I have been an artist since I was old enough to hold a marker, but I have always been afraid to express myself out of fear that I would never be good enough or creative enough. For years, I would simply attempt to copy other’s artwork that I found beautiful, but much to my dismay I was never able to recreate their artwork as detailed or cleanly. This only contributed to my self-consciousness about my abilities as an artist and made me more nervous to try and be creative on my own. By thinking I was not good enough to create an original piece, I kept trying to recreate other’s ideas, but the purpose of art is to express yourself and to be unique. You will never be able to recreate someone else’s artwork as well as them because you don’t have the same passion for their concept as they did when they created their piece. This year, however, I decided to start being unique in my painting.
It is important to note that it is never too late to start something. Just because you start later it does not mean you should feel self-conscious about your age and skill level compared to others. The creation process starts from within yourself, and if your self confidence is weak then you are destined to fail from the start.
So, just a few weeks ago, I began my first ORIGINAL piece, a self portrait displaying some of some of my fighting emotions. Now I could nit pick my art for its imperfections, the nose and mouth are a little crooked and it’s not quite proportional, but that doesn’t matter, what is important is that I got to release some of my creativity into a beautiful artwork that I am really proud of. Once I finished, I didn’t stop, the next day I tried again and did a portrait of my boyfriend and some of the troubles we’ve been facing. This is obviously very personal for me and being able to paint and convey my feelings through creative means is really a great stress reliever. My second try was not perfect either; I still am working on different technical skills and quite honestly they’re a little creepy haha. However, the fact that I created something from my own mind, with no one’s influence or help, has helped me become more confident in my artistic abilities. I take each “mistake” I make in my art and work to learn and improve for next time instead of being so hard on myself. I have set a goal that once a month I want to complete a new original artwork. It may not seem like much but everyone has to start somewhere. Perseverance is key in boosting your artistic confidence.
So I encourage you to be more confident in your art, whether it be dance, singing, playing an instrument, drawing, painting, sculpting or any other fine art you have been struggling to find your confidence in. Remember that nobody is perfect, and what is most important is taking that first step in the right direction. Never feel as though you are not creative enough or good enough, because those ideas will come true if you continuously believe them. Let go of your doubts and just create what you feel with no judgement from your inner critic. Have confidence in your art and trust your artistic instincts, you will feel more intune with your creative self and better express yourself.