Insecurity

**Saraiva** · November 5th, 2011, 01:19 AM

Hey guys.

Is it normal to question whether you are good enough? Is it a healthy art habit being aware of your actual level in art, like with my skills today i can do this and cannot do that, or is it a bad obsession. I feel insecure about my art sometimes and I was wondering if that is normal.

**xerenity** · November 5th, 2011, 01:27 AM

lol well, if I had a nickel for every time..

I feel like it's mostly normal to feel that way, works as a great motivator and all that. Some days I seem to struggle with the basic things, other days it all comes really easily. I'd say take a few deep breaths every time you feel that way and try to think through it realistically.

Just looking at your sketchbook tells me you're learning a lot and shouldn't have anything to worry about at all. ^_^

**Professional Jouster** · November 5th, 2011, 01:30 AM

i pretty much feel like this 24/7. no matter what i do i cant seem to just accept that sometimes things wont look the way i want. I take minor mistakes in sketches as some indication that I wont be able to achieve what I want and that I'm an awful artist. It's a seriously bad habit, and hopefully its not that extreme for you.

It's just something all artists (in any sense of the word) have to work through though.

**smurf808** · November 5th, 2011, 02:49 AM

If everyone thought they were good enough, they wouldn't get any better

**ArtZealot** · November 5th, 2011, 02:53 AM

erm...yes. this is normal, in fact it's good to know that your art isn't the best, and fine if one thinks their art sucks. IMO, it's better that i think my art is shit and i'm constantly striving to get better, than to be satisfied where i am and stagnate cause i see nothing that needs improving.

**MephistoLV** · November 5th, 2011, 08:38 AM

Insecurity when creating art is perfectly normal. Everytime you draw, sculpt, or paint something you are putting on a performance for yourself and for anyone else who happens to be looking. That performance reveals, without any mitigation whatsoever, exactly what your skills are at that time. There is no hiding behind philosophical nonsense or artistic statements. It is a humbling experience because unless you are completely self-deluded, you can see instantly where your skills fall short. It is then your responsibility and yours alone to put more effort into improving in those areas.

On a side-note, insecurity can also be caused by low testosterone, but that is a discussion for another time and place...

**LaurenWilsonArt** · November 5th, 2011, 04:45 PM

The only artists I've known who WEREN'T always paranoid of not being "good enough" were really cocky and just kept cranking out the same tired material because they knew it would satisfy their fans, never improving.

**arenhaus** · November 6th, 2011, 03:16 AM

Assessing your skill to detect weak areas, so you could improve, is good.

Obsessing over not being good enough is bad.

**Conniekat8** · November 6th, 2011, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Alternative

I feel insecure about my art sometimes and I was wondering if that is normal.

In my case, it's a constant interference.... but, I put it in a box, place it on the farthest shelf I possibly can, tell it to shut up already, and go do things in spite of it.

**AckermannPhilip** · November 6th, 2011, 09:20 AM

I always call my big brother if I get too excited about my progress. " Man, that does not look right, really. I don't even know why little brother, but it looks strange"

Or my mother. If you draw a monkey and show it to her, here is what you'll here: "Oh... the face of that horse came out pretty well, but I am not so sure about his legs... is this a horse?"

If you need someone to pull you on the ground,...and deeper, just write a message to me. You can have them for free.... you can even keep them.

**Professional Jouster** · November 7th, 2011, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by AckermannPhilip

I always call my big brother if I get too excited about my progress. " Man, that does not look right, really. I don't even know why little brother, but it looks strange"

Or my mother. If you draw a monkey and show it to her, here is what you'll here: "Oh... the face of that horse came out pretty well, but I am not so sure about his legs... is this a horse?"

If you need someone to pull you on the ground,...and deeper, just write a message to me. You can have them for free.... you can even keep them.

haha i do this to my brother as well, considering im always nitpicking at whatever looks wrong in my work (usually everything as far as im concerned), im able to pick up on his mistakes easily. hes convinced im picking on him though.

**purplegoat** · November 7th, 2011, 04:16 PM

Yes, it's perfectly normal. I would try not to obsess over it though. The thing is that it you are completely satisfied with your work, then what's going to motivate you to improve? On the other hand if you completely tell yourself and believe that you suck you may find yourself too discouraged to try again. To improve, you've gotta be willing to try again and again and again I think. Of course with focused study and intent.

I think it's good to know where you stand as far as ability goes. That way you can gauge what you need to do to get to where you want to be.

**JamesWintle** · November 19th, 2011, 06:53 PM

There is a difference between being insecure and knowing that you still have things to learn. It seems to me that the insecurity comes from expecting great things of yourself, but falling short.

If you fall short, it does not mean you'll never be as great an artist as you'd like, it just means you need more practice.

**Noah Bradley** · November 19th, 2011, 08:50 PM

Elwell quote time:

"Be:
Aware of how far you've come
Proud of where you are
Excited about where you're going"

**Ilaekae** · November 19th, 2011, 09:18 PM

Insecurity is wondering if your GF will chop your nuts off if you fall a sleep before her. It's a form of paranoia.

What you think is insecurity with your art is actually you trying to decide if you're too stupid to know what to do next and not know how to confirm it, or being too smart to know that the fuck-up you just experienced was NOT an accident that could have been avoided if you had just thought for two more seconds. It's a form of finding your way in a complicated world...step by step.

**Featheredface** · November 24th, 2011, 12:33 PM

"A creative artist works on his next composition because he is not satisfied with his previous one. When he loses a critical attitude toward his own work, he ceases to be an artist." - Shostakovich

**ErikR** · November 26th, 2011, 05:23 PM

Think about it like this, you'll propably never think you're good enough if you have an art brain. You only get better by doing things therefore do things and stop being insecure about it. It's not like someone is going to punch you in the face if you make a bad drawing except if you maybe forgot a deadline for a client, hell do i know XP.

How are you supposed to make good art if you're not allowed to make a single bad piece for example? I hope i didn't stay too much off topic. Think about improving instead of how good you are at the moment, and remind yourself where you want to be in a few years. Being insecure is just your brain trying to fool you and it's pretty much an illusion and illusions can't hurt you, right? But i guess it goes away the more you draw too.