A hangup of many young creators is they don’t like their own work very much. Though this feeling is not exclusive to a noob– I’ve met many experienced professionals who loath their own work. I think it’s much more common among artists, musicians and creators just starting out.
Here are some tips for getting over this hump, or at least minimize your imposter syndrome.
Everyone sucked at some point.
Folks who compliment my work have said “I wish I was creative like you”. I always reply: if you spend 8 hours a day for decades doing anything, you will get much better at it. I have made some very lame drawings, and I did much more of that early in my career. I still make bad drawings. Even Jordan missed out on his basketball team sophomore year. Stick with it.
Most art ages like milk in the sun.
Trends come and go. Sometimes I’ll look back on old chomp art and think, “how did anyone ever follow this brand?”. It was so cringe or cliche. But a few of the graphics still hold up. Creating anything timeless is scattershot. You don’t know what will stand the test of time.
Talk to other creatives.
A group of peers who share your creative interest is always helpful. I bounce ideas off of lots of other creatives. “Does this look right?” “Is this balanced”, “does this look like a dick?” These are all good questions that can be answered by other creatives.
You are you, and not someone else.
You have something to say and the world needs your contribution. Start making something, however derivative. As much as you love another artist, you will never be them. That’s a GOOD thing.
Make lots of work.
Some of it will be good. Experiment. Some of your work will never get shared publicly. That’s what sketchbooks and hard drives are for. You can’t know if it’s a good idea until you make it.
Social media is poison.
Do not let your confidence come from social media. My literal FAVE artists are not particularly famous on social media. Posting to social media is just a billboard. Your billboard might be on a dirt road right now. Maybe very few are passing by. Some other creatives have built a super highway. You are not them. They got there by one part luck, and one part consistency. (Also don’t buy followers, that shit is obvious).