One of the hardest things in my life I have ever done was become an artist. Like so many people, I had serious doubts. I saw my life hadn’t been one of any particular struggle. I believed great art had to come out of monumental struggle. A place of deep anguish.
Nothing particularly traumatic ever occurred in my life. Finally, I just decided that even though my life wasn’t filled with huge amounts of pain, there was plenty- it was filled with that I wanted to express. I chose painting and actually writing to do this. I am still figuring it out.
Over time I was able to slowly build up the self-confidence to put my art out in the world. And of course your art is actually you. This is why it is so scary.
Our biggest fear is that we will be criticized. Someone we don’t know or even worse, someone we actually care about, will tell us what we are making is not adequate. It doesn’t measure up and as a result of our efforts we somehow are less.
When this occurs it can rupture the relatively thin filament of self-confidence we as artists have so slowly and tenderly built up within ourselves.
Usually those people who put you down are not artists and therefore their words, at least for me, are not so much of a concern. Those who have even a tiny inkling how fraught the creative process is with insecurity and self-doubt rarely feel the need to make the situation worse for someone.
But when it happens, and it will, don’t let it. Don’t give it too much attention. Somewhere I heard the saying “Don’t let it rent space in your brain” which I love.
Hear it, consider it, look for a morsel of learning if there, and then step away.
Let it go and move only towards the people and things that bring you alive.
And never, never look back.
18 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
Your words really rang true for me today. Just yesterday a very good artist friend made some remarks that really jolted me and I am having a hard time overcoming them. I am trying to “let it go” and not pay attention but it is difficult. Looking forward for the Art2Life workshop.
I felt your pain when I read your comment Carol. I don’t know, of course, what the remark was (I’m assuming it was a critique about your art) but this reminded me of something I read ages ago, something to the effect that “There is no brutal honesty: there is honesty and there is brutality”. I’m sure there is a compassionate and diplomatic way that a true friend can express impressions about a particular piece of work. A wonderful teacher once said that a critique should always comes in the form of a “compliment sandwich”, that is, say 2 things you like about it, and in between, offer a suggestion. A friend needs to be intuitive enough to realize that art is a journey in self-discovery and be more interested in what you are learning from each of your projects, what you are thereby trying to express and have a conversation around that aspect. Hope this helps!
Thank you for your kind words. They do help and I will overcome them.
Happy to hear that Carol and so thankful I could pass on some wisdom learned from the school of hard knocks! All the best in your art journey.
Nice. Compliment sandwich 🙂
I love this! Actually I appreciate all your thoughts and how you share them in writing and in the videos. Power packed communication! Thank you. For all of it. Each one rings so true.
A good astrologer once explained my strange reluctance to follow my heart and embrace my creativity. This is what he found in my birth chart:
The paradoxical equation of life
To risk affirming who I am, and what I am worth (creatively/artistically)
means that I will eventually be miserable, abandoned and excluded, and then die.
I now know that I will not die from being an artist, but rather from not having the courage to be the artist I truly am, whether I succeed or not! Looking forward to the Art2Life workshop and hopefully a place at the Mallorca seminar in October.
Thanks Nick. Also, what’s the painting at top?
Don’t let it rent space in your brain. That’s a great mantra.
I was actually thinking that same thing Stepanie. I’m struggling with some of my work right now and my own judgement and criticism is taking space in my brain! I’m putting that one on the wall. 😉
Perfect timing to read for art as well as life in general. Thank you, Nicholas.
Art is in the eye of the beholder someone truthfully once said. So it is not up to me what they see. I do what I need to do and that is very hard for anyone else to understand!
Yes, being criticized is difficult, but what’s even harder for me is being ignored! You pour your heart into some project, and no one cares, no one comments, no one notices. That’s a soul crusher!
It seems to me just a simple fact that we all have different taste. I’ve integrated that understanding deeply so that people around me are free to like or not like my work – either as a whole or individual pieces. It doesn’t feel personal to me because it’s about them and their preferences. It probably starts with not attributing expertise in fine art to people who merely have opinions about what they like. As most of us do, I learned this lesson the hard way. Years ago, my husband criticized my very first dabbles at getting back to painting. I exacted my revenge on both of us by not painting again for several years! When I finally gave up that foolishness and began painting once more, I understood that he doesn’t like abstract art. His not liking MY abstract paintings was never about me and certainly wasn’t a commentary on my ability. Somehow that inoculated me against most forms of criticism or rejection. Compliments are always nice but not required. After all, it’s just another expression of someone’s individual taste and preferences!
I think that was the case, I am on a new journey into abstract and intuitive art. I think this kind of art much more difficult than representative art. I feel it gives more imagination for the viewer.
Exactly what I went through and thankfully am over that phase too.
Critique has never bothered me as long as the person critiquing the work is an active artist. Emphasis on “active”. I speak for myself when I say that I’m much more negative about others’ work when I’m not working myself. I think it’s a combination of jealously, disappointment in myself and a lack of immediate familiarity with the process.
I was the creator and leader of a critique seminar, Contemporary Artists Forum, at an art center in NJ for 12 years. Among the many things I considered while criticizing other artist’s work and listening to the criticism they gave was that we always need to remember how sensitive artists are. We throw all of ourselves into our work and that is so real and true that as teachers we must respect the risk taking and raw exposure of it all. It takes a special kind of sensitivity (and risk)to be an artist in the first place. It follows that it takes a special kind of sensitivity to criticize an artist’s work. I think what Nicholas is pointing out is that we must be careful what we hear and take back to the studio after a critique. But, we must also be careful of what we say and how we say it when being critical.