Overcoming Fear to Excel in Art: Tips for Success

I suspect that fear gets in the way of many people taking up art. It’s often that critical art teacher sitting on one’s shoulder, going, ‘That’s not right.’ Let’s get things into perspective. If you mess up a drawing, no one dies. It’s just a bit of paper. Rip it up and try again. Join a class, follow the exercises in a book, scribble for the sake of it. Have fun.

Let Go of the Outcome

Whatever artistic endeavour you are pursuing, whether it be drawing, painting, acting, or creative writing, let go of the outcome. Anything in life is divided between the doing and the have done. Both are important. For instance, making dinner is just as important as eating dinner. Another example, painting a canvas is just as fun as hanging and showing off the painting.

The key is that when you are creating, you can’t be critiquing. The creator part of ourselves cannot be thinking about the outcomes, judgments, or criticisms that may happen when we share our creations. The creator needs to only think about the task at hand. For example, the drawer only needs to think about the line and the paper. The writer needs only to think about the next word. And the actor only needs to think about his or her next line. Once the inner creator is done, then and only then, should the critiquer come out. The critiquer helps the creator by examining what went well and what didn’t go well. The critiquer shouldn’t condemn the creator but only offer advice. Also, the critiquer needs to stop critiquing once the analysis period is over and allow the creator to start a new project.

Addressing the Fear of Failure

More likely than not, the reasons you fear being bad at art are twofold. The first reason is you don’t want to be judged as not enough. The second reason is that you are too attached to what you hope will happen if you create something others will value.

Not a single person alive likes being told their creative expression is lacking. No matter what anyone says if you have created something, pat yourself on the back. Also, there is no law that says you have to share your creative expression. You can if you want to, lock that painting, story, or acting video up in a vault.

With that said, creativity is meant to be shared. Putting your creative expression out into the world is scary because people will critique your work and more likely than not, judge it as not being up to par. Still, that doesn’t mean you're not enough. It means that everyone has their own tastes. If you can learn anything from the critique, use it. If the critique doesn’t help, let it go.

Practical Steps to Overcome Fear

Most of all, while creating, be the creator and not the critiquer. Don’t worry about what other people will think, how it can be improved, or if others will understand. Instead of thinking about the outcome, just have fun creating. You can always change it later if you want to. Also, you can start over if you want to.

Enjoy both the acts of creation and the analysis after the creation. When I write, I write a paragraph first. Once it is written, I analyze it for flow and readability. After writing for a few years on Quora, I have made some improvements. However, my writing could still improve. But it isn’t through analysis and critique alone that I improve; I also have to keep on practicing.

If you are a painter, try making a painting that is ugly. That way, worries about the outcome are eased. If you are a writer, try free-writing where the outcome isn’t important. If you are an actor, try improvisation where the process is more important than the outcome.

In the end, don’t worry about whether you are good enough or what the outcome might be. Instead, just do the art. By so doing, you will improve. And you will be having so much fun that you won’t worry about what people think or what the outcome will be.