I want to talk about mistakes and “failures”. I would like to change how people think about these two things. I especially would like for people just starting their creative journey to understand the importance of making mistakes and if possible to relax and have fun. Here are some truths (as I see it).
- Every artist that has ever existed has made tons of mistakes or “bad” art. And this will continue until they die. Famous or beginners, you will create things that don’t work.
- Mistakes are good (Repeat that over and over). It’s how you learn. Without mistakes you’d never learn. Without mistakes you wouldn’t have those happy accidents. Mistakes will happen your entire creative journey.
- Almost all (if not all) artists, beginner or pro, are dissatisfied with their work. That’s how you get better and evolve. Sure, at first you might like something you’ve created but soon there will be that voice in your head saying you could do it better. And you CAN do better. I always feel weird when I see an artist that has created the same art year after year. I find that freaky.
4. Genius is a fallacy. Whether you’re born with the know-how or worked hard at it, they are equal in value.
5. Time is your friend and Art doesn’t care how long it takes for you to improve.
6. I like to show my progression, I’m proud of where I started and how far I’ve come. And, as I stated, I’m never fully satisfied with what I’ve created.
On Instagram I’ve posted the history of my journey to learn how to create landscapes using colored pencils. You can see my progression and how I’ve slowly evolved. Each piece you’ll see is the best of what I could do at that time. Each piece represents 10 or more practice pieces to get to the final image. I’m @zuillmonkey on Instagram.
