Embracing failing - not in a sense “i don’t care what comes up when finished” or “i am the best craftsman, i never fail”, but in a sense “i will draw something, i will do MY BEST and still fail because i don’t know enough about the subject i will draw. But when i will see what i suck the most at, i will study that, draw again, fail little less, study again, draw again…. And at one point, i will be satisfied with how good i am able to draw that specific subject. At that point i will move on to study another thing i don’t know but am interested in, in exact same manner”
That is the mindset any artist in ANY field must have in order to progress and still enjoy art to some degree.
People mock the word “enjoy” but sooner or later find out that exhausting drilling day after day, week after week… drawing boxes in space, studying perspective, composition, anatomy, Loomis, Bridgman, Bammes, Hoghart, Vilppu, Hampton, Dodaon, Mattesi, masterpainters,…with no other goal than improving a skill and at same time don’t feel ANY enjoyment kills your DRIVE. At that point the only thing they crave, ironically, is the ENJOYMENT itself they had when they still had it, no matter much they sucked. That often leads to anxiety and depression and /ic is pure example of that - half of this board would trade skill for enjoyment in a blink of an eye.
If you can manage to have both - intention to become better at your craft (which makes you study on purpose) and enjoyment which can be found in skill progress/knowledge gained itself, than you will “make it” - continue to do what you love. Skill will “only” help you represent better what you love.
Find the wisdom every successful artist in history had, within yourself. You have it.
In bad days, which comes to every-fucking-one with no exception, just read “Art and fear”, “Alla prima” or “The art spirit”.
EMBRACE THE FEAR. And you will live in peace.
Good luck
