The piece of advice that helped me the most was understanding how much I have to give up in order to attain greatness I study art everyday, but I don't put in nearly as much time as I KNOW that I can. I found that I tend to procrastinate with other things - things that still need to get done, but can wait, like cleaning. The procrastination arose due to feelings of inadequacy and failing. So I'm setting aside my ego, setting ATTAINABLE and FOCUSED goals, tracking the real time I spend drawing, working everyday to increase my stamina.
I struggled with this for years, especially being addicted to social media and consequently very prone to distraction and impulsivity. 6 months ago I started tracking the time I put into art and came up with around 40 hours a month. Had a conversation in an art stream and was told "if you dont put 60 hours a week into it you're trolling". As basic as that statement was it gave me a goal to strive for. Then a month ago I researched a lot around Mangaka and especially the author of Vagabond and how much he sacrificed. That put into perspective where I stood. I've had a completely different life than those exceptional artists, growing up very sheltered, not having to do a lot on my own and never having a real long term job before. It's unfair to compare myself to those individuals and yet I feel like I can do better, I can give up more of the useless stuff like mindless browsing and distractions. In the last month I've worked for 93 hours, 30 of which in the last 4 days. It's a struggle between studying from books like Loomis or Hampton to self indulgent work as to not burn out and letting myself play 3-4 rounds of Heroes of the Storm a week. What I'm trying to say is: We're all gonna make it, one way or another. Trust in the process and turn your setbacks into comebacks. We can do it!
@@VeylmanTheRock thank you. TL;DR, more of thoughts, and insights, surrounding my experiences and your comment!! As someone relating to the not having a long job, and struggling with mental health, and physical disabilities, I haven't had a part time job due to reasons such as: lack of self-esteem, severe depression/anxiety, BPD, and of course reasons listed above in the first line....So I've also been doing the comparing thing often, in fact almost every day. I love to look on socials especially Pinterest for artwork. I don't find this issue so much with pinterest, but even i love looking at IG for inspo and creative ideas. I have to be in the right mindset though. I've noticed if I"m negative in any sort of way beforehand, I don't do that. It's taken me a while to figure that one out too, in fact still need to work on that.... In terms of jobs, I always have wished I could support myself, even if I don't and haven't had a job. In my teen days, even though this was the last thing on my mind, it made it even worse that teens my age in HS, they were getting jobs everywhere, one by one, left to right. I heard many convos during those years like: "dude I got a job today," "I'm working for the first time today," or...."I hated work today" "everyone I worked with absolutely sucks." " I never want to work again....." These were the more light hearted ones to me, I found those somewhat humorous. Though the ones that would get to me would be, of course, you guessed, the positive ones: ...."I finally got my paycheck in," "I cashed my first paycheck today!!!" and trust me, anything about earning a paycheck, they would baost hard core about themselves, just going on, and on, abt that or what they were going to get with the $$$, who they were going to spend it on...etc...etc....just all of this, as much as they could before the teacher got our attention, or it was time to leave class and everyone was lined up.... whether they liked the job, or not, I could tell they at least some support coming from themselves, fully. Back then, and today, I would be feeling so much more fulfilled knowing that I have actually earned cash, that I TRULY earned it myself, nol through borrowing parents $$$, or grad money, bday/holiday $$$ way & saving up through there.....I wouldn't be one to brag about it, but I'd def would value it and buy a things that are worth buying to me, such as my art equipment(s). I've been into this art thing for a long time. I've heard and research all the time psychology and links or comparisons of other people, with art. Recently, I've been interested in the neurological studies of the brain. I've always been interested in, but never spent enough time researching studies of the left/right brain and how it compares, or affects the art community. In fact, today, as of this evening, just read a small article about how to implicate both sides in the creative process. Both sides are key factors in the entire process. All from the standard thinking patterns, to knowing how to see objects, lines, and line edges, to even knowing and identifying your mistakes so you can catch them next time, or if not, then catching them on your current pieces, past/present, and assessing each one. With my perfectionism, this heavily applies to my daily life, and through my creative thinking. Not only that, but I'm also influenced by the mental factors listed above, and one in particular, a more sensitive topic, and also a daily struggle, living and dealing with physical disabilities, suffering from chronic pain and EDS. I have mod-severe nerve/muscle/joint pain. Some areas from time to time can get horribly rough. This makes it absolutely AWFUL to draw long periods of time. Sure, I'd absolutely love to set a small go of drawing so many hrs/day. Esp one day. Now though, as you can imagine, I get very, very discouraged even at this small goal, because of the long amount of hrs during breaks. I cannot stressed to you how many times and way over the top, I've gotten so frustrated with this. In fact, it's become hard to talk about to anyone now, because i've felt like I've mentioned it too much to them. What I've learned to do, as what was said in the vid, I just have to remind myself, it's just art, and I can have plenty of other things to do. The other thing is, that it's not my even fault I have this. It just popped up a while ago, and it will be there most likely forever. It's just the way things are and have been for along time. I especially get discouraged at this though, and with combination of my mental health, it really takes a downward spiraling turn. Switching back and forth between my hobbies, then getting overwhelmed from one to the other, because of the grind. My mind stays extremely overactive. I am one that has to keep myself busy, or I'll fall into one of my most common & known mind traps of "worrying over worrying," then bad anxiety, followed by a depressive period, or a BPD period, and either one of those periods, depending on what it may be can last for a long time, anywhere from 2 months, up to a full half a year. Sadly, most of this ramped up again after HS, right after having to leave college, and still have yet to go back. Taking a break then from everything, lasted up to almost 2 years. I lost a lot of interest in my current hobbies back then and current day, but also the basic daily necessities that I should've been taken care of at the time.I was feeling overwhelmed at the though of being (and this time being fully aware,) that I was completely numb to everything, but my own head. Like Trent said, it was really one of those awful years..... The way he spoke about that, in that section, struck me. It seemed to drag on forever too. Everytime I had almost even if the smallest of breakthroughs, then I'd be shut up and shut down, by some overwhelming, and usually, damming,, thought over my head and then sent back down the never ending, spiral staircase again....Now that I've gotten some more proper treatment, it's gotten somewhat better, though we're still trial/error-ing shit. H When I saw your comment, I thought to myself, I"m in the exact same boat. I was in the same boat back then, just mentally, in a different spot now. I"m beginning initiate starting the action of setting small goals. Then breaking those small goals, into smaller ones. I think working from smaler, to smaller works better, than having a big umbrella of a goal, and branching it out. I think it becomes to overwhelming for me to see and that's where it falls through.... I've noticed music seems to help set a mindset. Some people say setting certain music genres/sub genres for certain atmospheric paintings, at least if you have one in mind. Lately, I've tried this, and have just been listening to one genre, and one genre only. I had heard of this technique before, but I think I would've had mixed feelings and a diff outlook on it, causing to fall through with the idea. I've yet to try the other suggestions, but I've found this one works the best. Consistent things work better for me also I've noticed....
Definitely needed to hear this. Trying my best to not judge my art or success based on being at the mercy of algorithms like instagram which is pay to play anyways. Focused more on the actual art of art, and appreciate that I’m among the ppl who can create things. Shout out to all fellow artist 🙏🏾
its 3am ,I'm battling painting a landscape digitally, u said everything an insane young artist needed to hear. your the best Trent. thank you MY DUDE!!!
I'm sacrificing a lot for this, so giving up will never be an option. The road is long and hard, not everyone becomes an artist, trust in your path, believe in yourself.
I needed to hear this today. Just yesterday nothing I did, neither traditional nor digital, seemed to work and I was about to throw my supplies at the wall. Managed to control myself though and took a break. Super reassuring to hear that it's just the nature of the beast called art, sometimes I forget that. Thanks Trent, have a good one. Till next week.
I needed this a month ago! 🤣 It's weird to say this, but I started loving art again the moment I realised that I "suck", not in a negative way but in a "I have a lot to learn, and that's ok" Right now, I'm back to learning the basics, I even got back to drawing with pencils (I forgot how fun that was!) I'm improving a little everyday, but it's better than those days where I gave up and stopped drawing. I hope this video make more artists accept that you always have more to learn and just because you're not at the level you want to be yet doesn't mean it's time to give up 💜
You're Yellow belt comment hit home. I'm a martial arts instructor (6th Black) and I get questions from students all the time about why can't they do it but I can, or comments about how long it's taking to get as good as they want to be. I have to remind them that I spent the first 15 years of my practice working 6 days a week, 6-8 hours a day. Mastery of anything takes insane dedication. I pushed off career, family and higher education until I got my 5th degree. Now I'm on the road to doing a similar thing with art and my family. Though, admittedly it is harder because their is more to juggle in life. As you stated, you have to stop comparing yourself unfairly. You have to keep in mind "Belt Levels". I look to those that are the Greats as inspiration but I look to the next "Belt Level" for my current, reasonable set of goals. Thanks for all the great videos and constant inspiration.
They never get how hard it is. They never think about what happens when you are not with them. I see it mostly with friends, cause there is a different level of intimacy, but they ask me out at night, why i dont take days off, dont live the summer time or spend time in fun activities they like. I'm always busy and they dont get why. They think you can take a day or night off everytime you want. They just say: "how bad could it be if you do just once?", well the problem is in their mind this "once" happens a bit too often. Some people just dont understand... and i became pretty tired of explaining. Just not everyone is willing to do what it takes. Its nature, you cant do anything about it.
Ty Trent. I'm an 18 year old living in Germany and I didnt make it into college this year. Ive decided to keep pursuing art, thats why i will try again next year to study game design. Your videos have helped me a lot to stay motivated. Theres been a lot of times when ive procrastinated for days drawing nothing. Now im seriously focused on drawing and studying as much as possible, not because i have to, but because i can feel myself enjoying the process of making art again as well as the outcome. Even if I wont see improvement right now, my future self will definetely appreciate the effort ive put in :) Ty for the beautiful messages you convey. Ty for keeping me going.
No joke Trent, amongst the many artistic-journey-pep-talks out there, this is honest to god probably the best one I've heard yet. This one landed really well. Thanks.
Great advice Trent… I noticed what helped me immensely was when I turned my mindset away from trying to be as good as “insert artist” instead I started to just appreciate those artists, share their work and for myself just try to keep pushing myself. I think pushing yourself and acknowledging your own weaknesses is healthier than comparing to others.
I was never an art student in high school or early years of college. Last year before turning 29 I chose to change degrees from engineering to animation. During my first semester I was told that when I’m uncomfortable with what I’m drawing, painting, scultping or whatever I’m making those are some of the most formative times in my art career. This is solely because it’s a true learning experience. When you’re comfortable and know what you’re doing you just don’t feel challenged and may not be developing skills. If you view every frustrating sitution as a chance to be successful rather than a moment of failure you’re half way to improving your art. Don’t avoid the suck, enjoy the process of overcoming it through making better art.
I am glad to hear you getting into "not everybody is meant to be great" and be wise to give up. I've got my PhD before giving up on science altogether and getting into art. What my pushing into smth i never got to love brought me? Well, I got into art 14 years later then I could have. God job on powering through :D
@@TrentKaniuga thank you for your answer! I did not drop my first career immediately, I was self educating for a year, then I got a little first job (juniour position) and after that I started taking art courses. It was almost four years ago and I take new courses off- and online from time to time by this day. Great video, helped me to relive some things! 😁
Man I needed this, I'm pretty happy with my art right now, but it's actually TH-cam I struggle with. Constant struggle to not judge myself by my viewcount, looking at my idols who have been here since 2005 and wondering why I'm not at their level. It's so obvious lol! Love your channel man it's always a fresh bit of reality in a very augmented online world.
Yeap definitely agree with all you said. I have to say 98% of your videos get me and feel like “ yeah, good is not just me who thinks this and that”. Thanks Trent, really appreciate the time you take to make videos. They are VERY helpful.
Comparison is the #1 way to unhappiness. I definitely do it still though, even knowing this.. My art is super frustrating yet I cannot stop drawing, I HAVE to draw or Ill go totally insane, but drawing sometimes makes me feel insane.. Especially when your having a day where you just CANNOT draw, but you feel like you HAVE TO!
I agree with the frustration that it never goes away, especially when you understand what good artwork is and what can be improved, I even get blocked by myself not to go further, because I don't want to draw simple things and want those epic scenes or epic paintings which I can't achieve, so instead of simple drawing and studies I just stuck myself in a place where I even stop drawing. At least I have other hobbies like wood crafting which occupies my mind, but that feeling that I want to draw something awesome never goes away. It's like a disease which grew on me bit by bit and now I am on the fence: should I stop drawing in my free time at all or should I somehow find a way to enjoy it again. I work in a game industry as an artist, so I have achieved something, but I really enjoyed my free time drawings the most and now it is really hard to come back to that stage, especially when tiredness after work, family time and all I've got is that tiny couple of hours or one hour window where my brain just is empty and uncreative. I do believe I can get on my creative juice, I just didn't find a way to beat that creature of my back YET.
I think you tackled a lot of key things in your video tbh. I had (many years ago) a random person/musician basically said "stop doing art" implying my work was horrible bla bla bla. My instinct reaction (besides thinking to myself F you), I decided to work harder like...a lot harder. A year later I got my first art job with Coal Chamber which in itself was a big "F you" to anyone who doubted my abilities 💁♂️. Keep on truckin'
This summarizes my entire career. My whole life, people told me I couldn't do things that I now do easily. The funny thing is... after they see my success, now they say "well, it's different for you". So their negativity towards me was just their way of justifying why THEY could not do it.
@@TrentKaniuga Ha, Exactly! I've heard a mix of either how great I am or "what makes him so special" like that little hatred in the back of their minds it's like dude... I'm just working man lol
wow. this was amazing. i’ve been watching your videos for a while man and this video, hit me. i always seek out immediate results and i get really frustrated when i don’t learn something from a teacher/video, or when i see i’m not improving in skill. but i realized that i haven’t been sacrificing enough time to resolve those problems. so, trent, as always, thanks for these vids. totally appreciated!
The idea of making your frustration a companion is something I only learned to embrace after much soul searching outside of my art skills. My frustration is my copilot. I tell it to not get toxic and shutup when it steps out of line, and it tells me where and how I can improve. My frustration is my copilot, my art conscience telling me where I need to improve.
A good way to get out of that funk, is changing your surroundings. I've been working in my house for months now, and the walls were closing in. I realized that changing the environment makes a big difference. Especially if you're in a place where people are actively pursuing their goals ( a library, a train of commuters, etc. ) The idea is that, being in an active location raises the urge to perform. Some people would prefer parks or other places, but that depends on the person. Alternatively you could find a office-sharing platform or hang out with similar minded people on your own terms.
Man Trent. Words of just wisdom flowing over here lol. I am starting to get into digital and all of a sudden my drive just zapped away. I want to get into it and start digitally painting, but for whatever reason it's just me digging my heels in to give it a shot. I love drawing too and maybe at some point I just need to focus on the traditional aspect that I love to do. I wrote some of what you said down in my journal to reflect back on. Thanks!
I've been dealing with some personal problems like anxiety and depression for a long time, and since then I've been very discouraged with everything I liked, and art was one of them. I always try to go back but I procrastinate a lot about it, and the time passing scares me in a way. I'm trying to center myself, and use all the time I have (which is a lot) to study the basics I've always skipped. I wanted to thank you for these videos, while I'm scared, it makes me feel better and focus on my dream.
Trent, You hit that nail on the head about learning a number of things individually. I had one time doing an internship for a game development group, and a fellow artist was having trouble drawing a destroyed building scene. So I drew it for him in a few minutes and he was blown away along with a few other artists there.Trent, You hit that nail on the head about learning a number of things individually. I had one time doing an internship for a game development group, and a fellow artist was having trouble drawing a destroyed building scene. So I drew it for him in a few minutes and he was blown away along with a few other artists there...
I then explained that I could do it because I'd been learning SPECIFICALLY how to paint destroyed buildings for the entire week before hand for another project. I think a really hard part is having to learn how to do all the things. Anyway, good vid. Thanks. I'd like to talk to you some time about the biz; you've done some of the coolest work on some of my favorite games.
Powerful, deep and yet so warming. I've been overthinking about a lot of things lately, sometimes I feel like I'm panicking as well. It's really hard to work and feel uneasy at the same time. And as an artist, it's more frustrating than comparing your work to the other artists which I also do from time to time. XD I will be better! Thank you, Trent.
This is all so true!! I definitely resonate with getting used to being frustrated. Short-term its there to help you grow, long-term its there to show you where you need to go. Whenever i feel really frustrated for several weeks doing art its usually because like you said, theres some aspect of my art direction I need to change for myself. Thanks as always for the advice!
Thank you for the videos you make, implementing spiritual concepts into discussions on art topics. Would be a priveledge to have a person like you as a friend in real life. While listening to the video I remembered talking to a successful novelist and poet one day, asking him how does one know if he should try writing as a career. His answer was - if you can't cary on without it then go for it, otherwise don't touch a pen. As for a strategy on getting over hard times I find spiritual practices, such as hatha yoga, prayer, meditation etc. to be most effective ways of revival.
Thanks for this video! I was/am really frustrated with my art. This video really helps to put things back into perspective. The biggest takeaway for me is the focus on the small wins. And to be gratefull for them. After a small win I tend to want to get some huge leaps going, but this reminds me it is all about these small steps. So thanks for the video! Now I am off gathering some more small wins ;)!
Thanks for this Trent. I was out of a job for a bit and started my LLC in january and i was doing some actions to promote my socials and its been so dead that I was deciding to hang the art up in the meantime since i just started a new day job. But this is enlightening. Just keep it up and make progress while assessing your own skills. Wonderful reminder. Thank you.
Trent, thanks again for touching on this topic. I'm a professional 3D Artist and I even get in a slump. So any newbies out there, it is a continuous thing that we all battle with. Developing art isn't like learning anything else in society. You have to push against the brick wall, then step away and come back. The time away is when your brain changes and your skill levels up. It's weird, I know. Something to keep in mind. Trent, thanks for the reminder of doing the art for the sake of doing the art. It's all too easy to feel compelled to just get the project done and not revel in the dopamine euphoria that comes with creation. Best of luck to everyone out there.
So many nuggets of wisdom, thanks, Trent! A little mindset trick I recently discovered for myself, when I feel overwhelmed with the massive amount of work embarking on the solo game dev journey: I think of myself as the owner of a corporation with all these departments supporting me - there's the 3D tools department building Blender and Unreal Engine, the art education center dedicated to help me get my skills up, communities to solve tricky problems for me, etc... literally thousands of people are enabling me to do more than I ever could have done on my own. Dwelling on that thought for a while makes me feel empowered, and grateful. More inclined to give something back, too.
If can be difficult being an artist in USA or some European country, imagine here in Brazil.. or another 3 world country. Sometimes it's really tough, man. Anyway. Thanks for the video. Really powerful!
@@TrentKaniuga True.. Absolutely right! This video is one of the most necessary and powerful videos... being an artist is a mind game. A very challenging game hahah but worth it. love your content, thanks for sharing with us!
There's a lot of dificulties, but also a lot of oportunities. If I can sell my art worldwide, I need much less income in dolars to afford my living expenses. That means it's easier for me to go fulltime as an artist at least in that respect. A lot of digital nomads come to third world contries to be able to aford their living expanses.
I mostly find a lot of happiness and joy in art but also i struggle a lot. During these struggle periods i feel so worthless at times. Perhaps it is because of lack of direction or friends. I feel like i cant give up on my dream and my direction in life because of personal mental struggles. At the end of the day i just want to be happy.
Such great insights. Since finding your channel and restarting my art journey I've managed to go from stressing while making one single illustration and taking way too long or not finishing it at all to finishing everything I started and not dwelling on the little things. Now I can get through and idea in a fraction of the time for better or worse and then I can look at it and figure out what I like and don't like about what I did and take that insight into the next thing I do. I've noticed a big improvement in my work because of it and I feel like I'm heading in the right direction for once and, more importantly, I'm enjoying the journey. I've also had quite a bit of help from your channel and your gumroad lessons/workshops! :)
First off, I love your map here that you've been drawing. I'm trying to pick up ideas for how to speed up drawing my backgrounds for my comics, and watching your speedpaints while you give The Advices does help with that, thank you! Best of luck with your Twilight Monk game :) And thanks for the topic: I find the habit of comparing yourself to someone else is natural, but also so hard to overcome. Some people get super bitter at other artists and even their friends for being 'better' or 'more popular' and that's just upsetting for everyone involved. Personally I just plod along, supporting my friends when I can and they support me in return. It's... a little frustrating when I don't get many eyes on my comic that has been an ongoing story for a few years now compared to, say, a ten minute doodle of a character I like, but I also understand that I'm terrible at promotion and social media algorithm manipulation blah blah things. Knowing your own weaknesses can help. And I'm glad other people can appreciate those doodles too lol. I'm unlikely to ever be able to do art as a career, but sharing those tiny bits I can is fine, I wouldn't know what to do with all them numbers were I to get them right now! I wish everyone who has any kinds of art goals, be they be 'i wanna be x professional in y industry' to 'i'm drawing this ridiculous concept only me and maybe one other person will get' the determination and strength they need to reach them, whatever they may be :)
Cool video as always! It reminded me of the Draftsmen podcast I listened to earlier about how failure at certain things is actually part of our journey to find our success as an artist and that you really do have to pivot yourself in a different direction and how you handle such things. It’s something I really didn’t know I was doing in college and now on my way to try and find that right career path
Absolutely loved this video (got a soft spot for heavy-ish, existential stuff), almost liked it more than the video where you answered my question lol I would say my way of pulling myself out of a frustrating art moment is to talk about it with other art fellows and at the same time checking in with them and hearing their own frustrations. Often times you might find very similar situations/patterns and it's helpful to support each other, knowing that we are all in this together and this is all normal and ok. Extra tip: eat your favourite food + pet love if you're blessed with it
This is the first video of yours I've come across, and it's incredible. This isn't only good advise for a struggling artist, but good life advise in general. I'm confident in my art, but definitely need to apply this to other aspects where I have self doubt. Thank you. Also, the background art is awesome! Subbed.
Something I find comforting is that everytime I find a new artist I like or that is doing something cool, I think that's one more person that made it so there's no reason I can't
I felt validated because of this thank you so much and I needed that. I've been sacrificing a lot lately including my social life and money to focus on improving since I have a goal to present my best and most confident skills to any potential clients I will have. I'm listening to your videos as I work and it helps me go on despite feeling a little behind. It's indeed always best to acknowledge that every time you learn something opens up for opportunity a lot more. I hope all my hard work pays off soon!! Thank you for the content :D
I'm a beginner and most people who are not artist compliments my work but in my perspective I'm not as good as the legendary artists, but I set realistic goals to make sure I can learn a lot every single day or weekly since I'm a programmer by profession so I'm not able to learn digital art as often as I need to. in reality no matter how good you are there is always someone better but rather than being discouraged we move forward to be better at the end of the day we can't please everybody.
I always appreciate the honest insights and the little plugs at the end I'm glad your being recognized by company's for your talent and that your sharing all of your experience with all of us here on TH-cam and on gumroad thanks
One of the better coping mechanisms for me, assuming the problem isn't motivation to do anything to begin with, is to just drop myself into something new that I'm not invested into improving at. Placing myself in a position of being a happy newbie helps me accept that not knowing or being good at something is okay just a little more than it did when I was at wit's end. Another would be to do something you have already accepted you just won't be good at on a fundamental level as a person. For a recent example, been bashing my head against setting up streaming/editing getting a bit rage-filled when things weren't going as they were in my head when I scrolled past some Stream Deck games for reaction speed and match 2 (flat memorization), both require skills I already accept are just not in my wheelhouse a long time ago. 10-15m of playing some dinky games for fun, and it was a bit easier going back to the things I was invested into working on for a few hours, even if it was going poorly.
Great video as always, Trent! I'd put myself in the "good art but still not getting likes"-category; the thing people need to understand is that quality of art isn't everything by a long shot. Even if you are technically decent , it still doesn't guarantee the least bit of success. For instance, the detrimental thing to me has been not figuring out what kind of art I want to stick to. It's in an artist's nature to experiment with different things but it's the worst thing to do if you want to attract an audience. People want to follow you for a very specific reason and if you can't figure that out you might as well not exist. That's why you see "successful" people (in terms of likes at least) who might be less technical than you, but they consistently paint a specific subject that resonates with people. So I'd advise people to actually work on the meta as hard as they do on their fundamentals.
Thank you for this, been feeling a bit uncertain about my art lately, been rejected from so many fanzines (and an art school) and not sure in what direction to develop my art right now, so this helped.
4:44 sometimes you don't know how long these people have been doing that job. I recently had this moment of clarity where i realized i was comparing myself to two artists who both had 10 more years of xp than me. The thing is, i couldn't know this based on the situation, we were all working on the same projects, expected to deliver pretty much the same thing, and yeah, i was way behind in terms of skills, but the art dir would push me to do better (which makes sense) However obviously this meant to me that i wasn't "good enough", but when you find out the xp difference you suddenly have the opposite feeling. That basically taught me one important lesson, get to know people better, like you said, you may not even realize the difference in xp, or the sacrifice people have made to "get there" This was a pretty common thing during the golden age of deviantart, where people would discuss a certain artist who is 15years old and has the skill of a professional, but if you dig deep enough you realize that person has pretty much no life, but the funny part is when you look back at his work a few years later and realize you were a fool to think this was even "pro" level. Anyway, great vid man (as always)
Great video this week Trent, I’ve been coming to the “yet” mindset as well recently. I’m still working on getting into a professional art position, I’m not a professional artist yet but I keep moving towards it.
I've never compared myself to others. I rejoice when I see something beautiful. I like to look at beautiful works. I like to walk around the Tretyakov Gallery. The Internet is now such a gallery for the past. The meaning is not in the "goal", but in the "path". Joy and pleasure are a path itself.
Honestly I don't mind the struggle. I'm of the belief that developing a good observational eye for your own work is paramount and probably will contribute the most to your growth as an artist. Once you're able to identify on your own what the issues in your own work are, be it something technical or a knowledge gap or just lack of appeal you have plenty or resources at your disposal to fix it. Personally when I get frustrated I tend to just switch gears. If I'm having a hard time on a figure I'll go draw some landscapes or try a different medium.
I do art as a hobby being in remission from leukemia...even as a hobby it’s frustrating sometimes! I’m doing stuff for family since I can see them after three years! But having trouble on one of my aunt’s drawings! I may take a break for a day or two and get ideas!
Your game is VERY charming. Atmospheric and beautiful. I'm too slow-witted as a player to play games of this genre. But I'd love to see someone play it)
You may need to create Twilight Monk The Game media channels to get more engagement on your video game dev adventures. Most artist know very little about game design/programming side so your game dev struggles don't resonate as much. Indie game development scene is a whole other beast.
My solution is to go outside. A lot of internal strife that comes up in my life, whether that's self doubt, depression, or even just being in an artistic funk seems to get a lot better or even resolved completely by taking my sketchbook out to a lake or into the woods and hanging out there for half a day. Mother nature is the ultimate cure.
I agree it's a mindset for sure. I'll make this a bit more personal to illustrate (Hey look i'm an illistrator too, okay). When I went to university for a law degree I had a friend who I did most classes with. One of the smartest people i've met and his grades reflected that. While mine were, passable (?) most of the time. I was just about making it through. But you know what, we celebrated both our results equally. I was as happy for his 9 as he was for my 6. We both knew our capabilities and thus our expectations were set accordingly. He ended up being a lawyer and I . . . well I didn't make it through the last year. Trust me I tried and then tried again but well, there were things going on in my personal life that were kind of keeping me from making it. Maybe I also simply lack the intelligence for the final stretch. Whatever the reason I dropped the idea of finishing and got into running my own business. Then I found ghrapic design and then digital art. Man, glad that I ended up here. But I had to fail to get here, and here i'm actually happier as a result. But you know I also knew that I was never going to be a lawyer, and about my friend I had no doubts. And i'm really happy for him. So I guess if you ask me it's about knowing your limits and setting reasonable goals. Granted I banged my head too long against the 3rd year of uni. I could have been more reasonable in my goal there. But another thing is patience. And I can be fairly patient, which is also why I kept trying when I should have thought the better of it. (And don't think I didn't get frustrated at times because o boy. But that should have been a wake up call haha). So, apply it within reason. So yeah, mindset.
For me when I feel that my art is not looking right. I just work on an art work that I know I enjoy/ good at to remind myself that I am good at art this is just a challenge for me
This can be a nightmare, got it a while back. The problem for me was the games industry, worked it for 20 years. really sapped my energy and will to make art. I quit to do more manual labour, result after a year is being a lot more free, happier and content with my direction and not trying to please anyone but myself. I work in my own time and it's more of a pleasure every time I bring out my ink or paints. It's all mindset, same with everything in life. :)
I'm happy you were still able to pursue art on your own terms. People are definitely obsessed with the fact if you do art at all you have to do it for a living to validate doing it at all which is toxic.
I always self doubt myself thinking if my art is good enough especially if there is someone let's say a family member close to me constantly giving me negative comments on my art but like you said I keep reminding myself to go on and do what I like to do or make with my art co'z that's what keeps me happy.
I have caught myself comparing to others, but one way i trick myself into not making it a downer, is I think of my drawing as my style. and not everyone has the same style. For what i do i am pretty good for just drawing for me. I draw for fun.
Thanks!
The piece of advice that helped me the most was understanding how much I have to give up in order to attain greatness
I study art everyday, but I don't put in nearly as much time as I KNOW that I can. I found that I tend to procrastinate with other things - things that still need to get done, but can wait, like cleaning. The procrastination arose due to feelings of inadequacy and failing. So I'm setting aside my ego, setting ATTAINABLE and FOCUSED goals, tracking the real time I spend drawing, working everyday to increase my stamina.
I struggled with this for years, especially being addicted to social media and consequently very prone to distraction and impulsivity. 6 months ago I started tracking the time I put into art and came up with around 40 hours a month. Had a conversation in an art stream and was told "if you dont put 60 hours a week into it you're trolling". As basic as that statement was it gave me a goal to strive for. Then a month ago I researched a lot around Mangaka and especially the author of Vagabond and how much he sacrificed. That put into perspective where I stood. I've had a completely different life than those exceptional artists, growing up very sheltered, not having to do a lot on my own and never having a real long term job before.
It's unfair to compare myself to those individuals and yet I feel like I can do better, I can give up more of the useless stuff like mindless browsing and distractions.
In the last month I've worked for 93 hours, 30 of which in the last 4 days. It's a struggle between studying from books like Loomis or Hampton to self indulgent work as to not burn out and letting myself play 3-4 rounds of Heroes of the Storm a week.
What I'm trying to say is: We're all gonna make it, one way or another. Trust in the process and turn your setbacks into comebacks. We can do it!
@@VeylmanTheRock Thank you for your words, your experiences. I'm bookmarking your comment. I really appreciate it. Good luck to you.
I also struggle with this
@@domceptart we're not alone!
@@VeylmanTheRock thank you. TL;DR, more of thoughts, and insights, surrounding my experiences and your comment!!
As someone relating to the not having a long job, and struggling with mental health, and physical disabilities, I haven't had a part time job due to reasons such as: lack of self-esteem, severe depression/anxiety, BPD, and of course reasons listed above in the first line....So I've also been doing the comparing thing often, in fact almost every day. I love to look on socials especially Pinterest for artwork. I don't find this issue so much with pinterest, but even i love looking at IG for inspo and creative ideas. I have to be in the right mindset though. I've noticed if I"m negative in any sort of way beforehand, I don't do that. It's taken me a while to figure that one out too, in fact still need to work on that....
In terms of jobs, I always have wished I could support myself, even if I don't and haven't had a job. In my teen days, even though this was the last thing on my mind, it made it even worse that teens my age in HS, they were getting jobs everywhere, one by one, left to right. I heard many convos during those years like: "dude I got a job today," "I'm working for the first time today," or...."I hated work today" "everyone I worked with absolutely sucks." " I never want to work again....." These were the more light hearted ones to me, I found those somewhat humorous.
Though the ones that would get to me would be, of course, you guessed, the positive ones: ...."I finally got my paycheck in," "I cashed my first paycheck today!!!" and trust me, anything about earning a paycheck, they would baost hard core about themselves, just going on, and on, abt that or what they were going to get with the $$$, who they were going to spend it on...etc...etc....just all of this, as much as they could before the teacher got our attention, or it was time to leave class and everyone was lined up.... whether they liked the job, or not, I could tell they at least some support coming from themselves, fully. Back then, and today, I would be feeling so much more fulfilled knowing that I have actually earned cash, that I TRULY earned it myself, nol through borrowing parents $$$, or grad money, bday/holiday $$$ way & saving up through there.....I wouldn't be one to brag about it, but I'd def would value it and buy a things that are worth buying to me, such as my art equipment(s).
I've been into this art thing for a long time. I've heard and research all the time psychology and links or comparisons of other people, with art. Recently, I've been interested in the neurological studies of the brain. I've always been interested in, but never spent enough time researching studies of the left/right brain and how it compares, or affects the art community. In fact, today, as of this evening, just read a small article about how to implicate both sides in the creative process. Both sides are key factors in the entire process. All from the standard thinking patterns, to knowing how to see objects, lines, and line edges, to even knowing and identifying your mistakes so you can catch them next time, or if not, then catching them on your current pieces, past/present, and assessing each one.
With my perfectionism, this heavily applies to my daily life, and through my creative thinking. Not only that, but I'm also influenced by the mental factors listed above, and one in particular, a more sensitive topic, and also a daily struggle, living and dealing with physical disabilities, suffering from chronic pain and EDS. I have mod-severe nerve/muscle/joint pain. Some areas from time to time can get horribly rough. This makes it absolutely AWFUL to draw long periods of time. Sure, I'd absolutely love to set a small go of drawing so many hrs/day. Esp one day. Now though, as you can imagine, I get very, very discouraged even at this small goal, because of the long amount of hrs during breaks. I cannot stressed to you how many times and way over the top, I've gotten so frustrated with this. In fact, it's become hard to talk about to anyone now, because i've felt like I've mentioned it too much to them.
What I've learned to do, as what was said in the vid, I just have to remind myself, it's just art, and I can have plenty of other things to do. The other thing is, that it's not my even fault I have this. It just popped up a while ago, and it will be there most likely forever. It's just the way things are and have been for along time. I especially get discouraged at this though, and with combination of my mental health, it really takes a downward spiraling turn. Switching back and forth between my hobbies, then getting overwhelmed from one to the other, because of the grind. My mind stays extremely overactive. I am one that has to keep myself busy, or I'll fall into one of my most common & known mind traps of "worrying over worrying," then bad anxiety, followed by a depressive period, or a BPD period, and either one of those periods, depending on what it may be can last for a long time, anywhere from 2 months, up to a full half a year.
Sadly, most of this ramped up again after HS, right after having to leave college, and still have yet to go back. Taking a break then from everything, lasted up to almost 2 years. I lost a lot of interest in my current hobbies back then and current day, but also the basic daily necessities that I should've been taken care of at the time.I was feeling overwhelmed at the though of being (and this time being fully aware,) that I was completely numb to everything, but my own head.
Like Trent said, it was really one of those awful years..... The way he spoke about that, in that section, struck me. It seemed to drag on forever too. Everytime I had almost even if the smallest of breakthroughs, then I'd be shut up and shut down, by some overwhelming, and usually, damming,, thought over my head and then sent back down the never ending, spiral staircase again....Now that I've gotten some more proper treatment, it's gotten somewhat better, though we're still trial/error-ing shit. H
When I saw your comment, I thought to myself, I"m in the exact same boat. I was in the same boat back then, just mentally, in a different spot now. I"m beginning initiate starting the action of setting small goals. Then breaking those small goals, into smaller ones. I think working from smaler, to smaller works better, than having a big umbrella of a goal, and branching it out. I think it becomes to overwhelming for me to see and that's where it falls through....
I've noticed music seems to help set a mindset. Some people say setting certain music genres/sub genres for certain atmospheric paintings, at least if you have one in mind. Lately, I've tried this, and have just been listening to one genre, and one genre only. I had heard of this technique before, but I think I would've had mixed feelings and a diff outlook on it, causing to fall through with the idea. I've yet to try the other suggestions, but I've found this one works the best. Consistent things work better for me also I've noticed....
Definitely needed to hear this. Trying my best to not judge my art or success based on being at the mercy of algorithms like instagram which is pay to play anyways. Focused more on the actual art of art, and appreciate that I’m among the ppl who can create things. Shout out to all fellow artist 🙏🏾
its 3am ,I'm battling painting a landscape digitally, u said everything an insane young artist needed to hear. your the best Trent. thank you
MY DUDE!!!
I'm sacrificing a lot for this, so giving up will never be an option. The road is long and hard, not everyone becomes an artist, trust in your path, believe in yourself.
I needed to hear this today. Just yesterday nothing I did, neither traditional nor digital, seemed to work and I was about to throw my supplies at the wall. Managed to control myself though and took a break. Super reassuring to hear that it's just the nature of the beast called art, sometimes I forget that. Thanks Trent, have a good one.
Till next week.
I needed this a month ago! 🤣
It's weird to say this, but I started loving art again the moment I realised that I "suck", not in a negative way but in a "I have a lot to learn, and that's ok"
Right now, I'm back to learning the basics, I even got back to drawing with pencils (I forgot how fun that was!) I'm improving a little everyday, but it's better than those days where I gave up and stopped drawing. I hope this video make more artists accept that you always have more to learn and just because you're not at the level you want to be yet doesn't mean it's time to give up 💜
You're Yellow belt comment hit home. I'm a martial arts instructor (6th Black) and I get questions from students all the time about why can't they do it but I can, or comments about how long it's taking to get as good as they want to be. I have to remind them that I spent the first 15 years of my practice working 6 days a week, 6-8 hours a day. Mastery of anything takes insane dedication. I pushed off career, family and higher education until I got my 5th degree.
Now I'm on the road to doing a similar thing with art and my family. Though, admittedly it is harder because their is more to juggle in life. As you stated, you have to stop comparing yourself unfairly. You have to keep in mind "Belt Levels". I look to those that are the Greats as inspiration but I look to the next "Belt Level" for my current, reasonable set of goals.
Thanks for all the great videos and constant inspiration.
They never get how hard it is. They never think about what happens when you are not with them. I see it mostly with friends, cause there is a different level of intimacy, but they ask me out at night, why i dont take days off, dont live the summer time or spend time in fun activities they like. I'm always busy and they dont get why. They think you can take a day or night off everytime you want. They just say: "how bad could it be if you do just once?", well the problem is in their mind this "once" happens a bit too often. Some people just dont understand... and i became pretty tired of explaining. Just not everyone is willing to do what it takes. Its nature, you cant do anything about it.
Ty Trent. I'm an 18 year old living in Germany and I didnt make it into college this year. Ive decided to keep pursuing art, thats why i will try again next year to study game design. Your videos have helped me a lot to stay motivated. Theres been a lot of times when ive procrastinated for days drawing nothing. Now im seriously focused on drawing and studying as much as possible, not because i have to, but because i can feel myself enjoying the process of making art again as well as the outcome. Even if I wont see improvement right now, my future self will definetely appreciate the effort ive put in :) Ty for the beautiful messages you convey. Ty for keeping me going.
Best advice for struggling artists ever. Thank you.
No joke Trent, amongst the many artistic-journey-pep-talks out there, this is honest to god probably the best one I've heard yet. This one landed really well. Thanks.
Thank you! I almost deleted it. It's a very personal struggle that I also go through.
@@TrentKaniuga Glad that you didn't. People need some real guidance in these dark times.
Great advice Trent… I noticed what helped me immensely was when I turned my mindset away from trying to be as good as “insert artist” instead I started to just appreciate those artists, share their work and for myself just try to keep pushing myself. I think pushing yourself and acknowledging your own weaknesses is healthier than comparing to others.
I was never an art student in high school or early years of college. Last year before turning 29 I chose to change degrees from engineering to animation. During my first semester I was told that when I’m uncomfortable with what I’m drawing, painting, scultping or whatever I’m making those are some of the most formative times in my art career.
This is solely because it’s a true learning experience. When you’re comfortable and know what you’re doing you just don’t feel challenged and may not be developing skills.
If you view every frustrating sitution as a chance to be successful rather than a moment of failure you’re half way to improving your art. Don’t avoid the suck, enjoy the process of overcoming it through making better art.
You had a good teacher.
@@TrentKaniuga we didn't always see eye to eye but they got that part 100% right
I am glad to hear you getting into "not everybody is meant to be great" and be wise to give up. I've got my PhD before giving up on science altogether and getting into art. What my pushing into smth i never got to love brought me? Well, I got into art 14 years later then I could have. God job on powering through :D
I'm glad to hear that you were able to identify what was important to you, and that you have stability AND fullfillment.
@@TrentKaniuga thank you for your answer! I did not drop my first career immediately, I was self educating for a year, then I got a little first job (juniour position) and after that I started taking art courses. It was almost four years ago and I take new courses off- and online from time to time by this day. Great video, helped me to relive some things! 😁
This speech sounds like an admonition from an old friend or father that we need so much
I can get frustrated with art, but never enough to stop, there is so much I want to eventually create
Man I needed this, I'm pretty happy with my art right now, but it's actually TH-cam I struggle with. Constant struggle to not judge myself by my viewcount, looking at my idols who have been here since 2005 and wondering why I'm not at their level. It's so obvious lol! Love your channel man it's always a fresh bit of reality in a very augmented online world.
Def in a a funky spot in my life rn and it was awesome to hear this. Thank you for being awesome.
Yeap definitely agree with all you said. I have to say 98% of your videos get me and feel like “ yeah, good is not just me who thinks this and that”. Thanks Trent, really appreciate the time you take to make videos. They are VERY helpful.
Comparison is the #1 way to unhappiness. I definitely do it still though, even knowing this.. My art is super frustrating yet I cannot stop drawing, I HAVE to draw or Ill go totally insane, but drawing sometimes makes me feel insane.. Especially when your having a day where you just CANNOT draw, but you feel like you HAVE TO!
This video came at the perfect time! Thank you 😁
This is therapeutic, I feel so much better now wtf. Thank you man, thank you so much
I agree with the frustration that it never goes away, especially when you understand what good artwork is and what can be improved, I even get blocked by myself not to go further, because I don't want to draw simple things and want those epic scenes or epic paintings which I can't achieve, so instead of simple drawing and studies I just stuck myself in a place where I even stop drawing. At least I have other hobbies like wood crafting which occupies my mind, but that feeling that I want to draw something awesome never goes away. It's like a disease which grew on me bit by bit and now I am on the fence: should I stop drawing in my free time at all or should I somehow find a way to enjoy it again. I work in a game industry as an artist, so I have achieved something, but I really enjoyed my free time drawings the most and now it is really hard to come back to that stage, especially when tiredness after work, family time and all I've got is that tiny couple of hours or one hour window where my brain just is empty and uncreative. I do believe I can get on my creative juice, I just didn't find a way to beat that creature of my back YET.
I think you tackled a lot of key things in your video tbh. I had (many years ago) a random person/musician basically said "stop doing art" implying my work was horrible bla bla bla. My instinct reaction (besides thinking to myself F you), I decided to work harder like...a lot harder. A year later I got my first art job with Coal Chamber which in itself was a big "F you" to anyone who doubted my abilities 💁♂️. Keep on truckin'
This summarizes my entire career. My whole life, people told me I couldn't do things that I now do easily. The funny thing is... after they see my success, now they say "well, it's different for you". So their negativity towards me was just their way of justifying why THEY could not do it.
@@TrentKaniuga Ha, Exactly! I've heard a mix of either how great I am or "what makes him so special" like that little hatred in the back of their minds it's like dude... I'm just working man lol
Thank you for these videos
wow. this was amazing. i’ve been watching your videos for a while man and this video, hit me. i always seek out immediate results and i get really frustrated when i don’t learn something from a teacher/video, or when i see i’m not improving in skill. but i realized that i haven’t been sacrificing enough time to resolve those problems. so, trent, as always, thanks for these vids. totally appreciated!
Thanks Trent! You did really good job pointing this topic
The idea of making your frustration a companion is something I only learned to embrace after much soul searching outside of my art skills. My frustration is my copilot. I tell it to not get toxic and shutup when it steps out of line, and it tells me where and how I can improve. My frustration is my copilot, my art conscience telling me where I need to improve.
A good way to get out of that funk, is changing your surroundings. I've been working in my house for months now, and the walls were closing in. I realized that changing the environment makes a big difference. Especially if you're in a place where people are actively pursuing their goals ( a library, a train of commuters, etc. ) The idea is that, being in an active location raises the urge to perform. Some people would prefer parks or other places, but that depends on the person.
Alternatively you could find a office-sharing platform or hang out with similar minded people on your own terms.
Man Trent. Words of just wisdom flowing over here lol. I am starting to get into digital and all of a sudden my drive just zapped away. I want to get into it and start digitally painting, but for whatever reason it's just me digging my heels in to give it a shot. I love drawing too and maybe at some point I just need to focus on the traditional aspect that I love to do. I wrote some of what you said down in my journal to reflect back on. Thanks!
I've been dealing with some personal problems like anxiety and depression for a long time, and since then I've been very discouraged with everything I liked, and art was one of them. I always try to go back but I procrastinate a lot about it, and the time passing scares me in a way. I'm trying to center myself, and use all the time I have (which is a lot) to study the basics I've always skipped. I wanted to thank you for these videos, while I'm scared, it makes me feel better and focus on my dream.
Trent long time fan, man. So glad I fou d your channel. Sometimes, I put these videos on, and I just draw and listen.
Life is one big struggle. All you get is what kind of struggle you want to choose. And I am very glad that I chose art.
Trent, You hit that nail on the head about learning a number of things individually.
I had one time doing an internship for a game development group, and a fellow artist was having trouble drawing a destroyed building scene. So I drew it for him in a few minutes and he was blown away along with a few other artists there.Trent, You hit that nail on the head about learning a number of things individually.
I had one time doing an internship for a game development group, and a fellow artist was having trouble drawing a destroyed building scene. So I drew it for him in a few minutes and he was blown away along with a few other artists there...
I then explained that I could do it because I'd been learning SPECIFICALLY how to paint destroyed buildings for the entire week before hand for another project.
I think a really hard part is having to learn how to do all the things.
Anyway, good vid. Thanks. I'd like to talk to you some time about the biz; you've done some of the coolest work on some of my favorite games.
Thanks Trent. I really needed to hear this today.
Powerful, deep and yet so warming. I've been overthinking about a lot of things lately, sometimes I feel like I'm panicking as well. It's really hard to work and feel uneasy at the same time. And as an artist, it's more frustrating than comparing your work to the other artists which I also do from time to time. XD I will be better! Thank you, Trent.
This is all so true!! I definitely resonate with getting used to being frustrated. Short-term its there to help you grow, long-term its there to show you where you need to go. Whenever i feel really frustrated for several weeks doing art its usually because like you said, theres some aspect of my art direction I need to change for myself. Thanks as always for the advice!
Thank you for the videos you make, implementing spiritual concepts into discussions on art topics. Would be a priveledge to have a person like you as a friend in real life.
While listening to the video I remembered talking to a successful novelist and poet one day, asking him how does one know if he should try writing as a career. His answer was - if you can't cary on without it then go for it, otherwise don't touch a pen.
As for a strategy on getting over hard times I find spiritual practices, such as hatha yoga, prayer, meditation etc. to be most effective ways of revival.
Thanks for this video!
I was/am really frustrated with my art. This video really helps to put things back into perspective. The biggest takeaway for me is the focus on the small wins. And to be gratefull for them.
After a small win I tend to want to get some huge leaps going, but this reminds me it is all about these small steps.
So thanks for the video! Now I am off gathering some more small wins ;)!
Thanks for this Trent. I was out of a job for a bit and started my LLC in january and i was doing some actions to promote my socials and its been so dead that I was deciding to hang the art up in the meantime since i just started a new day job. But this is enlightening. Just keep it up and make progress while assessing your own skills. Wonderful reminder. Thank you.
Listening to you while drawing is the best kind of therapy, thank you man!!
this is such an important video i love all your dad talks lol thans for being our art dad take care man
Trent, thanks again for touching on this topic. I'm a professional 3D Artist and I even get in a slump. So any newbies out there, it is a continuous thing that we all battle with. Developing art isn't like learning anything else in society. You have to push against the brick wall, then step away and come back. The time away is when your brain changes and your skill levels up. It's weird, I know. Something to keep in mind.
Trent, thanks for the reminder of doing the art for the sake of doing the art. It's all too easy to feel compelled to just get the project done and not revel in the dopamine euphoria that comes with creation. Best of luck to everyone out there.
Thanks for making these videos, your videos and others from other concept artists, comic book artists, and illustrators are what keep me going
So many nuggets of wisdom, thanks, Trent! A little mindset trick I recently discovered for myself, when I feel overwhelmed with the massive amount of work embarking on the solo game dev journey: I think of myself as the owner of a corporation with all these departments supporting me - there's the 3D tools department building Blender and Unreal Engine, the art education center dedicated to help me get my skills up, communities to solve tricky problems for me, etc... literally thousands of people are enabling me to do more than I ever could have done on my own. Dwelling on that thought for a while makes me feel empowered, and grateful. More inclined to give something back, too.
If can be difficult being an artist in USA or some European country, imagine here in Brazil.. or another 3 world country. Sometimes it's really tough, man. Anyway. Thanks for the video. Really powerful!
But your audience is worldwide. Some of the worlds biggest mobile game developers are from Brazil.
@@TrentKaniuga True.. Absolutely right! This video is one of the most necessary and powerful videos... being an artist is a mind game. A very challenging game hahah but worth it. love your content, thanks for sharing with us!
Vamos que vamos :)
There's a lot of dificulties, but also a lot of oportunities. If I can sell my art worldwide, I need much less income in dolars to afford my living expenses. That means it's easier for me to go fulltime as an artist at least in that respect. A lot of digital nomads come to third world contries to be able to aford their living expanses.
remote jobs potentially?
Thank you for your thoughts and words on that! It was tranquillizingly good to hear all that.
Uncle Trent once again dropping us some pearls of wisdom. I appreciete you sir. :)
Hands down my favorite Trent videos are these philosophical musings! Could listen to them all day :D Keep doing these, they are awesome.
I mostly find a lot of happiness and joy in art but also i struggle a lot. During these struggle periods i feel so worthless at times. Perhaps it is because of lack of direction or friends. I feel like i cant give up on my dream and my direction in life because of personal mental struggles. At the end of the day i just want to be happy.
Such great insights. Since finding your channel and restarting my art journey I've managed to go from stressing while making one single illustration and taking way too long or not finishing it at all to finishing everything I started and not dwelling on the little things. Now I can get through and idea in a fraction of the time for better or worse and then I can look at it and figure out what I like and don't like about what I did and take that insight into the next thing I do. I've noticed a big improvement in my work because of it and I feel like I'm heading in the right direction for once and, more importantly, I'm enjoying the journey. I've also had quite a bit of help from your channel and your gumroad lessons/workshops! :)
Wow. You are great. Thanks. Felt motivated.
First off, I love your map here that you've been drawing. I'm trying to pick up ideas for how to speed up drawing my backgrounds for my comics, and watching your speedpaints while you give The Advices does help with that, thank you! Best of luck with your Twilight Monk game :)
And thanks for the topic: I find the habit of comparing yourself to someone else is natural, but also so hard to overcome. Some people get super bitter at other artists and even their friends for being 'better' or 'more popular' and that's just upsetting for everyone involved. Personally I just plod along, supporting my friends when I can and they support me in return. It's... a little frustrating when I don't get many eyes on my comic that has been an ongoing story for a few years now compared to, say, a ten minute doodle of a character I like, but I also understand that I'm terrible at promotion and social media algorithm manipulation blah blah things. Knowing your own weaknesses can help. And I'm glad other people can appreciate those doodles too lol. I'm unlikely to ever be able to do art as a career, but sharing those tiny bits I can is fine, I wouldn't know what to do with all them numbers were I to get them right now!
I wish everyone who has any kinds of art goals, be they be 'i wanna be x professional in y industry' to 'i'm drawing this ridiculous concept only me and maybe one other person will get' the determination and strength they need to reach them, whatever they may be :)
Very well said. A good talk to hear today!
Cool video as always! It reminded me of the Draftsmen podcast I listened to earlier about how failure at certain things is actually part of our journey to find our success as an artist and that you really do have to pivot yourself in a different direction and how you handle such things. It’s something I really didn’t know I was doing in college and now on my way to try and find that right career path
Absolutely loved this video (got a soft spot for heavy-ish, existential stuff), almost liked it more than the video where you answered my question lol I would say my way of pulling myself out of a frustrating art moment is to talk about it with other art fellows and at the same time checking in with them and hearing their own frustrations. Often times you might find very similar situations/patterns and it's helpful to support each other, knowing that we are all in this together and this is all normal and ok.
Extra tip: eat your favourite food + pet love if you're blessed with it
Love listening to you talk about art, thank you!
This is the first video of yours I've come across, and it's incredible. This isn't only good advise for a struggling artist, but good life advise in general. I'm confident in my art, but definitely need to apply this to other aspects where I have self doubt. Thank you. Also, the background art is awesome! Subbed.
Something I find comforting is that everytime I find a new artist I like or that is doing something cool, I think that's one more person that made it so there's no reason I can't
Mr. Kaniuga, you are a treasure floating on the cyberwaves. Thanks for this.
I felt validated because of this thank you so much and I needed that. I've been sacrificing a lot lately including my social life and money to focus on improving since I have a goal to present my best and most confident skills to any potential clients I will have. I'm listening to your videos as I work and it helps me go on despite feeling a little behind. It's indeed always best to acknowledge that every time you learn something opens up for opportunity a lot more. I hope all my hard work pays off soon!! Thank you for the content :D
“If you can’t win at a game - change the game.”
Great advise.
I'm a beginner and most people who are not artist compliments my work but in my perspective I'm not as good as the legendary artists, but I set realistic goals to make sure I can learn a lot every single day or weekly since I'm a programmer by profession so I'm not able to learn digital art as often as I need to. in reality no matter how good you are there is always someone better but rather than being discouraged we move forward to be better at the end of the day we can't please everybody.
Thank you Trent. Thank you
I always appreciate the honest insights and the little plugs at the end I'm glad your being recognized by company's for your talent and that your sharing all of your experience with all of us here on TH-cam and on gumroad thanks
One of the better coping mechanisms for me, assuming the problem isn't motivation to do anything to begin with, is to just drop myself into something new that I'm not invested into improving at. Placing myself in a position of being a happy newbie helps me accept that not knowing or being good at something is okay just a little more than it did when I was at wit's end. Another would be to do something you have already accepted you just won't be good at on a fundamental level as a person.
For a recent example, been bashing my head against setting up streaming/editing getting a bit rage-filled when things weren't going as they were in my head when I scrolled past some Stream Deck games for reaction speed and match 2 (flat memorization), both require skills I already accept are just not in my wheelhouse a long time ago. 10-15m of playing some dinky games for fun, and it was a bit easier going back to the things I was invested into working on for a few hours, even if it was going poorly.
Great Video Trent, thanks for Sharing
Great video as always, Trent! I'd put myself in the "good art but still not getting likes"-category; the thing people need to understand is that quality of art isn't everything by a long shot. Even if you are technically decent , it still doesn't guarantee the least bit of success. For instance, the detrimental thing to me has been not figuring out what kind of art I want to stick to. It's in an artist's nature to experiment with different things but it's the worst thing to do if you want to attract an audience. People want to follow you for a very specific reason and if you can't figure that out you might as well not exist.
That's why you see "successful" people (in terms of likes at least) who might be less technical than you, but they consistently paint a specific subject that resonates with people. So I'd advise people to actually work on the meta as hard as they do on their fundamentals.
Thank you for this, been feeling a bit uncertain about my art lately, been rejected from so many fanzines (and an art school) and not sure in what direction to develop my art right now, so this helped.
Thank you Trent! Felt like you were talking right to me. Great Advice Here for all ya Arrists and creators out there!
Right in my face!!! Getting better is the goal!!! Keep the pencil sharp and tap yourself in the back.!!!
4:44 sometimes you don't know how long these people have been doing that job.
I recently had this moment of clarity where i realized i was comparing myself to two artists who both had 10 more years of xp than me.
The thing is, i couldn't know this based on the situation, we were all working on the same projects, expected to deliver pretty much the same thing, and yeah, i was way behind in terms of skills, but the art dir would push me to do better (which makes sense)
However obviously this meant to me that i wasn't "good enough", but when you find out the xp difference you suddenly have the opposite feeling.
That basically taught me one important lesson, get to know people better, like you said, you may not even realize the difference in xp, or the sacrifice people have made to "get there"
This was a pretty common thing during the golden age of deviantart, where people would discuss a certain artist who is 15years old and has the skill of a professional, but if you dig deep enough you realize that person has pretty much no life, but the funny part is when you look back at his work a few years later and realize you were a fool to think this was even "pro" level.
Anyway, great vid man (as always)
Waw that scenery shot is amazing
really needed to hear this, thank you!
So thats why I keep coming back to it even if I take like a day or couple days off
Great video this week Trent, I’ve been coming to the “yet” mindset as well recently. I’m still working on getting into a professional art position, I’m not a professional artist yet but I keep moving towards it.
"I've got a lot of excuses too man..." ain't that the naked truth. Keep truckin' everyone.
I wonder how many people look at this video and seeing that square brush and saying " I need that brush, then I will draw better" lol.
I've never compared myself to others. I rejoice when I see something beautiful. I like to look at beautiful works. I like to walk around the Tretyakov Gallery. The Internet is now such a gallery for the past. The meaning is not in the "goal", but in the "path". Joy and pleasure are a path itself.
Honestly I don't mind the struggle. I'm of the belief that developing a good observational eye for your own work is paramount and probably will contribute the most to your growth as an artist. Once you're able to identify on your own what the issues in your own work are, be it something technical or a knowledge gap or just lack of appeal you have plenty or resources at your disposal to fix it. Personally when I get frustrated I tend to just switch gears. If I'm having a hard time on a figure I'll go draw some landscapes or try a different medium.
I do art as a hobby being in remission from leukemia...even as a hobby it’s frustrating sometimes! I’m doing stuff for family since I can see them after three years! But having trouble on one of my aunt’s drawings! I may take a break for a day or two and get ideas!
Uncle Trent droppin words of wisdom! 🧙♂
Your game is VERY charming. Atmospheric and beautiful. I'm too slow-witted as a player to play games of this genre. But I'd love to see someone play it)
Bro i can barely draw a stickman here this guy is here drawing whole scenes and giving advice
You may need to create Twilight Monk The Game media channels to get more engagement on your video game dev adventures. Most artist know very little about game design/programming side so your game dev struggles don't resonate as much. Indie game development scene is a whole other beast.
My solution is to go outside. A lot of internal strife that comes up in my life, whether that's self doubt, depression, or even just being in an artistic funk seems to get a lot better or even resolved completely by taking my sketchbook out to a lake or into the woods and hanging out there for half a day. Mother nature is the ultimate cure.
This is a great video and I have thought about this a lot and the concepts you have made but it is great to hear you say it.
I agree it's a mindset for sure. I'll make this a bit more personal to illustrate (Hey look i'm an illistrator too, okay).
When I went to university for a law degree I had a friend who I did most classes with. One of the smartest people i've met and his grades reflected that. While mine were, passable (?) most of the time. I was just about making it through.
But you know what, we celebrated both our results equally. I was as happy for his 9 as he was for my 6.
We both knew our capabilities and thus our expectations were set accordingly.
He ended up being a lawyer and I . . . well I didn't make it through the last year. Trust me I tried and then tried again but well, there were things going on in my personal life that were kind of keeping me from making it.
Maybe I also simply lack the intelligence for the final stretch.
Whatever the reason I dropped the idea of finishing and got into running my own business. Then I found ghrapic design and then digital art. Man, glad that I ended up here. But I had to fail to get here, and here i'm actually happier as a result.
But you know I also knew that I was never going to be a lawyer, and about my friend I had no doubts. And i'm really happy for him.
So I guess if you ask me it's about knowing your limits and setting reasonable goals.
Granted I banged my head too long against the 3rd year of uni. I could have been more reasonable in my goal there.
But another thing is patience. And I can be fairly patient, which is also why I kept trying when I should have thought the better of it. (And don't think I didn't get frustrated at times because o boy. But that should have been a wake up call haha).
So, apply it within reason.
So yeah, mindset.
Thanks Trent, always appreciate you putting things into perspective!
You know where you need to go when you need to hear something useful and inspiring. Thank you for this video, it made my day, literally! 😊🤩
For me when I feel that my art is not looking right. I just work on an art work that I know I enjoy/ good at to remind myself that I am good at art this is just a challenge for me
This can be a nightmare, got it a while back.
The problem for me was the games industry, worked it for 20 years. really sapped my energy and will to make art.
I quit to do more manual labour, result after a year is being a lot more free, happier and content with my direction and not trying to please anyone but myself.
I work in my own time and it's more of a pleasure every time I bring out my ink or paints.
It's all mindset, same with everything in life.
:)
I'm happy you were still able to pursue art on your own terms. People are definitely obsessed with the fact if you do art at all you have to do it for a living to validate doing it at all which is toxic.
Been binging your vids, love the content keep it up 👍🏾
I like the small wins. It makes the big goal a lot easier to achieve.
I always self doubt myself thinking if my art is good enough especially if there is someone let's say a family member close to me constantly giving me negative comments on my art but like you said I keep reminding myself to go on and do what I like to do or make with my art co'z that's what keeps me happy.
Loving this video so much man!! Thak you very much ❤️
I have caught myself comparing to others, but one way i trick myself into not making it a downer, is I think of my drawing as my style. and not everyone has the same style. For what i do i am pretty good for just drawing for me. I draw for fun.
Great video,so many good advices and insight
i love your work keep up
I needed to hear this, even though when i started i told myself i would never fall into this trap