There are so many things we can compare with other people. As an artist, I often compare myself to many other artists. As a YouTuber, I also compare my content and channel with other YouTubers. However, I know this is a mental trap I need to avoid. The art world is not a zero-sum game. Just because someone's work got praised or sold doesn't mean I become less of an artist. And just because someone's YouTube channel is getting more subscribers doesn't mean my channel is losing followers.
Read MorePrinciples and Value
Beginner's mind
One of the things I really come to appreciate in America is education. I feel that as long as you are willing and ready to learn, there are always resources available for you. When I was in college, I have classmates who are 10 or even 20 years older than me and the instructors. They were excited to learn new things. They weren't working toward a degree like I was, but almost all of them are more engaged in the class than I did. This culture of always learning really effects me. After I graduated from college and received my degree, I continue to learn anything that will push me to become a better artist. Recently I am learning about business as an artist. The instructor reminds me throughout the lessons to have a beginner's mind. I might've heard the information elsewhere, but I should listen again anyways. I can still discover something new.
Read MoreDon't loose sight of your priority.
I am constantly living in between prolific artists and people who are busy with their lives in general. As an artist, I follow other artists on social media (Facebook, Instagram). And it is not unusual that I see some artists sharing new beautiful works every day. While I am happy to see new artwork from them every day, the little voice inside of me almost always ask me "look at them, they paint way more than you do, what are you doing?" However, I know for a fact that some of them are able to do so because they have more time then I do. Many of them are single, they don't have 3 kids, and they don't have other works. I on the other hand do.
Read More
Multiple attempt
This past weekend I was painting a figure painting. Haven't done figure painting for quite a while, it wasn't surprising that my first attempt wasn't up to the standard(my standard). I knew I can do better so I decided to paint it again. The 2nd attempt (the one you are seeing above) turns out much better. I was able to plan my painting and executed it much better than the first one.
I've done this quite a bit. When painting watercolor, a few wrong decisions and solutions can ruin a painting. Since there is no "undo" button in watercolor. Sometime the next best thing you can do is to start over. This can be a mental roadblock for some people. People may think all the time they spent on the unsuccessful painting is all wasted. But there is no wasted time when you did a bad painting. You gain valuable experience and you learned from your mistake! Even a seasoned NBA player cannot expect to score every time when they shoot, so neither shall we.
Yes, it can be frustrated to see your fail attempts and wondering if you can do it better next time. When you set your self up to that dreadful empty white paper again, you may have to conjure up all your courage and faith to start the process over again. However, that's part of the learning process and journey to become a better artist!
Do you have a good subject that you wanted to turn into a painting only end up with a fail attempt? Maybe it's time to give it another go. You might be regretful for not giving it your best shot!
New Painting Demo
If you haven't, go check out my new painting video of one of my favorite painting! This is another longer painting demo video that I haven't done for quite a while. Hope you enjoy it!