Our artistic growth is often tied to our mindset. Sometimes, it’s hard to see that we’re holding ourselves back.

From my time in art school and advising other NSFW artists, here are some of the negative mindsets I’ve encountered.

They Ignore Feedback

Anyone can ask for feedback. The hard part is selecting the good feedback and implementing it.

Slow growing artists don’t take the time to put feedback into practice, and they end up repeating their mistakes.

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Just taking note of the feedback isn’t enough, either. You’ll be surprised how complicated a ‘simple’ change is when you try to implement it.

They Believe All Their Art Should be Good

During class presentations, more than a few students begin with, “I’m not as good as the others, but here’s my work.”

 Somewhere along our art journey, we start to believe mistakes should be avoided. That to play it safe and make a ‘good’ work is the goal.

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But if we want to grow as artists, we need to be open to mistakes. And that means making stuff that will look like shit, so our later stuff won’t.

They Don’t Study

Whenever an artist says, “damn, I can’t draw ____”, the first thing I ask is “have you studied it?”

I find myself guilty of this too. I get dejected when my drawing of something looks like shit. But then I remind myself that I’ve never actually studied it before.

Incorporate studies into your routine, and you’ll see slow but steady improvement in your art.

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That’s what I love about drawing. Draw one thing properly, and it’ll improve how you draw everything else.

They’re Stuck Chasing a Style

The elusive style. The thing that’ll differentiate you. That makes you unique. Or so we think.

During my life drawing classes, my professor kept telling us to “Just keep drawing. And then you’ll find your style.”

The thing is, style can be studied, but it’s hard to replicate. Style copying can get in the way of developing your art fundamentals, and thus your own style.

The more I drew, the more I saw my art focused on communicating sensuality. I liked soft touches, curving lines, and erotic focal points. These weren’t really conscious decisions.

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 Style is not “my eyes need to look like that” or “my proportions should be like this”.

Style is everything you do. Your reasoning, your problem-solving, your line-making, your decision-making, and everything else.

They’re Easily Satisfied

I asked my designer friend what he thought held others back from improving. Without hesitation, he said “their stuff looks amateur”.

I thought about that, before realizing it’s a problem I see with artists too. We always want to be paid more, to be respected for our work, but we don’t put in the effort to improve our skills.

But what if you don’t know how to improve? Aside from studying our fundamentals, we must compare ourselves to better artists.

Of course, don’t stress yourself; you aren’t at their level.  But you must see your skill level in relation to theirs.

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Suddenly, all the things you can improve about your art will jump out. Is your presentation as good as ___? Are your lines clean and professional like ____? Are your values and color choices strong like ____?

It’s painful at first, but necessary if you want to become a better artist.

Closing

Did you feel any of the points resonate with you? Or perhaps something else is holding you back from growing as an artist?

Whatever it might be, understanding our mindsets is key to improving. Be understanding of your faults, but be strict in fixing them.

How have you overcome your negative art mindsets? We’d love for you to share your experience and help other NSFW artists. Otherwise, share this article with an artist friend who might need it!

Cheers, Beats.