Is it possible to make yourself enjoy art?

[Artloader]

I've always been afraid of drawing architecture but as an aspiring comic book creator it is something that I have to learn.  I'm not entirely sure why I don't like drawing architecture, maybe it is because I've never been any good at it, maybe it is because I've always found it boring compared to figure drawing.

I've always found in the past that I can improve at something faster and for longer when I enjoy doing it.  So I've been wondering if I can make myself enjoy drawing architecture.

My theory is that if I can just sit down and draw or paint enough architecture sketches, I will eventually start to improve and as I improve, I will begin to enjoy doing them and when I enjoy doing them, I will begin to improve faster.

My question to the forum is this:

Is it possible to make yourself enjoy drawing something that you are currently scared of drawing?

I'd be really interested in any thoughts on this, thanks in advance :).

[John]

Is it possible to make yourself enjoy drawing something that you are currently scared of drawing?

I'm going to answer this as if it's a problem. And I think there are two general ways you can tackle it:

One way, you can try making this like a simple game. Give yourself achievements you can try to hit. And whenever you do achieve them, you can treat yourself. The ol' carrot and the stick approach.

The other is to think yourself out of this fear, or whatever's scaring you. Maybe then you wouldn't have this problem in the first place.

This made me think, in what scenario could something scary be something fun. I would understand there would be some level of discomfort in trying to learn new things, but that's pretty much the growing pains everybody go through in moments of transition..

Or did I misunderstand the premise of the question?

[DK]

I think the more time you spend with it the more you will grow to enjoy it. That's not always true, but at the very least if you spend enough time with it you'll grow accustomed to it. For me personally, I like to repeat whatever process I'm trying to learn until I have at least one small success before stopping, and then rinse and repeat the next day. It will help reinforce confidence and progress, and hopefully once you can do those drawings effortlessly, it will become fun?

[Artloader]

@John:  Yeah I like the carrot and stick approach, I can't remember ever trying it in earnest, but it may well be time for me to give it a go!

This made me think, in what scenario could something scary be something fun. I would understand there would be some level of discomfort in trying to learn new things, but that's pretty much the growing pains everybody go through in moments of transition..

Or did I misunderstand the premise of the question?

I guess the scenario would be - I sit down to draw something and I get an overwhelming fear of failure - I'm afraid that I will do a bad job.

[Artloader]

I think the more time you spend with it the more you will grow to enjoy it. That's not always true, but at the very least if you spend enough time with it you'll grow accustomed to it. For me personally, I like to repeat whatever process I'm trying to learn until I have at least one small success before stopping, and then rinse and repeat the next day. It will help reinforce confidence and progress, and hopefully once you can do those drawings effortlessly, it will become fun?

Thanks Dennis, I think that's a useful tip, get at least one small success before stopping.  I'm hoping that when it becomes effortless, it will indeed become fun.  I'm conducting an experiment with myself by seeing how I feel about drawing architecture after 100 architectural sketches.  I'm hoping I will have turned fear into joy :).

[neopatogen]

The fact that you're afraid to do something but at the same time feel like you must do it might mean that conquering that fear is going to contribute to your goal and growth a ton :) I'm reading this book these days https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/...il_pbo.pdf check it out, about resistance ;) Learned about it from Ash Thorp podcast.
Dennis gave you some solid advice.
Looking forward to see your architecture stuff!

[Artloader]

@Neopatogen: Thank you for the encouraging words :). That looks like a really interesting read - bookmarked and I'm definitely giving it a read. The last time I read one of your recommendations (Mastery by Goerge Leonard), it boosted me up a level or two!

Yep - I will be posting my architecture sketches in my thread - got 5 done already!

[John]

I guess the scenario would be - I sit down to draw something and I get an overwhelming fear of failure - I'm afraid that I will do a bad job.

I don't have a definite answer to this since we all have our own ways of dealing with it.

----

Short version: You will do a bad job. Maybe not on your current piece. But you will eventually stumble. And it's alright to fail. We all eat our balls. By chance if you do fail, let it happen. (As if you got any other choice!). Failures are bound to happen regardless of any skill level. Question is: if it's inevitable, why should it bother you?

----

I remember not too long ago I had lost it in the Discord chat once. I was about to apply (or was applying) to various game companies all over. I was hesitant and overly anxious about it. This guy/girl, not to be named because I might accidentally antagonize or vilify the person, in the chat knew my work enough to say that I shouldn't keep my hopes up into getting in. We clearly both can see that my work isn't good enough. If it was, we wouldn't have that episode to begin with.

And that person was right. Every company I applied to passed on. A lot didn't even bother to hit me back with a reply.

I remember I was bellyaching like a baby, declaring I'm almost a decade into this art thing: keeping on hammering the fundamentals, working on them, churning more pieces that I could've and still, there was absolutely nothing that went my way.

Basically what that guy said was I should just quit art altogether. No company will ever hire me and better to spare myself from that misery.

Writing this down, I still don't have the right words to process that small exchange I had. I consider that person a friend, so I didn't feel it was mean-spirited. It was a real exchange, probably even a nice wake up call. To this day, I still ask myself from time to time this hypothetical question I don't have a definite answer to: Is it still worth it to do draw and improve my craft even if I am bound to fail forever?

[neopatogen]

@Artloader I acually only started it, so can't say about the whole thing, but it's so harsh and true so far, and it really makes me close that book and stop procrastinating, so I microdose the reading, book addict as much as I am :)

As for what John said, I think deep inside every one of us knows the answer. You can fool yourself for some time but not forever. It does not mean I do not doubt and question myself same way more often than not :)
I remember saying to some person after I entered law school that I killed an artist within me (I liked drawing for fun as a kid). Sounds a bit scary right now. Turned out that he didn't really die.

Also I listened to some interview on Bobby Chiu channel and the artist said, if there was no art job for him, he would still draw. Would he really, nobody knows for sure.

Anyway I keep going so far and I'm happy to have your company guys along the way :)

[Artloader]

@John:

We all eat our balls.

Sometimes John, your eloquence approaches Shakespearean levels ;).

Question is: if it's inevitable, why should it bother you?

It is inevitable that we fail occasionally but for me, that knowledge doesn't remove the fear of failure.

Basically what that guy said was I should just quit art altogether. No company will ever hire me and better to spare myself from that misery.

My personal opinion on this is that if you take the average person and put them through the right training, they will be able to get there.  For me, getting good at art is not about a god given talent, but about hard work.  Talent is a bonus and will help a person get there faster.  Now I'm not saying this to make you feel good about yourself, but from what I've seen, you definitely have more talent than the average person off the street.  Don't give up man.

Is it still worth it to do draw and improve my craft even if I am bound to fail forever?

For me, the answer to this is paradoxical.  A bit of a disclaimer here, what follows is my personal opinion and open to being shot down in flames.

People who answer "yes" have a deep passion for art for it's own sake and for these people, fame and fortune is of secondary importance.  They will paint when the sun is shining and they will paint when they sky is grey.  They will be happy when they discover new techniques and they will practice with patience and dedication.  These people paint for no reward other than the joy they take from moving the brush over the canvas.  As a consequence these people are more likely to achieve higher levels of mastery.

People who answer "no" will value fame and fortune above doing art for it's own sake.  These people are more likely to get frustrated and impatient with art.  They will be happy to paint when the sun is shining, but they will have to rely on their strength of will to paint when the storm clouds of life gather.  These people paint because it is their pathway to fortune.  These people are less likely to achieve higher levels of mastery.

So my theory in a nutshell is this:  If a person would still draw and paint even if they knew they would never achieve mainstream success, they are more likely to achieve that success, but it is only of secondary importance to them.  If a person would stop drawing and painting if they knew they would never make it in the mainstream, they are less likely to achieve that success even though it is of the utmost importance to them.

Personally, I am working on myself inwardly to become someone who would do art even if I never made it.  To savor the journey above the destination.  Do I still dream of one day being able to make a living from my art?  Of course I do.  But I really believe that to achieve that dream, I actually have to let go of it and grab hold of a deep love of the art journey.  In that way I will be more likely to get there.  Even if I don't, at least I would have had a blast along the way.

Anyway, enough of me chuntering on, thanks for replying anyway John :).

[Artloader]

@Neopatogen: Sounds like a powerful read, I'm looking forward to reading it.

Also, I for one am glad that your inner artist didn't die :). It has been a pleasure having your company on this journey we call art. Let us continue to savor the journey.

[darktiste]

Being willing to fail as the power to change the odd of someone future success. Those who fail more will eventually learn if they observe the error that keep repeating  but it can be hard to avoid trap if you don't wish to experiment new way to think about the problem.

Fear is what make us procastinate and destroy us slowly if it not dealt with.Fear is crippling and won't go away you might not enjoy what is uneasy at first glance but once you achieve small victory you gonna crave those small victory and it gonna be increasingly rewarding unless you switch to something you do not have mastered yet.

It help to start small to reduce fear start with the smallest thing you can do and set bigger goal.
(For example someone want to walk a marathon but he want to do the whole marathon to begin with he gonna be scared and will probably not have the stamina to finish.So it important he slowly build is skill so that each newer step is less scary to take and 1 step closer to the goal.
You cannot be impatient  because you will bring in more fear.You need to focus on allowing anything positive to be the fuel of your sucess.Do not let that voice tell you you don't deserve to be good at something that just not true.Be crazy if you fail.Be like the  mad scientist alway ready for a new experimentation curious and hard working.Just don't be crazy about what is negative and all should be fine.

Negativity destroy enjoyment, experimentation create possiblity of positive experience.

Here something that can could help you unlock key the secret of enjoying art rather than surfing your energy of the moment.
http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-6483.html

[Artloader]

Good points Darktiste. I think there is a balance to be had between failing and succeeding. If I fail too many times I become disheartened, if I succeed too easily, I may become bored. I believe that it is good to do both periodically.

Thanks for the Positive Thinking link, useful stuff - sometimes it can seem that the world is conspiring to take us down so it is good to arm ourselves with the tools to counteract that.