Photo by Hermann Traub from Pixabay.com
There are more traps an artist can fall into but what is the biggest one of them all?
The biggest mistake an artist can do is not making art
Have you experienced that feeling when you want to make art yet you don’t do it. You might have many creative ideas in your head but if you don’t start making them a reality they will remain in your head and slowly lose their importance. This means no one will ever see your ideas. Not even you. Not the world. No one.
There are things in life that only you can do. Your art is one of them. It is unique because of you, no one else can replace you. If you are just waiting for the perfect time, for the perfect moment to arrive for you to make art that just won’t happen. Don’t wait fo that.
Years later looking back you will see all the lost opportunities you had to make art. You might feel sad and disappointed about it. I know this feeling too, I have not been an active artist for years. I had many ideas – they are all lost. Why? Because most ideas lives for a limited time, if you don’t act once they arrive you might lose interest in them later. New ideas will replace them. But if you don’t even make the new ones you will lose those too and really regret it. It is not a good feeling.
Start making art right now
So to go on the bright side, what can you do to end this fruitless chain? It is easy: start making art even if it is not the perfect moment to do it and the whole world is against you. You can not go back in time to make everything you left out but you can act right now and make your new ideas real.
When you have an idea, jump right to it. Make a sketch. Get it out of your head. This will free your mind and you will know if you want to work on it more or not. If you want to work on it you will already have the needed momentum to do so. This will make things easier for you.
What I have experienced with this is if you don’t act at that time the idea apears in your head you will never do it. Days will move on, new ideas will emerge. The longer you wait for starting an idea the more will accumulate. You will have a long list of painting (or other) ideas in your head that will hold you back. It might even paralise you from starting because you might start an inner conversation with yourself: “Oh, I have so many ideas. I will start with oldest one. Or no, I should start with this one intead and then do the 4th one. In 3 months I will get to the one I actually want to do now.” Or an other example: “I am not good enough to make this painting. I only have 2 hours to paint, I can’t paint it within that time – then it is better if I don’t even start it.”
Does these sound familiar to you? Do you understand what I mean how this kind of talking can hold you back from not doing any art? You might have other thoughts that jump between you and your art. Be aware of negative thoughts, catch and stop them in time before they stop you.
When the muse hits you, don’t wait! Not even for a moment. Jump right in to make art or you might lose the chance to make that drawing all together. It is better to have an unfinished drawing than a never existed one with regret. Once you start magic will happen. You will see.
Here are a few tips to get you motivated and to start making art:
- Write down why you like making art and what does it give to you? Keep this note close to you and read it regularly.
- Keep a sketchbook, journal with you so you can write down your ideas or make quick sketches
- Ask yourself what is your goal with your art?
- Face your fears and negative thoughts when they arise. Remember: none of your thoughts are as important than actually making your artwork
- Call up that feeling when you last finished an artwork. What was it like?
If you love making art do it! Do it even if the whole world is against you. The results worth it. You will feel awesome while creating and you will feel such satisfaction after a piece is completed. Experience this yourself and make yourself motivated to create even more art. Show the world what you can do, this is the perfect time to do it.
Let me know in the comments what kind of things are holding you back from making art. Good luck and make art!
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