How I Stay Motivated as an artist
As an artist it sometimes gets hard to push through your own self doubt and stay productive. I don't always get the feed back I was looking for and at times find it frustrating to ignore my insecurities. Although I am a lot more confident with my work and myself in general,sometimes I still need a little help. Here are a few things that help keep me motivated, maybe they'll help you too.
Sketchbook Videos: I love seeing the progress of others and the different approaches everyone takes. I find that it also helps with my creativity and gets me to be looser and less afraid to experiment in my sketchbook. If I see someone who is "better" than me it just makes me want to practice more.
One of my favorite channels to watch on YouTube is matthew39arch He's a teacher at the New York School Of Visual Arts and records the sketchbooks of his students. He also has lesson videos up on his channel as well as his website http://www.drawing-tutorials-online.com/
Looking at my old sketchbooks and art work: I make sure to keep all my old drawings and paintings no matter how much I hate them by the time I'm done. Every now and then I look through them and take in the growth that I've made. It helps to compare my old work to my new work rather than compare myself to someone else.
Listening to podcasts and lectures: I find that tuning in to what successful artist have to say about their own experience in the industry helps me to see that I'm not the only one who struggles. Everyone messes up and has to start over,and I don't have to create a masterpiece every time my pencil touches the paper.
Here are some of my favorite podcasts on itunes at the moment.
-W.I.P. Podcast-Sci-fi And Fantasy Illustration
-The Illustration Underground
-Big Illustration Party Time
