#1 Self-Doubt (What if I’m not good enough?)
This is probably the number one fear of any creative professional. After all, we are not creating necessities but luxuries for the most part. As much as our art enriches our life and the lives of others, it remains something that we (at least as consumers) could probably live without.
“An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he thinks it would be a good idea to give them.”
~ Andy Warhol
When money is tight, luxuries such as purchasing books, music, tickets to performances, and artwork are often the first to go. We are not doctors, teachers, or even farmers–we don’t create or provide a service that people can’t live without. As artists, we are well aware of this fact which only seems to fuel our sense of self-doubt. At times we can’t help but feel well. . . expendable
What if no one wants to buy my work?
The cure for self-doubt is surprisingly not success. The world is filled with famous and successful artists, writers, and musicians that are still riddled with depression and feelings of self-doubt. Unfortunately, for the majority of us, this is not something that ever completely goes away. Instead we have to find a way to live with this doubt and value the creative process as much as the work itself.
#2 I’m not original enough (someone else is doing it better)
While it may be true that all the great themes in art and literature have already been done before a thousand times over, it’s always possible to bring something entirely new to the process.
Let’s face it, writers and artists have been borrowing from their creative ancestors since there has been a thing called art. Even Shakespeare borrowed almost all of his work from other writers, but in the end, there is little question that he made them distinctively his own.
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”
~Salvador Dali
Stop trying to constantly reinvent the wheel. Instead use it, learn from it, model it, and then create your own version of it. Don’t worry about being seen as an imitator. We have all learned our art from those who have come before us. Embrace it and create a version of it that is true for you.
#3 People won’t take me seriously as an artist
“Art is a hobby and not a real job”
“I’m afraid that my friends and family will be disappointed in me”
The truth is that your career as an artist is only as serious as you take it. Do you work at it as your “job” or do you only work at it occasionally as your “hobby”? How much work do you really put into it daily? If you were your boss, would you pay yourself for the effort that you are currently making?
Having to deal with you friends and family (especially parents) can be particularly tough when it comes to them seeing you as a working artist. The bottom line however is that they will take you and your art as seriously as they see you taking it. In other words, if they see you putting in 10-15 hours day after day working not only on your art, but marketing your art as well, they will begin to see you as a “working artist” rather than just their kid who does art.
#4 People will steal my work or my ideas
One of the biggest fears that artists have when I ask about them selling their work online is that they are afraid that people are going to steal their work or their ideas. While there’s no doubt this does happen, far too many artists are using this as an excuse to stay out of the online marketplace all together.
Yes, people steal ideas all the time. You do it, I do it, and every artist under the sun has done it at some point (see #2). We look for ideas that speak to us and then we use them to spark our imagination. We’re not talking about these people, however, we’re talking about the real thieves who simply take stuff off the internet and pass it off as their own.
Although this is certainly a real problem, you also have to realize that these artistic parasites are a very small minority of the online population. 98% of the people looking at your work online have no intent of stealing your work, they are simply enjoying it and maybe, just maybe, they might be interested in buying it.
#5 My work is never as good as I imagined it would be
No artist is ever completely satified with their work. Some pieces you will always like better than others but the pursuit of perfection is only a mirage that keeps you from moving on.
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” ~Leonardo da Vinci
At some point, however, you have to let it go and move on. You have to accept the fact that even the greatest authors, composers, musicians, and artists were still unsatisfied with their masterpieces in some way. Perfection is an illusion that will eventually consume you if you let it. Think of each piece that you create as a stepping stone on a much longer journey. You will never get to the next stage of development as an artist unless you are willing to set that piece aside and move on to the next.
Just let it go.
Live your art.
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This is all so true. You have to have been in the trenches for a while to know these things but your words will give hope and courage to artists coming up. It truly matters that we do what we do! Thanks for this!
Thanks Cat, I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who thinks this way — I realize that this is probably going to sound a little kumbaya to our more cynical readers out there, but anytime I can encourage an artist to continue on their path at a time when they may be starting to lose their faith, I feel that we’ve succeeded here at least in some small part.
I know that personally there have been many (many,many) times that I have felt the urge to give up writing and just take an easier path, but for whatever reason there always seemed to be someone who reminded me that all creative souls feel alone, useless, and abandoned at one time or another but we have to find a way to fight through it and not give up.
After all, “Living your Art” is not only about the rush of warm fuzzies you feel when everything is falling into place in the studio, but it’s also about dealing with those inevitable crappy moments of self-doubt along the way. One way to do this is to realize that you’re not alone. We know what you’re going through because we’ve been there ourselves.
Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and get back to work!
Awhile back, #2 almost derailed my blog.
I told Mom about my doubts one day, about how thousands of people have probably said what I want to say, and done it in a thousand different ways and done it better. With all the blogs out there, I just couldn’t see how my blog could possibly stand out or make any difference.
To this day I struggle with the fact that my blog doesn’t hold a candle to MANY others out there, but I still have unique stories and experiences to share with the world. So that keeps me going.
Thanks for stopping by Carrie and sharing your thoughts with us. I’ve got to admit that this wasn’t an easy post for me to write simply because these are fears that most of us, including myself, are constantly dealing with everyday.
It’s hard enough to deal with these fears privately without putting them out there for the entire world to see, but that’s exactly what we do as artist/writers. For whatever reason, we willingly open ourselves up and expose our vulnerabilities, hoping like hell that we won’t get burned. Sometimes we escape those moments of criticism and self-doubt, and sometimes we don’t, but either way at least we’ve had our say.
“Never retreat. Never explain. Get it done and let them howl.” ~Benjamin Jowett
Years ago when I started my career, I simply didn’t think about failing as an artist, and looking back it was that sheer audacity that got me through. One of the most important things an artist can do it to show up – not give up, persist with their work and get involved in everything they can to promote their work and their career. It’s the paralysis of the fears that you mention that has definitely destroyed many a budding artist’s dreams. A very real and pertinent topic, thanks for the article!
I think you’re exactly right Carolyn, half the battle is just showing up and it certainly helps to be young and/or too naive to give up. I’ve read dozens of biographies about artists, musicians, and writers and virtually all of them were riddled with doubts and fears in their early stages of their careers, but for whatever reason, they always kept going.
It has always annoyed me when people talk about natural talent as if it is this magical gift bestowed by the gods. Everyone seems to forget that Mozart’s fingers became deformed by the time he was twenty-eight because of the endless hours he spent practicing his craft. Practice, persistence, and bull-headed stubbornness will always take you much farther than any amount of natural talent alone.
Thanks again for stopping by Carolyn and sharing your thoughts, I’ve been enjoying your excellent Artsy Shark blog for awhile now and always look forward to reading it. Keep up the great work!
Great post, Drew! Am posting on Twitter for my latest update.
Thanks Julia! Way cool monster avatar by the way
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