just makes me wanna throw all my art I ever done away. It's almost as if art is hurting me more than it's helping. I don't even know if I want to continue at this point. Without art, I don't feel like I'm good at anything, so maybe that's a sign that if it's a need more than a want, then why torture myself holding on to something I clearly lost pursuant interest in a long time ago.
Thanks a ton Josh. :) This message is seriously important and I hope that more people see it. It sucks that the only things that really trend in the art community seem to be the "get better instantly and easy" type videos. I hope that one day people realize that stuff like this is just as important as the skills they learn in life. Again thanks man, Hope you're doing well and that you stay safe. Real glad i found your channel and keep your chin up man. :)
I can really feel you when you say that critic is uncomfortable.Like when my teacher asks me about my opinion in an work that my classmate has made i feel really sad and uncomfortable bc i don't want to make them sad.
I used to be really jealous of a friends art as they were better than me and people only complimented them but as soon as I stopped caring about what theirs looked like and worked on mine I actually started to grow and feel better.
The last part about the art that goes beyond our body almost made me cry.. In a world that overvalue the aspect of the body, to remember to create something timeless was really inspiring. Thank you c:
I really appreciate what you said towards the end about making something outside of yourself which only improves with time, rather than obsessing over your body which ages and degrades. I think that's a wonderful way to see art. Someone once said something like, when you think of a great artist, you don't think of how they look and judge them on that - sometimes you don't even know what they look like. Instead you think of their work and how it makes you feel. That's what I want my art to be about.
Hi Josh, thank you for this video. It is too easy to fall back into my own ego when someone critiques my work. As a self taught student of art, I keep reminding myself to take critique as a way to continue improving if I ever want to get better. I've been practicing every day since June and I plan to continue to do so. Your videos are an inspiration. Have an excellent day. 🙂
This is probably the most important video I've ever watched from you. I love both you and Ethan Becker because I feel like you speak to me as more than a technical teacher. I lovrf art as a child and early teen but my ego and comparing myself to other people in high school literally stopped me from creating for years. I am just now getting back to myself, and you two have given me a place to learn technician skills as well as lead me back to what is most important, being myself. Thank you so much, Josh.
I feel you so much!!! Architect here. Architecture school was psychological hell (with physical and emotional consequences years later). Too much grading in arch school is based on critique and too often it can become more personal than it should be. Sending you all the best!
I really, really like this. I've dealt with this feeling when it comes to my art on multiple occasions, to the point where I dont even know why I'm drawing something, or if I'm even drawing it for myself or for others. It's hard to differentiate between doing what you love, vs. Doing what you love to please others. And that's something I constantly ask myself. When you mentioned criticism, I agree 100%. Criticism isn't fun to hear, and sometimes though you may take it and try to apply it to your art, you may still end up curving it in a way you like overall. (Nothing im saying is really making sense, lol.) But, what I want to say is: Thank you for putting this out there. Its helping me realise a lot more about myself and my art as a whole
I just recently found your channel and there's no art related channel that I actually watch as much as I do yours. That you're bringing light to a bunch of different topics that sound controversial yet really aren't is really nice for a change, and makes me not feel as alone in my struggles with art. I've also struggled with the ego bit, and like you're saying, it's not ego as in bragging and thinking you're so much better, but more that maybe you realize you're not really as good as you want to be, and therefore not feeling adequate. I've always taken criticism to heart as well, more than it really should, and I guess that comes from a place of me placing my own worth as both a person and an artist in what I draw and how well I execute, instead of focusing on being a better me in every way. Your videos inspire me to keep going and letting go of my insecurities no matter how long it takes me to get to the point I want to. ♥
It’s nice to see you go over this topic. I think sometimes arts can be a little quick to tear each other down or get caught up in some sort of drama with one another.
Hey I really needed this video.... I've been struggling with my ego since I was a kid, and it's kept me from looking at other peoples work, being on social media...y'know. Just living freely as an artist. Thanks for talking about this Josh!
Hearing this is so good...especially the ending. When I started college, I had this plan laid out that I was going to become a big film director before I turned 21. It quickly became obvious to me that wasn't going to work out, and I became very depressed. But the more I thought about it, I realized that it's okay to enjoy life and make art too. You don't have to sacrifice your personal and social life to achieve your dreams. This was a great video. Thanks for sharing!!!
You're raising awareness, nice message. I'm desperately stuck for almost 2 months after stepping out of my learning cave into art communities and social media. Just can't seem to unlock no matter how I feel or what I think. Everyone shines so bright and you start forgetting what you want to say. I don't just want to draw, I want to be objectively good, I want to belong. Now I spend time walking around and thinking about how my sketches and finished works turn out unappealing. I don't make art for myself anymore and I have no voice/message. -- I'd love to see someone explain to me how to adopt that "compete against yourself only" mindset while agreeing that our eyes/brains are always comparing. If you like something, you're comparing. You can't even have a goal without getting inspired by something. And I wouldn't say that it's social media' fault, I see it as getting a mirror and being the scared/intimidated monkey. Just have to deal with it. -- I understand that I have to deal with my ego somehow but I don't know how. There must be middle ground "island" somewhere but I can't find it. I have willpower to "brute force", so if anyone has a solution like "do exactly this" I'd love to try it. I understand that I come off as bitter or jaded. I really love all artwork, I love the journey and everyone participating in it.
Ayyye. Ergo =/= Ego. Also glad you're talking it easier this month, going back to the basics with videos while focusing more on art and also seeing amazing progress on the hard work.
Phew breaking down confidence versus ego was my favorite part of this video.. it was my biggest issue. I was bullied young, likely to keep me humble but it really disrupted my growth in confidence. I started learning about imposter syndrome from my mentor to really finally heal.
Its interesting that I feel like I needed this especially since that I've been having so much issues with figure drawings, I was was always expecting myself to have it perfection immediately, thinking "oh I can do it now", and this video is what i needed to hear as someone who struggles so much to a burn out. Thank you always Ergojosh for your artistic wisdom ❤
When I clicked this video I didn't expect this cram of wisdom thrown my way, and I also didn't realize it'll be something I really needed to hear, I've been been struggling lately with the frustration of not improving quickly enough, and having this "expectation" and desired "image" of the artist I want to be is making it even more stressful, but just like you said, it shouldn't be about me but rather about the art, because I simply love and enjoy it, that's why I want to become better, thank you for putting me back in perspective, you're such a kind and wise person ❤️️
I'm actually crying right now 'cause I've been struggling with this problem for years a terrible anxiety once I sit in front of the paper or want to draw I really, really want to draw but this fear of messing everithing up is so deep into my bones that I don't dare to bring my ideas to life anymore I think it's especially difficult to separate your drawing with yourself because it's really just shows who you are and your ideas that have been inside your head are put in the open for everyone to see
Thanks, this video made me realize what was happening to my art just a little bit more. It has to do with ego a bit and I am just glad there’s this community aspect of artists on the platform I can relate to.
Such a goo video. There is always a balance I’ve needs to strive for. When ego becomes unchecked, one’s confidence can just plummet if one perceives that the quality isn’t great. Unhealthy critiques in my undergrad in architecture school where one’s creativity and sleepless sacrifice was often critiqued using personal and unhealthy messages made me very insecure with my design and art capabilities. I am sure I was never an amazing designer but many of the critiques were not as constructive as they could have been. Examples: Prof To a friend: “do you know what a sloppy joe is? That is what you have there.” Ignoring me while I explain and then the prof turns around to talk to someone else. Prof going into a tangent rant on the whole waste of people on the field after I presented. So yeah, even when I draw or paint I always feel insecure especially about critique and always chalk it up to a delicate ego... again, thank you for this video.
Being egotistical with my art stunted my growth for about 5 years.. didn't realize it until 2018 and then I stopped art all together 2020 quarantine has allowed me to jump back in, but starting from the basics up and joining a discord group that has been supportive and have given me so much feedback. Now I don't feel proud, I just keep thinking "What can I do to improve." I always look to other artists of all levels and talk to them and just TALKING about THEIR ART not mine. Has been such an eye opener. My advice is to talk to artists of all levels (even the ones you think are kinda below your level, that sounds mean, but not sure how else to word it..) BUT YEAH just talk about their art and draw together. Drawing together helps a lot too, not just for yourself but for others too! ^^
Mannnn...you have no idea how on time this topic is for me. Thank you for being vulnerable and open about your process, showing the good, the bad and the in progress aspects of yourself as an artist 🙌🏾🙏🏾🙌🏾
Thansk for the video! My favorite of yours are the art talks ones and this is so interesting, I do think is so so beneficial to kill the ego, we love art, thats why we do it, so we should care more about that than the image of ourselves as "artists", being an artist is just the consequence of the art we need to make, its not the most important thing
This was definitely advice I needed to hear right now. I think especially with social media and our current culture around internet personalities it's easy to think you need to build this specific brand and character, and I've definitely found myself falling into this mindset. I needed the reminder of why I'm doing art in the first place.
Don't know if this will be read, but this touches more than just artists, but also everyone who tries to get their ego under control. It is amazing how well you put it and ended up with a smile on everyone who listened to you. I'm not gonna try and tell yoy seek help. What I am however about to say is you're strong man. You'll make it through no matter your method. As long as you chase your passion you'll reach your goals. Have an awsome day :)
Wow this is probably the reason i don't have any motivation to do art ever since entering art school. It's really rare for me to sit and just draw my own things and just enjoy myself. I already knew i was like that but this video really helped me fully adress this feeling. Also your voice is so calming it fr helps with my anxiety so thank you for making this:))
This is a great topic! I personally think that we don't have to attach our who to our work. It's easier to handle constructive feedback, because there is no connection to your work & your self worth
I'm a bit late for the party, but gosh... I could say this video was somewhat therapeutic even, because I do have a really low self-esteem, and I've been struggling at how improve myself and feel more confident, and I couldn't see what the problem was because I spent a whole lot of my life trying to get rid of my Ego because I thought it to be a bad thing. Even though I'm older now, I didn't realize what it was until you said it and made me realize why some things work for me while others don't. I loved seeing your drawings, although I was mostly hearing you talking while also drawing. I'll be subscribing to the channel so I can see what other amazing stuff you put. :)
Thank you for this... This subject is where I am during COVID right now and I REALLY Appreciate your words and understanding on this. Really, Thank you... :)
Your videos always help me be a better version of myself. Not only as an artist but in general as well. Seeing how hard you work to improve on doing what you love whilst helping others and making them realize their passion, is honestly something that keeps me motivated to keep going on making art and maybe some day be able to help people like you do! Keep up the great work ♡
so basically, be real with yourself and your art i'm gonna revisit this video again when i begin my graphic design major again; our teacher really critiques our works and she looks for certain things and she's not afraid to point things out. i think this video changed my perspective a lot wowowowow i needed this lololol (btw i'm in my freshman year of high school, i hope i can go far one day)
Exactly. Realized this not so long ago and honestly, I’ll admit. I have a lot of improvement and my ego needs some humbling! No one’s the best and there’s a difference in ego and confidence. Confidence is looking at your art and saying “oh wow. that shading is beautiful! let’s try that out on the other part of the body.” Ego is looking at other people’s art and thinking you could of executed what they did way better and pointing out their mistakes and thinking you wouldn’t of made the same ones.
I'm really concerned about meta things (like a pen name) and coming in and out of a dark zone... I really appreciated this video... It was really insightful and calming... And I feel that it really resonates with what I'm going through with my self image as an artist and as a professional... Thank you 💖
i think we need to value art pride and be done with downplaying each other’s or hating our own. have pride in the work that you do put don’t put other people down!
Always take compliments through the lens of your improvement, you weren't born good at something; you put time and effort into it, and you still ways to go.
Alright so just saying. I really needed to hear that. I've been in the same headspace and trying to push through that and it's really encouraging your words about the subject! By the way the format is great and I really enjoyed the video content too!
Holy shit, this is the first time I'm seeing one of your videos and I'm just bombed by your voice! It's so soothing, very much like corpse and I love it!
I just really want to be good enough , don't really care about being better than others at art , its not really my goal , I just want to be at a level where I can be happy with what I produce.
YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO BUTS THANKS ABUNCH!!!!!!! for a while now i couldnt draw people from behind because i could figure out how to simplify the back but watching you and seeing how your method is similar to mine made the whole thing 5x easier i know this wasnt a tutorial but still thanks
Just checked out your Instagram and your progress in figure drawing since June is amazing! Inspires me to work harder on my own stuff. On the vid itself, I found this very interesting and helpful. It makes sense but wasn't something I'd completely realized before, so thanks for sharing :)
for me I used to not have an ego up until 8th grade, it was like I was just working and working on hw non stop, after that I just developed my ego overtime and now I'm falling most of my classes and now I can't work on stuff I want to do. But watching this video just makes me want to do something substantial at the moment, I really found this insightful and helpful at the same time, It just makes me want to fight against my ego and be able to do what I want.
this also reminds me of one of my favorite iroh quotes- goes something like: "pride is not the opposite of shame but its source- True humility is the only antidote to shame"
Thank you for sharing your personal experience and growth with us. Sometimes all it takes is to hear somebody else going through something to help others begin to work through it themselves. This is definitely a good reminder to check my view of myself, and make sure I stay humble in all things.
I really enjoy your thoughtful podcasts, this one I could really relate to. I also struggle a lot keeping my spirits up when I do bad drawings, and trying to understand it just part of the process of learning.
first of all, I discover your channel some time ago thanks to the setup video but after Adam's last video I came back and said! Hey is the depth voice artist guy! why I'm not sub yet? Happy beginning of 2021 Mr ergo Josh
Art critique, I could take that from my peers and teacher in school when I was taking art class which I did every time I was able for from grade 6 to 11. But the last time I drew and took criticism, was when I was trying at this new Japanese animation style ('98 before it was called anime) after practicing for 6 months and was laughed at to my face by my best friend to a drawing that took a week. I just... haven't been able to draw artistically since. My social anxiety, which has been a thing ever since I can remember, plus the feeling of betrayal, because he never did that before, to this day makes me fear producing art of any form. I got over being told I was an 'accident' and my father didn't want me so he left before I was born. But that getting laughed at by someone I chose to trust, and that trust was validated for a solid 10 years cut far deeper than I imagined. Considering it's 22 years later and I still can't pick up a pencil and just go. Ego is toxic? Maybe. All I know is every time I try to draw, I just can't help that laugh coming back up to the surface or just my heart starts hurting, then I don't try for another year.
Thanks for the pep talk josh this is the stuff I need to hear , I definitely let my “bad” art really affect me, probably due to the ego I have and I should deal with that internal conflict soon. Haha now I feel super motivated so I guess it’s time to keep practicing and just go with the flow :)
Ok I misread the title as “Ergo is Toxic” and first I was a little upset until I saw it was made by Ergo. Got super confused until I read it again lol
Lol that would be odd wouldnt it...
I was thinking some tea was gonna be spilled 😂
That voice can't be toxic
I THOUGHT THE SAME THING NO WAY, I thought it was made by Ethan Becker lmaoooo
@@saranimator6746 LOL right? 🤣
I don’t really see my art as “WOW, AMAZING! BOW DOWN BITCHESSS!!!”
However, I used to really hate my art but I am slowly getting to actually see that my art is rather pretty decent. I think this isn’t really ego but me finally gaining confidence in my own art and feeling comfortable with it! :)
To everyone who hates their art, you’ll grow out of it. You’ll improve and soon hopefully see that you’re art isn’t that bad at all. I like to call this confidence in your art which is much different from Ego and the subject of this video.
Not saying Ergo’s wrong, just trying to clarify to people the difference between Confidence and Ego
Confidence : “My art and progress is really nice!”
Ego : “My art is better than everyone else’s!”
Stay confident folks! Confidence is sexy.
"Confident is sexy" is the best thing I've heard all day
I think another important aspect of ego that Josh is talking about in this video is that self-image that thinks "I am better than this" that leads to art block and fear or lack of confidence in starting drawings, like "i know my first sketch of the day is gonna suck but I'm better than that". Instead, we should let go of that BS and accept that what we draw (especially in warm-ups) isn't a reflection of our value as an artist
@@coryellis1877 THANK YOU, I don't think Ergo was incredibly clear with his points in this video but I really understood it with your explanation.
I don't think i could exactly have an ego in light of one of my friends. for example i can't draw a strand of hair while they take like 30 seconds, but i think im getting confident in my art because semi recently i got way better in facial features.
No, your ego can make you hate your art too. Your ego can screw with your self-worth and self-esteem just as much as it can make you over inflate it. A good ego-check is a healthy thing to do every once in a while.
being that one 'art kid' in school really changed the art world for me . i was friends with a group of artists and we were really close because of it - but there was this very noticeable rift between us all once i started getting picked out of all of them as the 'best' . i really had to humble myself
I was naturally born to draw I can feel it my mom said she prayed for it and I used to just draw things I see and I met some art guys too that did original characters and i also got really good at doing original and they started treating me like I'm an anomaly and even now I still try to take myself off of that pedestal. Everything he said in this video happened to me, I was afraid to draw last year because I was afraid I couldn't maintain it
Dude that was literally me, I always had a talent for art and was constantly praised by my friends and teacher so I got into a art group online and seeing how I was better than the others made me give backhanded compliments and "joke" about their art (honestly I was just being rude), at least I got a reality check 4 years ago so I humble myself as well
Michael Richards that’s kinda a weird thing to pray for over your child but to each their own-
I tend to get praised for my art by my family and friends and art teacher and whatever, I’ve taught myself and I’m always proud after I’ve made a good work, but I’ve never gotten arrogant about it I feel like I couldn’t if I tried. It makes me very happy and grateful to win awards and get into special groups in school but I am glad I’m always just focused on getting better and never getting ahead of myself. I’m always hungry for critique haha. If I do get arrogant I ask the people around me to keep me in check. It’s super important to me to never think I have nothing left to learn, I only just started.
Baby Uchiha as i said, “to each their own.” no ones judging.
Does anyone get this intense egotistical feeling of pride and coolness when you’re drawing and it’s turning out really good? And then you just stare and admire it for so long? Kinda like artist’s high (instead of runner’s high)?? It’s such a rewarding feeling to create something beautiful but it makes me feel a bit narcissistic and as if I don’t need to improve
Usually I just cherish it because It will be gone in a few hours anyway lol
OMG YES I HAVE THAT
I get that but in a way of like "OMG I created something amazing for once finally..... If i keep practicing more i will do EVEN BETTER". That's how i go with this
Same until I stare at it for too long and then I notice every imperfection 😅
Its funny when your confident about something but then people call you smug and a narcissist for feeling good about what you do.
Ergojoshs voice is the equivalent of lofi-hip-hop lol. Read an audiobook it would be hella relaxing to listen to fr.
Indeed.
*agreement*
+1 audio book! I tend to put art videos as white noise in the background while I draw, and this guy is like one of the art youtubers with dopeass voices lol
Come on guys three more likes and it’s 666
You don't read audio books
Artistic ego is something i'm pretty sure my
insecure self will never let me have...
Again, ego is not always in the form of this loud arrogance. I know myself that my ego has caused alot of my insecurities from years of punishing myself for ridiculous expectations. You are your own person, and I’m very different from me but I’m just putting this out there!
Not necessarily - in the past I was so insecure about my every next drawing that I had art blocks.
It turned out it was because I kept thinking that I should have been better already and I got scared of making mistakes and messing up new drawings because it would make me see how bad I was.
Luckily I realised that it had all to do with my ego and nothing with actual believing I'm that bad - if not for the ego, then there's nothing wrong with being bad, especially starting again :)
But it's true that artists have many battles: ego, insecurities, imposter syndrome, unequal growth of skill vs. perception, all kinds of critique (that sometimes is very disrespectful), etc. And we have to deal with that, grow thick skin and yet still keep our sensitivity.
Bloated ego can be a sign of underlying insecurity. One puts an image in their head that they're better than everyone because they can't believe that they can be enough as a regular person, there are other examples but this is one.
ego isnt always about arrogance , insecurity itself is a form of ego, because you feel afraid people will know your weakness.. people with checked ego , they don't care about what other feel towards them and only focus on personal improvement. google 'ego vs soul' to know more.
When it comes down to it, superiority and inferiority are two sides of the same coin; you need a bloated ego to have either (and most often both of them interchangeably). Whether you think you're the best artist to have ever graced the earth with their brilliance or the worst artist to have ever even had the ~audacity~ to try, you are still giving yourself too much credit. Time spent telling yourself that you are worthless is still time spent obsessing over yourself.
I once received advice from another artist who told me the following: "Art is like IT and Mathematics, if you decide to move on to that area of knowledge you will likely study and research how to improve your work the rest of your life, because new techniques and new theories will emerge over time, the work cycle will be continuous, so don't let your ego or narcissism dominate you, because it will make you lazy and arrogant, be like a child always enthusiastic about learning new things and always willing to fix what is badly done ".
I keep this advice to this day, as I still consider myself a student in development.
I've only always had one art friend since I was a kid, we were like rivals as we considered ourselves on similar levels, struggled with similar aspects of our art and excelled at others. Though we were diffrent artists, we always came to eachother for critics, we'd even let eachother sketch on our drawings, drawing became more of a social activity, communal, teamwork etc despite how conservative we both are. I think if it wasn't for him I'd be not only a less refined artist, but be over my head about my art as well, improved me as a person. :) I only wish that everyone had a buddy like that.
That sounds like an amazing friendship
👀 I also have a friendship like that
I envy your friendship. i tried to find even a single friend like that but i feel like they are just don't care or is it just me too scared of talking about personal stuffs and now i'm just stucked here with myself
Aww that's so nice, my friends are artists but one of them are REALLY big on people "coping" her and shes not straight up about it but you can tell... This sucks for me bc sometimes she wont show me her work until shes done with it bc she scared of me coping her.....i know this is immature about her but I just kinda get inspiration from her and draw on my own. The point of this story is HELP ME like this sounds stupid but honestly I don't really know how to word something so that she doesnt think I'm coping her and its more like a common thing we like kinda thing. Reply to this with advise for a 13 year old pls
@@sadiesavanna8369 I will attempt to help, I had a friend who put me off of drawing for two years because of similar events. Just do your thing and don't pay attention to it as much as you want to, and eventually she'll want to share the art she's proud of. The space also might help both of you develop your skill even more.
“Your message and how you impact others with your art is your focus “ - this was something I needed to hear👂🏾 been focused on too many Other things. Thank you Josh ✨
I love this message 💘
I felt this so heavily, no cap when I was a younger artist I Seriously thought I was the best of the best and nobody could tell me nothing until I genuinely looked at my artwork and then I became Crushed and that stunted my art growth.
It’s OK to take criticism but we also have to learn how to use criticism productively otherwise we think criticism is pointless and we truly never grow. Alr thank you for listening to my Ted talk 😭✨
Um whoa I got a liked comment by a Artist I look up to, PERIOD’T okay imma chill out though 😭💀💜
I totally agree, and I get that sentiment. I used to get a lot of praise for art/academics/music/etc and sometimes it went to my head. Now I know better, I know I'm not that great at any one thing (I'm pretty mediocre at a lot of things tho, so that's fun!), but I also have the confidence to take criticism (even from myself) and work to improve. I'm more about self-improvement now than my level compared to others.
One thing that's tough for me now though is accepting praise; I want to be humble but when people are like "ahh that's so good" or "you're amazing at this" I'm kinda like ugh,, I don't want to hear this. Does this make sense?
@@coryellis1877 100% sometimes I see other peoples art and I’m just like maybe the people who are complementing me don’t really know anything about art
But honestly art is like being an individual some people kind of look the same some people kind of act the same but they are never the same.
Art is art at the end of the day we just have to make sure that we respect our minds And How we view criticism good and bad
It’s like giving too much nutrients to plant
Too little of the plant will die.
Too much the plant will die.
@@coryellis1877 since I’ve started my TH-cam channel I’ve been trying to regrow my opinion about my art but honestly being an artist is a journey so it really starts with yourself
Honestly, even the thought of being the “best” makes me uncomfortable.... like compliments just feel weird bc I know I’m not that good
I feel like absolute shit cause i never get compliments on my art. Not even once
I already knew i had to lose my ego but hearing this really makes sense to me. Recently I realised i put a lot of my self worth into my art and my grades, but its been always hard to be content with my art, my grades are not that good anymore amd i lose motivation really easily. I tend to come off as arrogant sometimes as well as really insecure. Its always so hard for me to figure out what's going on in my head and even harder to put it into words. I feel like you're so good at it, or maybe its just bc you're older lol. Either way thank you great video :))
Age does help but it is really hard, most people don’t ever get introspective at all so don’t worry.
I sometimes question the ego of a person who has too many I's in his/her sentences/phrases.
@@alexo2303 tf does that mean
This is literally me AHHHH
I always had the cycle of being egotostical then being insecure about my art, wish I had a middle point.
Same here !
god, same- i noticed a cycle of me thinking my art is good, leaving it be, coming back to it a year later and thinking it's utter garbage... so i just put the pen down mid-drawing thinking 'who cares? future me thinks i'm trash anyway'
@@ratticusthewinion i think means your improving, since future you’s skill is higher than the past you, future you can see the mistakes that past you couldn’t see
I agree, I don't understand why people are getting angry when others says that their arts looks like something else, it's nice
Yeah. As someone who tries to make original or creative stuff, it definitely comes from ego, or a sense of self in your work like Josh said. When someone says Something You Made looks like something else, it hurts your art's originality. It hurts you.
Ah thats a great point that I wish I covered. Its something we all feel but we can also empathize that we just tend to compare with our own uniquely limited mental libraries of content.
ngl, i'd feel pretty confident if someone told me my art reminds them of someone else's, it would mean i'm going on the right path
I would take that nicely, but it depends what they’re referring too. If they were saying my dog looks like a cat (since I’m kinda bad at drawing dogs, I’ve never drawn them) I would say it’s a cat. If I was drawing a base design and someone was breathing into my face saying it was scribble, when I’ve only drawn the head and neck I would take that offensive.
For me it's actually an anxiety think. I am afraid that if people notice a similarity I will be dog piled for "Stealing" another artists/creators idea/character
I clicked this video thinking “haha I’m definitely safe from having a bad ego”. But oh heck, I was wrong. I am so hesitant to share so many things on my art account because I’m afraid my image will be tarnished. Which is ridiculous, but still. I thought I was just being insecure but I realize now that in a way, my pride was getting in the way.
Also I didn’t know about your story of choosing Ergo Josh as your TH-cam name 🥺 low key sad but also really neat to hear about that Latin and stuff ☺️
Yeah ego can be sneaky sneaky right?
reminds me of that Iroh quote- goes something like: "pride is not the opposite of shame but its source- True humility is the only antidote to shame"
It’s like inception. Ergo josh inception: watching an Ergo josh video while getting a notification for a new video.
Been pondering this concept a lot since graduating Fashion School as my post secondary degree. All my teachers praised my work and told me I would be successful in my future, yet as soon as I graduated there were no jobs and HUGE competition for fashion and art jobs. I ended up needing to work in restaurants to support myself. I just remember feeling so heartbroken and absolutely hating my job even though I had some pretty great coworkers. I felt SO unsuccessful and kind of a failure. Especially since my parents really wanted me to go for a government job that paid well. That was one year ago, now I look back and I am able to feel proud of how committed I was to keep drawing and creating beautiful work, even if it was just commissions. Now I’m even learning how to paint which, beforehand, I avoided due to ego. I was too afraid to be « bad » at anything art related. Thankfully, I’m learning to let go of my fear and anxiety surrounding such thoughts. Thank you for a great video, really thought provoking.
There was a piece of advice my high school art teacher taught all of us, and it helped separate myself from my art when I went into college. However, that was years ago and I’m graduated from both.
My high school teacher told us his story about his experience in art college. His professor instructed his students to grab their favorite piece of artwork and meet him at the top floor of the school. This was a lesson on letting go, because the professor proceeded to tell his students to toss their work, because they needed to learn to not grow so attached.
It made critiques in college so much easier and it humbled me while I was still so young and influenced by others. That story always stuck with me.
Dang thats a crazy story...idk If i would have been able to do it
corpse and ergo having a conversation would be really satisfying to listen to
I am really glad knowing a channel like yours exist. Your content is a big help for struggling artists. Not in a tutorial perspective but in a philosophical point of view about ourselves and our art. I appreciate that.
Thank you
Man, this really spoke to me, not just what he's saying but the impact behind it while he's creating such beautiful anatomy... I wish I never stopped drawing and getting inspired all those years ago after my mentor passed. I feel like I'm so behind and outta style and it really hurts, but he's so inspiring it's like Ms.G purposely put his channel in my sights from heaven above and gave me a little push. At first I wasn't even going to look at his video since he used Procreate and I don't (can't since Android and Surface Pro), but something in my mind just said do it and that was probably one of the best decisions in my life. His presence, soothing voice, encouragement, and constructive criticism reminds me so much of her and honestly I cry everytime I watch a video since he was like a Godsend for me. Thank you so much for being here for young, aspiring, old out of touch, and even non-artists because you dont know how much youve made my day just by posting a few hours ago. God bless you 💛
Thanks so much for your heartfelt mssg , I hope you can find some joy in art again someday
I truly value the message you share in this video. My ego stood in my way of expressing myself in art. After my drawing got viral I was afraid to produce art because my ego was constantly telling me that I always need to create art that is genius/brilliant, that sketches and little doodles weren’t enough to post and it breaks my image as an artist. I took a long break because I cried every time I had in mind posting something.
Being artist is hard itself , my dear friends , don’t take yourself seriously , world is putting so much stress on you , why do you need to make it even more ? Your art is incredible in the way it is , as long as you make it from the place of love , without fear and hesitation . Have fun creating , it doesn’t matter how much likes and views you get , as long as you create , you are going to have it all at the end . Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you love, love you ♥️
For me, being the only art kid in my whole grade is really making my ego raise higher and higher until i got to be friends with an artist group at my new school. I really have troubles with getting that "im the best" thoughts out of my mind then. But now im trying to restrain myself from doing that, i want to slowly get out of this cycle. Thank you for making this video! This is really a rare topic to discuss because a majority of the art community always say "my art is bad"
I think I need to get out of this toxic bathwater guys... seriously though, been extremely insecure lately and just keep whipping myself over my own art.
I'm an artist and I get insecure when people look at my art.
I like them praising my art, but I dont like bringing too much attention towards me
I’m the other way around. I don’t mind people looking at it but I take compliments very awkwardly
Same
yes im the exact same!! sometimes when people compliment it a lot, i compare it to other artists, who are wayy more better than me and get little recognition. it ends up making me feel undeserving of the love my art recieves.
Same.
I don't like attention when I'm still working on my art because it's not done yet. I feel insecure makes me want to hide under a rock
I needed to hear this. I've been so busy this past year trying to get my art out there, worrying that I as an artist was not good enough - not necessarily the quality of my art, even though I'm in no way the best at anything I do and I've still got a long way to go, my growth since fusing my passion for art with my interest for history has been quite a ride, but that I wasn't good enough. That I'm not funny or extroverted enough, that I'm not good at connecting with people, that any sort of art thing I try to do online is doomed to fail from the start not because I'm bad at drawing, but because I'm just not good enough, as a person, as the artist behind the art. Just hearing somebody talking about going back to the roots and rekindling the passion, that it's okay, good even, to take a step back and let the work speak for itself.... it was very comforting. Thank you, Josh.
So this has finally convinced me to do commissions and sell artworks full-time, I'm currently quite young and have been drawing for my whole life. I haven't stopped at all, and when I got into confident lines and dynamic poses I really started to believe I could sell this work, but the fact that teachers and other people don't trust being an artist as a working, and stable income, that held me back. I recently sold a piece which made my day and, lol by now, there's no stopping me
3nvy_SO2 where can I buy your art 😭
2:20 Thank you for finding the words for a phenomenon that's been holding me back recently. This hit deep. That anticipation of disproving yesterday's comfortable feeling of progress if today's session goes wrong. Ego needs to be mastered; something I'm definitely working on.
All the best, ergojosh.
awesome video, very true. i guess ego is actually synonymous with self-esteem? big ego = high self-esteem, and the trick is to try and not put too much ego in your art or else you’re gonna get your sense of self-esteem from people’s reception of your work. thx for explaining that slippery slope
i just have to say...your voice is so calming
i can just practise my art while listening to you talk and just feel so calm
I will admit that I see myself as having a big ego, many of my friends have always said i'm a calm wholesome person, and I take this in and add that to my ego, many of my friends say I am a great artists, my teachers say this as well dubbing me as the "art kid" at school. I've always been complimented on my art inflating my ego a lot up to the point where I'm afraid to try new things, I'm very afraid on making something terrible and ruining my reputation, or something like that. I've noticed this myself that I'm afraid to do new things because of my ego.
But one day recently I had this new art teacher he was very laid back and cool, he was also once an architect which then became an art teacher. I showed him art thinking he would compliment it like everyone else, but instead he critiqued it. It was so refreshing for me and hearing him talking about how to make my art better genuinely pointing out things I've done wrong, and I took all of this in and always seeked his criticism. Knowing he might be able to chip away at my ego I had a feeling I had. And honestly he's been helping me a lot, and my art has improved substantially compared to the start if the year.
I'm still fighting this ego of mine and enjoy art to the fullest because honestly art is something I really wanna pursue in the future.
Great video, like always! :)
I noticed that ego can also cause art blocks. On the surface it seems that perfectionism and doubting ourselves, which also accompany artists a lot, make many of us stare at new canvas or piece of paper and we immediately assume we'd fail and it causes art blocks.
It happened to me, those art blocks lasted for months after I returned to drawing after years of break (when before the break everybody kept saying how good I was and that it was talent - another awful art myth that causes a lot of damage). And I kept thinking that I would and should have been much better by then, it caused horrible amounts of pressure and in the end sucked all the rest of the energy I had after whole day at university and studying, so I did nothing about my art skills in the effect.
It took some honest thinking about the reason why I kept getting stuck and one day I realised it had something to do with my ego. That the assumption what I should have been caused fear of making mistakes and seeing how bad I was.
Once I decided to approach it all as a total beginner and let myself make mistakes I finally got over it. I started learning faster because I stopped being afraid of failure and I never had an art block ever again. I know I have a very long way to become a great artist, but I stopped concentrating on whether I'm good or not, I just saw myself somewhere in between and concentrated on the goal and on enjoying the process again.
This is why I always get into it when people ask me about art block. I feel like we use the word wrong. Most people who are claiming they have an issue with it are dealing with an emotional issue, rather than a blockage of creativity and expression. It has a similar result, but the cause and remedy are very different.
@@ergojosh True! I used to moderate a big art group and the art block subject often returned in discussions. Some people were simply overwhelmed by possible choices of subjects, all they needed was a group daily challenge where they would get a theme, for others art block was caused by every day life problems or even some psychological problems that they buried deep in subconscious. And some were just lazy and needed a person to tell them to draw or to send that famous short comic (by Shen Comix) where a wannabe artist gets a pencil put into his hand to just start drawing instead of overthinking. Art block is a name used for many different and complicated issues.
I think something I have learned over the last 10 years of my art is that I used to just enjoy drawing because I wanted to. I wanted to draw cartoons. That was the dream. I would always draw and make up my own stories from inspiration of the cartoons I watched. Now for some reason, I just feel like that part of me is somehow lost and gone. I just feel like now I don't want to draw because getting better from where I am just seems too hard. I make excuses that I need a Cintiq or that I need this or that. I have pencil and paper, but the part of me that use to understand how to just draw with out thinking is so far gone. The last 3-4 years has really been a decline of my drawing. It just seems like I lost direction, passion... But what doesn't make sense to me is that I still surround myself with it. Whether it be story-boarders, creators of tv cartoons, web animators, artists on TH-cam (ergo too, of course). I still love art and enjoy all the different styles and artists I admire. A huge part of me I think is just lost on how to improve. I just think about getting better and the near thought just gives me anxiety and I start overthinking about who do I learn from? what do I draw? How do I draw? It just feels like I can't focus because I can't find where my focus needs to be. Its clear that I have lost a clear goal and I think that is probably the biggest reason I feel this way is that I just feel like I have no direction. One day I wanna draw cartoons, the next day I wanna be like ergo, being able to draw the figure effortlessly and just understand what I am drawing. I don't understand what I am drawing, not for a second. Sometimes I just wonder if I can leave art behind, but I don't know what else is there. I can't help but feel I want to let go of art... It just makes me wanna throw all my art I ever done away. It's almost as if art is hurting me more than it's helping. I don't even know if I want to continue at this point. Without art, I don't feel like I'm good at anything, so maybe that's a sign that if it's a need more than a want, then why torture myself holding on to something I clearly lost pursuant interest in a long time ago.
Thanks a ton Josh. :) This message is seriously important and I hope that more people see it. It sucks that the only things that really trend in the art community seem to be the "get better instantly and easy" type videos. I hope that one day people realize that stuff like this is just as important as the skills they learn in life. Again thanks man, Hope you're doing well and that you stay safe. Real glad i found your channel and keep your chin up man. :)
I can really feel you when you say that critic is uncomfortable.Like when my teacher asks me about my opinion in an work that my classmate has made i feel really sad and uncomfortable bc i don't want to make them sad.
I used to be really jealous of a friends art as they were better than me and people only complimented them but as soon as I stopped caring about what theirs looked like and worked on mine I actually started to grow and feel better.
The last part about the art that goes beyond our body almost made me cry.. In a world that overvalue the aspect of the body, to remember to create something timeless was really inspiring. Thank you c:
You’re welcome :)
I really appreciate what you said towards the end about making something outside of yourself which only improves with time, rather than obsessing over your body which ages and degrades. I think that's a wonderful way to see art. Someone once said something like, when you think of a great artist, you don't think of how they look and judge them on that - sometimes you don't even know what they look like. Instead you think of their work and how it makes you feel. That's what I want my art to be about.
Hi Josh, thank you for this video. It is too easy to fall back into my own ego when someone critiques my work. As a self taught student of art, I keep reminding myself to take critique as a way to continue improving if I ever want to get better. I've been practicing every day since June and I plan to continue to do so. Your videos are an inspiration. Have an excellent day. 🙂
This is probably the most important video I've ever watched from you. I love both you and Ethan Becker because I feel like you speak to me as more than a technical teacher. I lovrf art as a child and early teen but my ego and comparing myself to other people in high school literally stopped me from creating for years. I am just now getting back to myself, and you two have given me a place to learn technician skills as well as lead me back to what is most important, being myself. Thank you so much, Josh.
I'm an architecture student..... what is ego? 😂 My career is an ego
I feel you so much!!! Architect here. Architecture school was psychological hell (with physical and emotional consequences years later).
Too much grading in arch school is based on critique and too often it can become more personal than it should be.
Sending you all the best!
I really, really like this. I've dealt with this feeling when it comes to my art on multiple occasions, to the point where I dont even know why I'm drawing something, or if I'm even drawing it for myself or for others. It's hard to differentiate between doing what you love, vs. Doing what you love to please others. And that's something I constantly ask myself. When you mentioned criticism, I agree 100%. Criticism isn't fun to hear, and sometimes though you may take it and try to apply it to your art, you may still end up curving it in a way you like overall. (Nothing im saying is really making sense, lol.) But, what I want to say is: Thank you for putting this out there. Its helping me realise a lot more about myself and my art as a whole
I just recently found your channel and there's no art related channel that I actually watch as much as I do yours. That you're bringing light to a bunch of different topics that sound controversial yet really aren't is really nice for a change, and makes me not feel as alone in my struggles with art. I've also struggled with the ego bit, and like you're saying, it's not ego as in bragging and thinking you're so much better, but more that maybe you realize you're not really as good as you want to be, and therefore not feeling adequate. I've always taken criticism to heart as well, more than it really should, and I guess that comes from a place of me placing my own worth as both a person and an artist in what I draw and how well I execute, instead of focusing on being a better me in every way. Your videos inspire me to keep going and letting go of my insecurities no matter how long it takes me to get to the point I want to. ♥
It’s nice to see you go over this topic. I think sometimes arts can be a little quick to tear each other down or get caught up in some sort of drama with one another.
Hey I really needed this video.... I've been struggling with my ego since I was a kid, and it's kept me from looking at other peoples work, being on social media...y'know. Just living freely as an artist. Thanks for talking about this Josh!
Hearing this is so good...especially the ending. When I started college, I had this plan laid out that I was going to become a big film director before I turned 21. It quickly became obvious to me that wasn't going to work out, and I became very depressed. But the more I thought about it, I realized that it's okay to enjoy life and make art too. You don't have to sacrifice your personal and social life to achieve your dreams. This was a great video. Thanks for sharing!!!
You're raising awareness, nice message.
I'm desperately stuck for almost 2 months after stepping out of my learning cave into art communities and social media. Just can't seem to unlock no matter how I feel or what I think.
Everyone shines so bright and you start forgetting what you want to say. I don't just want to draw, I want to be objectively good, I want to belong. Now I spend time walking around and thinking about how my sketches and finished works turn out unappealing. I don't make art for myself anymore and I have no voice/message.
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I'd love to see someone explain to me how to adopt that "compete against yourself only" mindset while agreeing that our eyes/brains are always comparing.
If you like something, you're comparing. You can't even have a goal without getting inspired by something.
And I wouldn't say that it's social media' fault, I see it as getting a mirror and being the scared/intimidated monkey. Just have to deal with it.
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I understand that I have to deal with my ego somehow but I don't know how. There must be middle ground "island" somewhere but I can't find it.
I have willpower to "brute force", so if anyone has a solution like "do exactly this" I'd love to try it.
I understand that I come off as bitter or jaded. I really love all artwork, I love the journey and everyone participating in it.
Ayyye. Ergo =/= Ego. Also glad you're talking it easier this month, going back to the basics with videos while focusing more on art and also seeing amazing progress on the hard work.
Phew breaking down confidence versus ego was my favorite part of this video.. it was my biggest issue. I was bullied young, likely to keep me humble but it really disrupted my growth in confidence. I started learning about imposter syndrome from my mentor to really finally heal.
Its interesting that I feel like I needed this especially since that I've been having so much issues with figure drawings, I was was always expecting myself to have it perfection immediately, thinking "oh I can do it now", and this video is what i needed to hear as someone who struggles so much to a burn out. Thank you always Ergojosh for your artistic wisdom ❤
When I clicked this video I didn't expect this cram of wisdom thrown my way, and I also didn't realize it'll be something I really needed to hear, I've been been struggling lately with the frustration of not improving quickly enough, and having this "expectation" and desired "image" of the artist I want to be is making it even more stressful, but just like you said, it shouldn't be about me but rather about the art, because I simply love and enjoy it, that's why I want to become better, thank you for putting me back in perspective, you're such a kind and wise person ❤️️
I love your voice and you being so introspective, I'm glad you're taking care of yourself in this way
I'm actually crying right now 'cause I've been struggling with this problem for years
a terrible anxiety once I sit in front of the paper or want to draw
I really, really want to draw but this fear of messing everithing up is so deep into my bones that I don't dare to bring my ideas to life anymore
I think it's especially difficult to separate your drawing with yourself because it's really just shows who you are and your ideas that have been inside your head are put in the open for everyone to see
Thanks, this video made me realize what was happening to my art just a little bit more. It has to do with ego a bit and I am just glad there’s this community aspect of artists on the platform I can relate to.
Such a goo video. There is always a balance I’ve needs to strive for. When ego becomes unchecked, one’s confidence can just plummet if one perceives that the quality isn’t great.
Unhealthy critiques in my undergrad in architecture school where one’s creativity and sleepless sacrifice was often critiqued using personal and unhealthy messages made me very insecure with my design and art capabilities. I am sure I was never an amazing designer but many of the critiques were not as constructive as they could have been.
Examples:
Prof To a friend: “do you know what a sloppy joe is? That is what you have there.”
Ignoring me while I explain and then the prof turns around to talk to someone else.
Prof going into a tangent rant on the whole waste of people on the field after I presented.
So yeah, even when I draw or paint I always feel insecure especially about critique and always chalk it up to a delicate ego... again, thank you for this video.
Being egotistical with my art stunted my growth for about 5 years.. didn't realize it until 2018 and then I stopped art all together 2020 quarantine has allowed me to jump back in, but starting from the basics up and joining a discord group that has been supportive and have given me so much feedback. Now I don't feel proud, I just keep thinking "What can I do to improve." I always look to other artists of all levels and talk to them and just TALKING about THEIR ART not mine. Has been such an eye opener.
My advice is to talk to artists of all levels (even the ones you think are kinda below your level, that sounds mean, but not sure how else to word it..) BUT YEAH just talk about their art and draw together. Drawing together helps a lot too, not just for yourself but for others too! ^^
Mannnn...you have no idea how on time this topic is for me. Thank you for being vulnerable and open about your process, showing the good, the bad and the in progress aspects of yourself as an artist 🙌🏾🙏🏾🙌🏾
your voice is very relaxing to a late night watcher like me. thank you for the lesson and the high-quality experience.
Words of wisdom no matter your hobby or profession... thank you so much for helping me put things into perspective Josh.
Thansk for the video! My favorite of yours are the art talks ones and this is so interesting, I do think is so so beneficial to kill the ego, we love art, thats why we do it, so we should care more about that than the image of ourselves as "artists", being an artist is just the consequence of the art we need to make, its not the most important thing
This was definitely advice I needed to hear right now. I think especially with social media and our current culture around internet personalities it's easy to think you need to build this specific brand and character, and I've definitely found myself falling into this mindset. I needed the reminder of why I'm doing art in the first place.
Don't know if this will be read, but this touches more than just artists, but also everyone who tries to get their ego under control. It is amazing how well you put it and ended up with a smile on everyone who listened to you. I'm not gonna try and tell yoy seek help. What I am however about to say is you're strong man. You'll make it through no matter your method. As long as you chase your passion you'll reach your goals. Have an awsome day :)
Wow this is probably the reason i don't have any motivation to do art ever since entering art school. It's really rare for me to sit and just draw my own things and just enjoy myself. I already knew i was like that but this video really helped me fully adress this feeling.
Also your voice is so calming it fr helps with my anxiety so thank you for making this:))
This is a great topic! I personally think that we don't have to attach our who to our work. It's easier to handle constructive feedback, because there is no connection to your work & your self worth
I so admire how your poses are so dynamic and fluid!! Major inspo for me :)))
Thanks I’m really focusing on that
I'm a bit late for the party, but gosh...
I could say this video was somewhat therapeutic even, because I do have a really low self-esteem, and I've been struggling at how improve myself and feel more confident, and I couldn't see what the problem was because I spent a whole lot of my life trying to get rid of my Ego because I thought it to be a bad thing. Even though I'm older now, I didn't realize what it was until you said it and made me realize why some things work for me while others don't.
I loved seeing your drawings, although I was mostly hearing you talking while also drawing.
I'll be subscribing to the channel so I can see what other amazing stuff you put. :)
You have opened my eyes sir I have decided to take a trip back to the basics of gestures and anatomy
I'm definitely going to have to watch this one a few times.
This is the most mature, tame corner of youtube art. Comment section and artist alike. 💞 Good vibes.
i absolutely support the podcast idea :) love the way you talk about this stuff.
Thank you for this... This subject is where I am during COVID right now and I REALLY Appreciate your words and understanding on this. Really, Thank you... :)
I love this new type of video, because I can listen and learn while doing something ♥️
Your videos always help me be a better version of myself. Not only as an artist but in general as well. Seeing how hard you work to improve on doing what you love whilst helping others and making them realize their passion, is honestly something that keeps me motivated to keep going on making art and maybe some day be able to help people like you do! Keep up the great work ♡
Glad to hear this! And you bet.
I like the voice-over videos. Nice job on the linework as well. Gesture drawing is something I actually need to work on more.
im so happy you notice your ego and made something about it
so basically, be real with yourself and your art
i'm gonna revisit this video again when i begin my graphic design major again; our teacher really critiques our works and she looks for certain things and she's not afraid to point things out. i think this video changed my perspective a lot wowowowow i needed this lololol (btw i'm in my freshman year of high school, i hope i can go far one day)
Exactly. Realized this not so long ago and honestly, I’ll admit. I have a lot of improvement and my ego needs some humbling! No one’s the best and there’s a difference in ego and confidence. Confidence is looking at your art and saying “oh wow. that shading is beautiful! let’s try that out on the other part of the body.” Ego is looking at other people’s art and thinking you could of executed what they did way better and pointing out their mistakes and thinking you wouldn’t of made the same ones.
I'm really concerned about meta things (like a pen name) and coming in and out of a dark zone... I really appreciated this video... It was really insightful and calming... And I feel that it really resonates with what I'm going through with my self image as an artist and as a professional... Thank you 💖
I’m only 3 minutes in and these are some MESSAGES! Really enjoyed this and appreciate your vulnerability.
i think we need to value art pride and be done with downplaying each other’s or hating our own. have pride in the work that you do put don’t put other people down!
Always take compliments through the lens of your improvement, you weren't born good at something; you put time and effort into it, and you still ways to go.
just here to spread some positivity, honestly, thanks for sharing what's actually going on in your mind...
Alright so just saying. I really needed to hear that. I've been in the same headspace and trying to push through that and it's really encouraging your words about the subject! By the way the format is great and I really enjoyed the video content too!
Saving this for the wonderful advice (and because I'm totally going to watch it over and over to learn your technique 😆)
thanks for getting me back into art....you have inspired me to do better. business ventures too. thanks from London
Holy shit, this is the first time I'm seeing one of your videos and I'm just bombed by your voice! It's so soothing, very much like corpse and I love it!
I just really want to be good enough , don't really care about being better than others at art , its not really my goal , I just want to be at a level where I can be happy with what I produce.
YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO BUTS THANKS ABUNCH!!!!!!!
for a while now i couldnt draw people from behind because i could figure out how to simplify the back but watching you and seeing how your method is similar to mine made the whole thing 5x easier i know this wasnt a tutorial but still thanks
Just checked out your Instagram and your progress in figure drawing since June is amazing! Inspires me to work harder on my own stuff. On the vid itself, I found this very interesting and helpful. It makes sense but wasn't something I'd completely realized before, so thanks for sharing :)
Thank you! I really struggle with my ego, so thank you for covering this topic!
for me I used to not have an ego up until 8th grade, it was like I was just working and working on hw non stop, after that I just developed my ego overtime and now I'm falling most of my classes and now I can't work on stuff I want to do. But watching this video just makes me want to do something substantial at the moment, I really found this insightful and helpful at the same time, It just makes me want to fight against my ego and be able to do what I want.
this also reminds me of one of my favorite iroh quotes- goes something like: "pride is not the opposite of shame but its source- True humility is the only antidote to shame"
Thank you for sharing your personal experience and growth with us. Sometimes all it takes is to hear somebody else going through something to help others begin to work through it themselves. This is definitely a good reminder to check my view of myself, and make sure I stay humble in all things.
Thanks I am really going through dealing with excessive ego so I wanted to share in hopes it would help
@@ergojosh I have no doubt in my mind that you'll get through this. From a long time watcher to you, I believe in you.
This is such a great reminder for all of us! Thanks so very much for sharing this 🌻🌻
I really enjoy your thoughtful podcasts, this one I could really relate to. I also struggle a lot keeping my spirits up when I do bad drawings, and trying to understand it just part of the process of learning.
first of all, I discover your channel some time ago thanks to the setup video but after Adam's last video I came back and said! Hey is the depth voice artist guy! why I'm not sub yet?
Happy beginning of 2021 Mr ergo Josh
Art critique, I could take that from my peers and teacher in school when I was taking art class which I did every time I was able for from grade 6 to 11.
But the last time I drew and took criticism, was when I was trying at this new Japanese animation style ('98 before it was called anime) after practicing for 6 months and was laughed at to my face by my best friend to a drawing that took a week. I just... haven't been able to draw artistically since.
My social anxiety, which has been a thing ever since I can remember, plus the feeling of betrayal, because he never did that before, to this day makes me fear producing art of any form. I got over being told I was an 'accident' and my father didn't want me so he left before I was born. But that getting laughed at by someone I chose to trust, and that trust was validated for a solid 10 years cut far deeper than I imagined. Considering it's 22 years later and I still can't pick up a pencil and just go.
Ego is toxic? Maybe. All I know is every time I try to draw, I just can't help that laugh coming back up to the surface or just my heart starts hurting, then I don't try for another year.
Thanks for the pep talk josh this is the stuff I need to hear , I definitely let my “bad” art really affect me, probably due to the ego I have and I should deal with that internal conflict soon. Haha now I feel super motivated so I guess it’s time to keep practicing and just go with the flow :)
Ngl I missed these talks... they are always welcome 🙏🏾
Great vibes from this video Josh, keep up the great work.