In this post I want to share my personal problem during my journey as an Artist... and animator.
Well recently I started to compare myself to different Artists, considering them more skilled, more consistent and much older. I think the reason for this is that I don't have much skill and expereince as others, at the time I'm 16 and I'm learning in high school.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I will try to answer everyone.
Also if you want to give me some advice, I don't mind.
Just compare yourself to me to feel better about yourself!
Response to My Problem With Comparing To Others Artists 2023-12-08 10:34:26 (edited 2023-12-08 10:37:29)
What if instead of comparing to other artists you learn from them?
Like... i can understand that you may feel stuck or even insecure about your art, but standing there and do nothing about it
just blabbering about: "WEEEEEEHHHH dat auhtih i' bettah don mi" then you're not changing anything and you are just
stuck in mediocrity instead of wanting to improve
as i said before, learn from them!! see what things you can implement in your art, let's say... anatomy, colors whatevs, just learn what you think is esential for you, don't waste time whinning about other artists being better than you, improve, be better everyday! for the moment your art couldn't be the best but you can change it, you can be better than before
just don't stop trying to improve and don't waste time comparing to others!!
At 12/8/23 09:40 AM, Zloler56 wrote: In this post I want to share my personal problem during my journey as an Artist... and animator.
Well recently I started to compare myself to different Artists, considering them more skilled, more consistent and much older. I think the reason for this is that I don't have much skill and expereince as others, at the time I'm 16 and I'm learning in high school.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I will try to answer everyone.
Also if you want to give me some advice, I don't mind.
The trick when comparing yourself to other artists is to basically remember that they are other people with other journeys.
Sure, a super talented artist could lock themselves in a tower and shut out the outside world for years and emerge a master...but then they were only really in a tower for those years and weren't doing much else.
If you're a hobbyist artist with multiple interests, and especially one at 16 who also has to juggle schoolwork and probably also wants to have fun with friends or play videos (absolutely me at the age of 16, lol); then it makes perfect sense that you aren't dedicating every single waking moment to learning how to draw better. No one expects people to shut everything else out to improve.
And therein lies the problem: Only the annoying voices in our heads are telling us that we aren't improving fast enough. It's easy to get swept up in cool looking art and wish that you could get to that level overnight. But there's also fun in the journey!
Aside from 'Don't force it, feel it!' or 'Set your own pace' , all I could suggest if you want to get better at art is just to find like minded artist friends and encourage each other to draw at the same time. Drawpile, Magma Studio, Discord drawing sessions, etc. Make it social and regular, and you'll be both creatively fulfilled and enjoy some quality time with friends at the same time. And yes, I am literally suggesting the power of friendship to get better as an artist. :P
So good luck to ya, and don't be comparing yourself to 60+ year old master animators who work at universities or have their own studios. I learnt to do that a while ago and I feel I've been healthier for it. lol
Take 'er easy Zloler!
At 12/8/23 10:34 AM, Chuw-Croissantier wrote: What if instead of comparing to other artists you learn from them?
Like... i can understand that you may feel stuck or even insecure about your art, but standing there and do nothing about it
just blabbering about: "WEEEEEEHHHH dat auhtih i' bettah don mi" then you're not changing anything and you are just
stuck in mediocrity instead of wanting to improve
as i said before, learn from them!! see what things you can implement in your art, let's say... anatomy, colors whatevs, just learn what you think is esential for you, don't waste time whinning about other artists being better than you, improve, be better everyday! for the moment your art couldn't be the best but you can change it, you can be better than before
just don't stop trying to improve and don't waste time comparing to others!!
Oh, I tried to redraw the (Basset Illustration) (redrawn illustration is on the bottom of the text) recently, just for practice.
But still, I'll continue to try, improve and do not stop making art. And I thank you for your comment!
At 12/8/23 10:44 AM, Syrupmasterz wrote:At 12/8/23 09:40 AM, Zloler56 wrote: In this post I want to share my personal problem during my journey as an Artist... and animator.The trick when comparing yourself to other artists is to basically remember that they are other people with other journeys.
Well recently I started to compare myself to different Artists, considering them more skilled, more consistent and much older. I think the reason for this is that I don't have much skill and expereince as others, at the time I'm 16 and I'm learning in high school.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I will try to answer everyone.
Also if you want to give me some advice, I don't mind.
Sure, a super talented artist could lock themselves in a tower and shut out the outside world for years and emerge a master...but then they were only really in a tower for those years and weren't doing much else.
If you're a hobbyist artist with multiple interests, and especially one at 16 who also has to juggle schoolwork and probably also wants to have fun with friends or play videos (absolutely me at the age of 16, lol); then it makes perfect sense that you aren't dedicating every single waking moment to learning how to draw better. No one expects people to shut everything else out to improve.
And therein lies the problem: Only the annoying voices in our heads are telling us that we aren't improving fast enough. It's easy to get swept up in cool looking art and wish that you could get to that level overnight. But there's also fun in the journey!
Aside from 'Don't force it, feel it!' or 'Set your own pace' , all I could suggest if you want to get better at art is just to find like minded artist friends and encourage each other to draw at the same time. Drawpile, Magma Studio, Discord drawing sessions, etc. Make it social and regular, and you'll be both creatively fulfilled and enjoy some quality time with friends at the same time. And yes, I am literally suggesting the power of friendship to get better as an artist. :P
So good luck to ya, and don't be comparing yourself to 60+ year old master animators who work at universities or have their own studios. I learnt to do that a while ago and I feel I've been healthier for it. lol
Take 'er easy Zloler!
Thank you my frien'. I will take it easy :P
At 12/8/23 10:14 AM, zeddy1267 wrote: Just compare yourself to me to feel better about yourself!
Feel better now, I really appreciate your art.
Well that's what happens when you compare yourself with other people that clearly have been dedicated their lives to that one thing and therefore have way more experience than you do.
But worry not! You still have a lot of life ahead of you so take advantage from that to get better than your past self.
(・∀・)
Do you feel bad, when see someone in a train that goes to another line than you ? You know why artists still do art despite prints, ai etc ?
Because art is part language and part a journey. You see other artists speaking their 'words' and riding their trains. You have your words and you have your destination and lengths of a step.
When you hear someone sing, you feel inspired, you feel good, or when you go read someones motivational words to get up and keep up fighting, you smile and say - YES! Treat art the same way. When you see art that inspires you - take it as a "book" you can learn from.
Art is not a competition, it is a personal journey.
I am complete trash ... compared to artists I like, but I have two options. Complain, or learn. I have done enough the 1st, so i am currently trying the other.
At 12/8/23 09:40 AM, Zloler56 wrote: In this post I want to share my personal problem during my journey as an Artist... and animator.
Well recently I started to compare myself to different Artists, considering them more skilled, more consistent and much older. I think the reason for this is that I don't have much skill and expereince as others, at the time I'm 16 and I'm learning in high school.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I will try to answer everyone.
Also if you want to give me some advice, I don't mind.
Comparing yourself to superior artists is great when you combine it with studying their work and applying your newly learnt techniques to your art.
Response to My Problem With Comparing To Others Artists 2023-12-08 16:13:26 (edited 2023-12-08 16:14:40)
When I see someone with this type of problem, I always like to point out the comment of a wise guy in one of Lothyde's MIR songs:
Comparation is a powerful thing, but only when you use it to know you can improve your work. When you use it to downgrade your work, it's utter shit. Don't forget that even if your work doesn't have the same quality others work has, it is a work still, and a work always means a sacrifice for the one who does it.
Improving your abilities only shows you're open to sacrifice more in order to get better. So, don't sweat it, improvement comes by nature, and has to be as smooth as life itself
Being 100% alive means taking a 50% of actions and having a 50% of perspective
Response to My Problem With Comparing To Others Artists 2023-12-08 16:30:23 (edited 2023-12-08 16:31:34)
I always hear people say not to compare yourself to other artists. It's well intentioned, but I think it's the wrong solution to a problem beginners have.
The problem is that, when you compare yourself to others, you do so with negativity directed towards yourself. You despair at the skill gap and you let hopelessness take over. A lot of people will tell you to hide from good artists or judge yourself on a totally different scale if their art sends you down a bad mental path; that's something I used to do, and I regret it now.
It's not bad to compare yourself to others if your goal is to improve, it's all about how you do it. I see better art by better artists and I see a roadmap for making better art myself. I see things to study and learn from. I acknowledge I'm not there yet, but there's no rule against me getting there someday. That's my attitude at more than twice your age, so compared to me you have an obscene amount of time to get as good as you want. Let yourself be comfortable with not being the best; that's how it's going to be, forever. It gets a lot easier when you accept that but keep working at it anyway.
