My art is nowhere near as good as I thought

[AnastarziaAnaqway]

Don't know if this is the right thread, and it's hardly a massive world problem, just a bit of a confidence thing I guess.

I've always enjoyed drawing and had more time to do it since the lockdown. I thought I was pretty good, not absolutely amazing but as long as I liked it that was the main thing.

Anyway, I wanted to put it out there so I joined some online groups where people could freely share their art.

Now feel totally out of my depth. The vast majority of the work is incredible, I imagine a lot of them are professional artists.

I was interested in getting feedback, one person said that my work was pretty good but otherwise it was more along the lines of 'good start, keep going, try working on xyz'. Others were getting endless praise and compliments.

I've also had this with an instrument I play.

I suppose comparison is the thief of joy and the main thing is that I like my art. Just feel a bit out of my depth and had my confidence knocked really, anybody else felt this way ?

I think this is actually really positive as it means you can improve. There is too much belief in talent - talent only helps you get started, it is perseverance that really makes you improve. It sounds like you haven't actually been studying or practising for quite a while so I wouldn't get disheartened, get practising!

I'm a creative. I totally get why you feel like this - I often feel it in my line of work and I'm 'successful' by external standards.

You have to constantly practice your discipline to keep moving forward. What you might be seeing are artists who've made progressing their work a priority. Day in, day out. If you've not done this, you're going to envy their final product, without realising how much goes into their process.

If that makes sense?

YANBU to feel how you feel.

I’m not arty at all, but sounds like that was quite an ‘advanced’ group. Aren’t there groups for people who just love to have a go and there is less focus on how good you are?

Almost like a Flickr or Instagram for Art. I’m often surprised how many likes my phone pics get as I don’t even own a camera.

I think in any creative work you have to both be proud of what you have done and accept criticism from people who are more experienced. This sounds like the equivalent of writing some short stories and sending them off to a publisher, then not liking it when they say the stories need more work.

I don't think you should leave the group, but should stay and take the criticism on board and try to improve your work. That's the only way to get better.

It is hard when someone criticises something you've created, but it's pretty obvious that early attempts can only benefit from advice from others.

I identify with you-I have a lot of interests but don't focus properly on just one. Some people call this multipotentiate or putty-like to reflect the flexibility of people like this.

I enjoy the variety and I'm good at them (eg I sell my art regularly) am mainly self taught and often feel a bit of a fraud. There are plenty people I follow on Twitter or youtube and I learn from them. Someone told me if everyone likes you're art it's probably crap, so it's a badge of honour if you split opinion! Picasso and Hockney have plenty of detractors!

Many people who are top of their game have one interest and the focused time and energy means they can develop talent to a very high level.

If you enjoy variety there's nothing wrong with doing plenty of different things.

I’m an artist and there are people better than me, further ahead than me and there are people that are just starting out. I think I’m better than I was but never as good as I want to be . I found artists online are always so encouraging and willing to help each other . I’ve really benefited from getting advice from people better than me and so I always try to help people starting out. Try not to put your worth in the hands of others ,you should try to compare what you do wth yourself .

I'm far better at more logical and analytical stuff, but to me art is very subjective so don't take everything to heart! Sometimes these things can be a be cliquey I think - so they will gush over a painting as it's by a certain person.

I used to work as a personal assistant in a technical college, next door was the art college and I was friendly with the guy in lithographics dept. We once took the protective silver backing out of a spray hood (where students would go underneath to spray paint stuff so the paint didn't go everywhere). Due to loads of students using lots of colours it was pretty. We mounted it on the wall in the end of year exhibition and called it something like "Smell of grass on a summer's day" because it happened to be lots of greens and yellows with hints of pink/blue. Several tutors raved over it - we ended up with a written warning each!! Lost faith in art since!

Well, it's a bit unreasonable to expect to be so gifted that you immediately shine at the top and be disappointed because others who have studied and worked for years are at least a lot more technical.

Even pro-athletes have to train and train hard to be "amazing"!

So enjoy your work, and see if you want to keep it as a hobby for you or if you want to work hard to become a lot better

'The War of Art' is a good book about deciding to focus on improving and taking your work more seriously.

Thank you for all this advice and support it's greatly appreciated !
That's very true, Tracy Emin and many well-established artists have their fair share of criticism !
It's true there will always be people who don't like it no matter how good it's perceived to be.
Thank you and I will keep going.

As Bob Ross once said

“I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting”

Perseverance is the key. There are no short cuts.

@AnastarziaAnaqway

a bit off topic but as someone who has previously put myself down for being a bit of a jack of all trades, just wanted to say it's not a bad thing - broad knowledge and ability vs narrow deep knowledge is really useful and can be just what is required!

Wikipedia:

The shortened version "a jack of all trades" is often a compliment for a person who is good at fixing things, and has a very good broad knowledge. They may be a master of integration, as such an individual who knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring the individual's disciplines together in a practical manner. This person is a generalist rather than a specialist.

Agree with others re. not giving up - practice and learning is key. My son likes a particular sport and he spends hours on it, and has improved enormously.

There is the heart impulse part of art but there is also a technical skill element.

Sometimes the two are in alignment naturally but for most people they need to work on areas to improve technical skills which in turn improves the quality overall. Professional musicians still need to practice and have lessons, professional ballet dancers still go to class.

Maybe approach your art as a something that flows from your heart which is wonderful and the learning techinque aspect never stops?
Keep going!!

Not being amazing doesn't mean you are bad anyway!

these examples are great but you find many online

One of my best friends is an artist. We've known each other for 11 years and I've always thought her stuff was brilliant. However, in that time she has become the most amazing tattoo artist (strangers compliment my sleeve all the time, her work is outstanding) and she paints commissions, designs t-shirts for local shops, etc. There is a marked improvement compared to a decade ago because she practices. Simple as that.

When you keep doing something, take pointers from other artists and really hone your craft, you get better. Don't be discouraged!

I've not seen your work of course but art groups do tend to get a collective set of preferences, and their own way of working. Heavily worked paintings, flawlessly blended sketches, for example, and that's not every artist's style at all.

It might be worth rethinking and maybe rejoining one of the groups.
You say you have had no feedback / tuition since GCSE, so it might be worth taking what is offered.
As an example, years ago, I joined a tennis club assuming I would be okay (reasonably fit and sporty, fair eye for a ball, often won when knocking up with friends, had watched Wimbledon...). Everyone was massively better than me. I felt rubbish and guilty at dragging them down when I was included in a 4 on club nights.
BUT when I played with my friends again, I was much improved - just playing with people better than me raised my game considerably, although I didn't feel it at the time. I also talked to a few people at the club about how I felt and they were lovely, telling me how they had improved and offering tips.
I will never play on Centre Court, or even get through the first rounds at our club, but I can sustain a rally and hit the odd (fluke) nifty shot.

I am in a craft group and tbh I am one of the ones with the better work because I am good at that particular style of the craft I do. There are other groups for different styles I am not so good at but I’m still in the groups because I genuinely take joy from seeing other people’s work and looking at their method and their colour choices, and picking up tips and seeing what I might do next time etc. I love it when someone posts something beautiful.

And I think that is the key to my own improvement.

Never put anything you care about upfor the scrutiny or judgement of strangers. I learnt this when I entered DD into a baby contest on a whim and she was the only baby, out of literally dozens that did not win a prize!

OP, I feel your disappointment. I really do. I am 48 and started playing the violin at 6, stopped when I got busy with kids in my late 20s. I've been made to feel like Itzhak Perlman one minute and a strangler of cats the next. Somewhere between those two comparisons lies reality. I am a good violinist. I am no Itzhak Perlman. Very few people are. I can, however, sound like I am strangling cats. I know my limitations, I know my strengths. I am ok with this now at this late stage in my life. I have had orchestra conductors who have supported me and encouraged me. I have had conductors who have seen me as a total liability and stain on an otherwise talented group of musicians. "You can please some of the people some of the time"... and all of that. The important person to please is YOU.

I will share with you a brilliant quote by one of the greatest, most influential composers and music theorists whose work I dislike immensely but admire completely, Arnold Schoenberg (I quite like this balancing act between disliking the work, while respecting it and understanding its value to the world of music. But mostly, I really like this quote):

“If it is art, it is not for all, and if it is for all, it is not art.”

Be true to yourself, learn from others while honouring your own voice and style. We are constantly improving, sometimes regressing, other times uninspired. Art is a living part of who we are and like us, it is constantly in flux. One audience will criticise your work while another will praise it no end. The ones who give you constructive criticism and valuable praise at the same time are the ones I trust the most. They see you. They see your potential. But above all, you know you. You know your art. You know where you want to go, what you need to expand on, or dial-back on. Keep going! Art is art! And as others have said, maybe just focus on that, not the opinions of others on social media. Just do your art. You don't really need validation from anyone else.

I thought I could dance- turns out I'm one of the worst dancers ever.

Doesn't sound like you're that bad at art. You could follow their tips and try and improve, or leave those groups and just enjoy your art. xxx

The things we're good at become our own little affirmations, the people we know ourselves to be. So 'I am Anastarzia, I am good at art' in your case. Then when you mix in a new group with various talents you not only start to doubt your gifts and skills but even if that's who you are!

I'm sure you're already a really good artist, I'm also sure if you can keep going and honing your skills you'll be even better in a short period of time. Consider things like the Bake Off or the Pottery Throwdown, how many of those contestants seemed to improve before our very eyes as the competition went on. They were in a position of having to be challenged, hear the worst criticism and still keep going.

Someone is always better than you, but think of it this way, to some people YOU are the one who is better than they are.

To be honest, art improves with practice- it's not just talent, but also skill. Obviously those who practice everyday for years will be more "fluent" than others who do it only sporadically. At the same time, you shouldn't be disheartened- the secret is to compare your own work to that you did before, so you can see progress. Also, note that most artists are self-critical and constantly striving to learn more. A great book on this is Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Self-satisfaction and complacency does not produce great art.