Without realizing it, I was falling into the trap of comparing myself to others, which is a major mistake for any artist.

Comparing your skills to those of other artists can greatly impact your mindset. You might start feeling untalented, and the passion you once had may fade away. You will be hard on yourself, belittle your talents, and begin to doubt your ability to be an artist, leading you to consider giving up on your dreams.

I know this is true because it has happened to me many times while trying to be an artist. What I didn’t realize is that I was already an artist, but self-comparison made me doubt my talent and skills. I was not just critiquing my work, but harshly criticizing myself.

If you are a young artist, you will quickly discover that many people, especially on social media, can give you a harsh wake-up call instead of you doing it yourself like I used to.

I often gave up on art, thinking I wasn’t good enough and that I didn’t want to be an artist or make money from it. I didn’t truly believe what I told myself, but I convinced myself I could only draw cartoons, which was how my art journey began. I even thought I wasn’t good at that when I received rejection letters from Marvel Comics and Disney Animation, suggesting I keep practicing. At 14, I doubted my abilities, and those letters made me feel like I wasn’t talented enough, but they were really just acknowledging my young talent. My self-doubt had already hurt my confidence, and those letters were just the final blow.

On to adulthood as an artist. This was a difficult time for me as I tried to discover my identity as an artist. By my late twenties, I stopped comparing myself to others and moved away from drawing cartoons to try portraits. Unfortunately, I wasn’t good at portrait drawing; I struggled with it.

I stopped trying to draw portraits and gave up. That’s a mistake; quitting is not an option.

I tried landscaping and seascaping next. I wasn’t bad at it since I enjoy drawing scenery and water. I love illustrating ocean life, especially mermaids from my imagination. However, I struggled to bring my ideas to paper, which was very frustrating.

I quit again.

Next, I moved on to my love for dinosaurs. I have adored dinosaurs for as long as I can remember. I was meant to create amazing dinosaur art. I didn’t need to use my imagination because I found plenty of inspiration in coloring books, magazines, and on the TV, which I could record on the VCR. What’s a VCR, you ask? Oh, you must be young! We’ll discuss that another time, but back to the dinosaurs. I drew some fierce-looking dinos, and to me, they were masterpieces.

Eventually, I started dating and swapped my drawing pencils for women’s phone numbers. Art took a back seat as I enjoyed the sweet scent of a woman’s neck and the taste of her lips. While art was fun, this new experience was incredible, and I didn’t want to trade it for a sketchpad and pencils.

Along with my newfound love for women, I realized I needed a job. Dating was more expensive than my art supplies. I took on odd jobs to cover costs, but having a girlfriend felt like a financial strain at my young age.

Fast forward to my early to mid-thirties, I got married and had a child. I thought I could return to my art, become a great artist, and earn money to support my family. I began creating again, but my spouse quickly shut that down. Another mistake in my artistic journey was made.

I’ll keep going in chapter three.

Sincerely,

David L

Healingwithart