Art Artistic Angst

[Shaholl]

I wouldn't consider myself an artist. I'm just a guy who likes to draw. I have a sketchbook which is slowly filling up with pencil drawings. I have this problem though. No matter how much care I put into the drawing, how much work I've done on it, I end up hating it. I sometimes feel the urge to burn my sketchbook because I feel that none of the drawings inside are worthy of being called art.
:animecry:
Heres the thing: anyone who flips through my sketchbook (be they friends, family, coworkers at Wally World, etc.) tells me that my drawings are awesome and that I should make a comic or something. When I express my hatred for my own drawings, they just tell me that most artists are like that.

Are they telling me the truth? Are there other artists out there with this same problem? Should I just stop whining and get over my "artistic angst"?

Bear in mind, the fate of my sketchbook depends on the sort of responses I receive.

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I know how you feel. I looked at my old sketchbook the other day, which isn't really 'old', I had just filled it up all the way and moved onto a new one, and I ended up hating 95% of my drawings.

The people looking at your drawings probably do think you're good at drawing, simply because most people who aren't great at drawing will think that. It's just that artists are always hardest on themselves, lol. I think "artistic angst" exists in every artist, no matter how good other people think they are.[/font]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE="1"]Think of your 'hatred' for your art as a gift, honestly.

When I was about thirteen I thought I was AMAZING at art. Seriously, like the best person ever because every one said I was really good and I let it go to my head. I was rubbish. I didn't draw chins, no folds in clothes, my colouring was awful etc. I [B]didn't improve[/B] because I thought I was great until someone said to me 'are you jealous because your friends are better than you?'

That was the first time anyone had put me down, because he wasn't my friend and wasn't bothered about being polite. Since then I have on and off loathing for my art, but it's because of that I get better.

So basically, I'm trying to say use this dislike to better yourself, not turn you away from something you love. As my boyfriend always says when I'm angsting: If you don't like it, make it better.

(Also, show us some of your stuff 8D)[/SIZE]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Ezekiel'][SIZE="1"]I didn't draw chins.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] GOOD GOD, MAN.

;) [/font]

[benakittie]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]lol, you remind me of my little sister.:animesmil Yeah, I recently had this conversation with her when she was getting frustrated with her art. We both love anime and manga and love to draw and create stories. However, she gets frustrated more easily than I do and even more seeing her skill compared to mine which has had the opportunity to grow and mature. It's hard for her to understand that everyone has their different styles just like everyone has their different taste in everything else in the world and even different perspectives on any other subject. We are all different, but sometimes we come across people who share similarities to us. These people are the ones you are most likely to bond with and can often help you to appreciate your own abilities. You come to learn and grow from them and even from those completely different from you.

Sorry, this is TOTALLY off topic. I do that sometimes. :animeswea I think every artist goes through some kind of angst whether its not feeling that they are living up to their own personal expectations or realizing and valuing a certain art style or degree of talent which we ourselves do not have. (Artist envy) STILL!! It can only be help by the artist him or herself coming to terms with themselves and assessing the matter in a way where they can still learn their own style and challenge it in such a way that will help them better define the basis of who they are. :animestunARGH!! I'm confusing myself!! I hope this makes sense on SOME level...I used to be so much better at this.

The point is: Artist or no artist there are some things in life that people often feel didn't come out how they expected it to be and it sometimes causes depression within us. The best way to get over this angst is to take a deep breath recognize your errors and try to do better next time. The key is to have the patience to develop your skills and not to be scared to challenging yourself. Don't be afraid of failure because it is when you fail that you learn the essentials to leading the life you want.

lol, sorry if I read too much into your post...:animeswea[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Retribution]

[font=Arial]I know I'm pretty late on the topic, but I'll post because I think this is a fun topic. Onwards!

To be honest, I feel inadequate as an artist. I detest my most recent things, I'm embarrased of my past creations, and I'm generally afraid of showing others my work. I think it's because I'm comparing my current work to students who are majoring in the visual arts (and in some cases even grad students). I have yet to reconcile my desire to actively pursue art with my art as a hobby.

This angst is good for me though. It's greatly humbled me. When I used to post my art actively here, I got high praises, and this led me to post more... not to get more criticism, but to get more praise. Of course there were instances where I actually did push myself, but I realize that had I continued fighting upwards I would've become much better than just soaking up the "great job"s.

But a hatred of your own work is healthy ... to a point. So long as you actually work to a product you can be satisfied with, keep going.[/font]

[Chikara Kokoro]

The moment you think something is perfect is the moment it's not, so you have to keep on working to improve. It's hard to accept sometimes, but it's very true.

I have a similar experience as Ezekiel, in sixth grade I thought I was the best artist ever. Then one day a girl saw one of my pictures and laughed at it. I went on an angsting rampage and destroyed the majority of my artwork (but I recycled it!!). Since then, I live with the philosophy that there is always room for improvement.

It's very common to feel that you suck even if you don't. The important thing is not to complain about this to other people because it gives off the feeling of fishing for compliments. Most artists feel that way, so accept the feeling and do your best to improve.

[Bio]

[font=Georgia]It's definitely good to want to improve, but unadulterated hatred for your work isn't very productive. :p No piece of art is perfect--not to its creator. I always find myself looking at my work if it's hung up, which leads people to think I'm arrogant--but what I'm really doing is looking at the mistakes, thinking about how to fix it.

You really should continue with your art, and if you want to improve then I'd suggest taking some classes if you haven't already. Local art museums usually offer some, and I'm sure your school does, too.

[I]Every[/I] artist feels like you do at some point--that they're never going to be good enough. That usually comes from seeing someone who's absolutely phenomenal. But you have to remember that they didn't become phenomenal overnight. And although I definitely think that people have differing degrees of natural talent, it means nothing without hard work.[/font]

[Guest Ijen]

[quote name='Shaholl']I wouldn't consider myself an artist. I'm just a guy who likes to draw. [/QUOTE]

The reason you're all angsty is because you're contradicting yourself. Firstly you deny that you're an artist and say you just like drawing, and then you get upset when your work doesn't meet your expectations and doesn't compare to the work of artists.

You're lying to yourself. If you were genuinely "just a guy who likes to draw" you'd be satisfied with just drawing. Either you don't genuinely love drawing or you DO consider yourself to be an artist, but you want to be a better one.

It's ok buddy, don't stress it; the answer is right in front of you anyway; the truth is that you're an artist who just likes to draw. Geddit? We all get down about our work - I sure went through a phase of thinking almost exactly the same as you're thinking now, and I still have major lows about my work, but the most important thing is to stay with the fact that you love drawing.

"Draw. Draw and don't waste time" - Michelangelo.

Practice and trust that a bit of effort goes a long way. Observe that when you put effort into learning and developing, you achieve more than you could possibly have imagined. Trust that with effort you'll continue to develop in the future. In the present; just draw.

It also helps to have some theory too. Attend life drawing classes, find a good teacher and always, always strive to improve. While you may always see room for improvement in your work, accept that it's a healthy aspect of mind which helps you improve, and try not to get too angsty about it ;)

Good luck, have fun. ;)

[Konata]

Or maybe he's a perfectionist =P

I have the same problem, lol. Except when people look in my sketchbook, they usually return without a comment. Or they're like,

Sketchbook Viewer: "Jane (cliche pseudonym for another artist, not me), is this yours?"
Jane: "Oh, that's Konata's."
Sketchbook Viewer: "Oh, I was about to say 'Jane, are you getting worse at drawing?', haha"

While I'm standing there, lol.

Anyways, just keep practicing. And maybe have some people give constructive criticism =P You should show some of your work here, if you haven't already =3

[Japan]

[SIZE="1"]I know I am a decent artist however when I see others drawings, I feel that they are better than me.[/SIZE]

[Delta]

[FONT="Georgia"][COLOR=#35425e]Whenever I chance upon one of my old drawings or digital art, I feel no hate, no angst, no "what the hell was I thinking?" You see, the first thing that pops out of my mind is an event or a feeling connected to the time I made the piece. My reaction would be something like "Wow, this was the one I drew the day after Prom Night," or "Wow, I didn't study for my Paleontology exam just to finish this." Like a diary, yeah?

Then I'll get all nostalgic and warm and fuzzy inside.

Then I'll start to feel that I've accomplished something 'cause my style has evolved. I don't think my old drawings are uglier than my new ones; they just look [i]different[/i].[/COLOR][/FONT]