Self belief and authenticity as an Artist
Have you ever felt like an imposter as a practising Artist?
As Artists, we all at some point face a lack of self belief. This can be caused by a multitude of factors, namely, social media, feedback from our peers / mentors or general audience, or simply the fact that we are feeling stagnant and seem to be unable to make a living or even break even on expenses.
If you're struggling with this as a creative, here are some strategies to help you overcome it:
1. Generally speaking, every Artist that I have spent time with has admitted to feeling a lack of self belief at some stage of their career. Whilst observing this I noted that such insecurity was never validated and did not reflect their level of skill /ability.
2. Track your progress. If you can’t see evolution then it is difficult to feel validation. You can track you journey either digitally through images or in a visually diary (or both if inclined).
3. Pat yourself on the back for turning up. It is natural to become self critical when you hit an obstacle. Take a minute to reflect on how far you have come. It also helps to have supportive people around who can jog your memory. Others often remember the positives in your art journey.
4. Embrace going off course and make notes. Know that the final work that you see exhibited went through its own metamorphosis (as expensive as that may been).
Celebrate the evolution…
"What comes out in the end is the result of the discarded finds."
- Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) often left visual clues on the surfaces of his paintings to suggest a hidden image underneath, as on The Tragedy of 1903. Artists frequently make changes to a painting or reuse a canvas or panel with an image already painted on it. Often the supports are reworked because an artist cannot afford to purchase new materials. An artist also may scrape off an earlier painting and start again or occasionally cover an abandoned image with a uniform coat of ground. Picasso did this very rarely. When he reworked his paintings, he most often did so directly over earlier images, neither using a "clean" side nor obliterating the abandoned attempt. Early in his career, financial constraints were certainly part of his motivation for reusing supports, but Picasso reworked paintings throughout his lifetime. His reworking was not done because he was frugal, but for Picasso the initial subject, the shape or form on the canvas, often revealed itself in a different guise as he worked on or returned to a picture, and it served as a new inspiration.
5. Surround yourself with a supportive community: Connect with other artists who understand your struggles and can provide encouragement and support. Join art groups, attend workshops, or seek out mentors who can offer guidance and reassurance.
6. Don’t compare yourself to others nor skip ahead and expect to see results when you know that you have not worked for it. There is no doubt that a little luck goes a long way though it is persistence and passion that finally tame any hint of ‘imposter syndrome’.
On a tangent.. I really enjoyed this post that came through my feed on instagram by the talented Artist Dave Sharp who is not only down to earth though a great example of meshing a variety of strengths and skills to determine his creative journey .
To inspire…
Kristine Ballard and I were able to interview Dave a couple of years ago.. such a top guy. Great combo of talent, humour and all round hard work…in addition to great social media content.
“Being an artist is two things. You accumulate experience and time, and if you have something that's interesting, you have to be persistent. That's very important. There's nothing instant about it. It's a way of life, actually, where you choose to spend your life doing this activity called making art.”
Blog by MK Smirniotis