How does one know that they are an artist? Does it happen overnight? Do they just paint something and then all of the sudden become an artist? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m certainly not here to try and answer that question because honestly it’s beyond me, but I would like you to be thinking about it as you continue to read.
As I mentioned in my About Me article, I have spent the majority of my life as an artist of one kind or another. Most of the time, though, I would not have considered myself to be an artist. I was really still in very early stages of learning about art and what it means to make it. Still today I feel that I do not understand art; however, I think that if art could be completely explained, we would not need it.
I started painting several years ago with the help of Pinterest and YouTube. I was proud of many of my paintings, but I could sense a 2-dimensionality in them. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew my pieces were missing something.
This piece changed something for me. Once again, I sat down to paint with Pinterest and my notebook out in front of me. I really didn’t mean to paint anything interesting; I was just looking to practice. I found this adorable little bird painting and just knew I had to try it. I had never had much luck with animals in the past, so my hopes were very low. I had just discovered that I could use acrylic paints on the paper in my sketchbook. So, with my expectations low and my mind quiet, I whipped out my brushes and started painting.
After getting much of the basic shape down, I noticed that I really wasn’t referring to the picture much anymore. I started to flick in little, light feathers with a small detail brush I had never felt the need to use before. Once I finished, I sat back, looked at it, and was so surprised at the result!
I went into this painting with absolutely no hope of it turning out, and it ended it being a piece I’m genuinely proud of to this day. Plus, I learned invaluable lessons about my preferences and style along the way. I realized that it didn’t have to look exactly like the picture on my phone. I realized that I could make artistic choices on my own. I realized that I had this hidden passion and hunger for creativity that I never would have thought possible.
These realizations were so incredibly critical to my evolution as an artist. I really didn’t think of myself as someone who had the capacity to create anything of value before I made this piece. It allowed me to see that when I allow myself to relax and get into a natural creative state, I have some real talent to offer.
Now, please do not think of this as bragging. What I’m trying to do is illustrate the amount of confidence that I began to feel upon the completion of this piece. I haven’t always felt it, and I make pieces all the time that I am unsure about or that really are probably not worth sharing. The point is though, you have to have these moments in your artistic career in order to motivate and push yourself to continue.
I don’t know if you’ve had a piece that made you feel like this, but I hope you have. If not, I would encourage you to keep creating! The only way that you can gain the confidence to get yourself anywhere as an artist is if you continue to push yourself. Maybe you don’t create daily. Maybe instead you decide to do it once a week or once a month. Regardless of when you do it, you absolutely have to keep going. Of course, there are times to rest and take breaks, but I have never gained confidence in my art by doing anything but focusing on it.
Ally V.
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with art and confidence!
Artsy Ally V. 