Why Beating Yourself Up Over Your Artwork Is Actually A Good Thing
Us artists get pretty down on ourselves at times. We are our own worst critics after all! It's not entirely a bad thing either...
If we want to improve, we've got to be able to look at our drawings with a critical eye to iron out the errors.
As we get better, we notice more and more of those mistakes because we're training ourselves to spot them.
That's what makes us good at drawing! Noticing our faults in the first place so that we can fix them.
No one intentionally draws their characters out of proportion, or messes up the perspective on their backgrounds. It's just that those mistakes aren't visible to us until we know what to look for.
Here's the thing though...
Don't Let Your Inner Critic Kill Your Passion for Drawing Comics
We can also be overly critical of our work, to the point where the script flips and we see all the bad but none of the good.
The joy we once had for drawing evaporates, and it becomes solely about study and practice.
That can put a real dampener on our passion for drawing comics.
After a while procrastination, anxiety, and resistance sets in whenever we think about picking up the pencil (or the stylus).
Why? Because we know our art will be scrutinized and ripped apart by none other than ourselves.
It's then we associate feelings of inadequacy with something that once felt fun and fulfilling to us!
So, don't be so hard on yourself. Remember to draw, just for the pure joy of it once in a while.
You'll still make progress.
The Mindset Shift That Will Keep You Progressing As An Artist (Without Burning Out)
Every time you pick up the pencil you make tracks on your journey to mastery. Sometimes you can learn more by experimenting and letting your creativity run wild.
The thing that you should always be most proud of about your art, is that you created it - from nothing. It didn't exist before you brought it into the world.
It doesn't have to be perfect. You don't have to reach a particular level of ability, in a arbitrary span of time. We all learn at our own pace.
And if we don't enjoy the journey, we'll never make it to our destination...
Today, I want you to draw something exciting. The kinda thing you would have been psyched to draw as a kid!
Don't judge it. Simply see it as a milestone... a picture that represents how far you've come up until this point. Cherish it. You're making history.
-Clayton
Cover Art By Alfredo Alcala
