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7 Art Tips For Artists to Improve Their Mental Health

Art Tips To Reflect And Succeed

Artists are sensitive—to the world, to life, to change. We need to work on ourselves in order to learn, grow, and evolve. Art is important, but it cannot sustain itself without an artist. So in order for you to create art, you have to take care of yourself and put your well-being and mental health first. It’s important to curate some good art tips that can help you when you’re having a bad art day.

Being an artist is a journey that encompasses both the highs of creative inspiration and the lows of self-doubt. Some days are amazing, and some days you’re going to feel down in the dumps. Here are 7 art thoughts for artists struggling with mental health or feeling defeated on their art journey.

Art Tip 1: Perfection is a False Pursuit

Art tips
Image credit: NegativeSpace.co

‘Perfection’ in art is a ruse. Time and again, the imperfect nature of art has continued to move artists and audiences alike. The ‘human touch’ is what makes art unique. Too much perfection can become boring. Embrace this art thought: perfection is neither a style nor a skill. It is striving for an impossible ideal only to fall short. 

Putting too much pressure on yourself to be ‘perfect’ can make your mental health suffer. That doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious, but be ambitious about the right things. If your goal is to improve anatomy, don’t aim for ‘perfection’. Instead, aim for expression, creativity, and style, and look for art tips and tutorials that help you achieve them. Remember, the journey is about improvement, not perfection. Keep realistic goals; striving for perfection will make you feel unfulfilled, no matter how much you improve.

Art Tip 2: See your Art from an Objective Perspective

Art tips
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

If you think your art is ‘perfect’ but don’t know why others don’t think so, you may have rose-tinted glasses on. You can be proud of your work without being oblivious to its shortcomings. Since nothing is perfect, everything can be made better.

Study your paintings as well as those of famous artists. Look for art tips and tricks that they use in their work and incorporate them into yours.

Every painting that has ever been finished could have still been worked on, but the artist knew when to stop. Do you? Knowing when to stop working on a piece requires a clear, unbiased view of your own work. Think about your strengths and weaknesses, and focus on improving your skills.

Art Tip 3: Your Knowledge Will Improve Before Your Skills

Art tips
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

As you learn more about art, you’ll be exposed to a lot of different artists. You may learn about new art styles and schools of thought and, as a result, be able to interpret art contextually. You will learn to recognise, objectively, what good art is.

This may lead you to be unsatisfied with your own artwork and become more critical of your ideas. You may notice more mistakes than before and wonder why it seems like you haven’t improved. Don’t worry; this phase is temporary. Your skills will catch up to your knowledge soon.

Art Tip 4: Bad Art Days Happen

Art tips
Image credit: Needpix.com

Every art piece needs a certain amount of creative energy. If you keep drawing or painting for a long time, you may notice that you feel bored, tired, and unmotivated. Some days, you can’t seem to come up with anything good. Sometimes the piece you’ve been working on for a long time feels like it’s not turning out the way you wanted it to.

Remember these art thoughts: It’s okay to have bad days. I can start over tomorrow. It’s essential to accept that bad days are part of the artistic journey. The creative process is a series of highs and lows, and embracing the ebb and flow is key to sustained and consistent artistic growth.

Art Tip 5: How to Deal With a Lack of Motivation

Image credit: Pexels.com

It’s easy to feel demotivated when there are so many amazing artists and art pieces in the world. You may wonder if you will ever ‘live up’ to them or if there is even a point in being an artist. Others may not appreciate you, and this lack of validation can have a negative impact.

It’s important to remember why you create art in the first place. All artists have different motivations behind their artistic drive: getting better, selling commissions, a need for fame and recognition, or simply for personal enjoyment. We may get distracted from this purpose sometimes, which may cause us to get demotivated. Understanding our purpose and staying focused on our goals will help us stay consistent even when we face changes in criticism and external validation.

Art Tip 6: How to Deal With a Lack of Inspiration

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Look at other artists for inspiration. Art and design are all around us.

Pick up a pen and look at its design. What makes it look good, and what doesn’t? Some features may be purely decorative; others might make the pen easier to use or give it more value. How do design and practicality combine to create functionality? Similarly, how do thought and technique merge to create art? 

Draw parallels between practicality and art and seek inspiration from artists who explore diverse techniques. Observe how they use these techniques to create dimension, depth, and intricacy in their art. Not all art needs to be realistic or technical to be visually appealing; find styles, mediums, and art forms that appeal to you and focus on creating art that is authentic.

Stop Overthinking and Start Creating.

Image credit: Pexels.com

One of the most important art tips we can give you is this: you can’t just keep thinking about art in order to be an artist. You have to start creating, because otherwise it’s not art—it’s just a thought, a theoretic exploration of the infinite possibilities you have yet to create. While it’s important to plan out your compositions and themes in advance, sometimes you just have to let those creative juices flow.

Want to join a thriving art community on the never-ending journey of artistic creation? Download the Rooftop app from Google Play or the App Store to start learning and co-creating! Stay tuned to Rooftop blogs and follow us on Instagram at @rooftop_app.

By Melissa D’Mello

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