My art is a [WIP] and that's okay

Hello Steemians! Today I'd like to talk about overcoming perfectionism and the fear of failure.

It's no secret that I enjoy drawing. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. Those first scribbles with a crayola marker on every paper I could find would come to be an important part of my life. Drawing has always been my way to bring my thoughts into reality. I grew up with drawing in the background, available whenever I felt inspired.

But things changed as I got older. Gone were the days of haphazard, chaotic scribbles, and in were the days of.. intense pressure. Sure, my skills had developed, but they hadn't developed fast enough. I was not good enough. Good enough for what? In truth, I'm not sure.

I've always believed that art was not meant to be perfect, it was meant to be an escape, a path between mind and reality, or simply an enjoyable activity. This easygoing mindset, that anyone can be an artist and make art, applied to everyone except me. My art had to be perfect.

This mindset really limited my art. I have left entire styles of art untouched because I didn't have the courage to try and fail. In fact, there are genres of art that I have long admired, but can't bring myself to try. Fear of failure is a very real thing.

Cartoonism is a style that I love, and a style that I avoid. Admire, but do not do. Whenever I imagine a drawing in a cartoony style, the thought "I can't do that. I'm not good at it." crosses my mind. The thought appears, and I readily agree: Of course I can't do that. I would fail if I tried.

You have probably noticed the issue in this thought. I've created my own self-fulfilling prophecy. I am not currently good at it, and so I will never practice to improve my skill. I am so unwilling to fail that I will never improve. It's completely illogical, and yet..

It is its own kind of skill to capture these thoughts and challenge them. It's not so simple as understanding that they are illogical, it is the practice of consciously disagreeing with them whenever they may pop up.

I'm not saying I will become a great cartoonist overnight but I do believe I will improve with practice. And should I not improve, I am allowed to enjoy all realms of what I do, even if I'm not very good, simply for the sake of enjoyment. I don't have to be perfect, and neither do you.

“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person.”
― David D. Burns

I am posting this in hopes that I may reach other artists, or anyone else, who may benefit from it. Challenge those self-defeating thoughts. Do what you wish to do.

This is my work in progress, a first step in the practice of overcoming perfectionism:

It might not be perfect and I'm okay with that.

Previous Post | Instagram