Does My Art Suck?

Does my art suck? It’s a question asked by beginner artists (and even some experts) the world over. It’s asked so frequently that nobody thinks twice about it.

But is it doing more harm than good?

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First of all, let’s take a look at the question itself. Does my art suck?

It’s a question that automatically leans more towards the negative than the positive right off the bat.

If you were happy with your work, you wouldn’t ask the question, would you?

It’s understandable though. We all go through the insecure beginning stages. After 40+ years of drawing animal portraits, I hardly ask if my work sucks anymore. But if I try my hand at something that’s not part of my skillset, it’s very likely that I’ll be back at feeling the insecurity again.

It’s how one handles that insecurity that makes the difference. And it’s all about mindset.

Which leads me to…

Second, there is no perfect.

That’s right…perfection doesn’t exist. There are proficient artists, yes. But they are still imperfect human beings. Logically, perfection cannot be created by an imperfect being. So, there is always room for improvement no matter how amazing a work of art appears to be.

The dangerous thing about self-deprecating questions and thoughts is that the mind tends to believe it and even shuts down the possibility of even leaving room for improvement.

Instead of asking, “Does my art suck?” or saying, “I can’t do this,” consider rephrasing your thoughts. Negativity tends to shut, lock, and deadbolt the doors of possibility and improvement. You are far more likely to give up altogether.

Rather than the word can’t, try substituting the phrase, I’m currently struggling with…

For example, instead of I can’t draw, try I’m currently struggling with (proportions, perspective, shading, etc.). With this small shift, your mind recognizes that there’s room for growth and therefore it’s more willing to keep trying.

Third, how much are you practicing? You cannot expect to get better at anything if you don’t put in the hours practicing.

There is a quote by Malcolm Gladwell that says…

“The 10,000-hours rule says that if you look at any kind of cognitively complex field, from playing chess to being a neurosurgeon, we see this incredibly consistent pattern that you cannot be good at that unless you practice for 10,000 hours, which is roughly ten years, if you think about four hours a day.”

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Practice always makes better (not perfect). And there isn’t an expert at anything that was expert status right out of the box.

Professional or Olympic athletes. Celebrity status artists and musicians. World renowned chefs. Engineers, physicians, architects. Heck, even landscapers, hair stylists, and cake artists. You name the field and I can guarantee you that none of them were an expert from the get go.

The fact of the matter is…WE ALL SUCKED AT THE BEGINNING!

Fourth, does it even matter?

Let’s say we insist on asking, “Does my art suck?” In all honesty, at any given point, the answer may very well be…”Yea, maybe.”

However, sucky artwork is not tragic by any means. In every mistake there are valuable lessons to be learned. So long as you don’t give up and keep learning from them, you will steadily improve.

So does ugly work happen? Yes.

But does it matter? It depends…

Is it something you’re passionate about? Are you having fun doing it? Is it something that you lose track of time while you’re doing it? Can you hardly wait to get back to doing it every chance you get?

If the answer is YES!! then, who cares? Create art for art’s sake, not for other people’s opinion. Do what makes you happy.

To recap…

• It’s okay to be a beginner. In the beginning we all “suck.” It’s part of the growing process.
• Rephrase negative thoughts to positive ones. Always allow room for improvement in your self-talk.
• 10,000 HOURS! (Enough said.)
• If you’re passionate about it and it makes you happy (regardless of the outcome), then who cares? Do it anyway and to your heart’s content.

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