There Is No Such Thing As Being Too Untalented To Make Art
Perceived Lack Of Talent Shouldn’t Be The Reason You Stop Yourself From Learning
Talent is a real concept, there is no doubt about it, however pure talent is not the only ingredient that is necessary for an artist. We all see the world differently and have abilities that may help us to learn concepts and techniques quickly. With any skill, there is a fundamental level to attain. Some people have better hand eye coordination, others have wonderful memories and some others have a creative imagination. Along the way you may find out that you have a certain talent for perceiving the world around you or bringing expression and emotion to your art. This may not have been discovered without learning the fundamentals of art and drawing. It doesn’t matter if at the beginning you are struggling. Art isn’t a race that is timed, from start to finish, art can be anything you want it to be. Though it may take you longer to finish an artwork and to learn the skills required to accomplish what you wish to do, the artwork in the end may be something special and admired by many people. If you love something or wish to learn a skill, don’t stop yourself by comparing yourself to others as this will be detrimental to your work.
A High Skill Level Doesn’t Denote Talent, It Is Practice
There are many people that seem overwhelmed by drawing and creating art. Sometimes they claim they cannot make a stick figure. If that is you, there are many people that have been in your position that have started by making simple drawings, to developing complicated figure studies, with shading, proper proportion, composition and flair. That is just technique, something anyone can learn with a great deal of practice. There is a procedure to everything, because of different styles, you just have to learn the procedure for it. Practice, practice, practice and you will improve.
Improve Your Artists Eye
Watch videos, find books, learn from the masters. With social media and so many people making art, it will change your perspective. In the end you must develop your own style, before long you will create things you didn’t think you were capable of. It may take you time to draw and paint complicated scenes that you strive for, but you will have a style and level to work towards. The more art you consume and make the better you become.
Don’t Use Experienced Artists To Put Yourself Down
When you see a person you consider to be a great Artist, don’t put high expectations on yourself when you are learning. Take this step by step. There is a goal to aspire for, but when you see an artist who is polished and wonderful, you don’t see the hours of practice, finding yourself as an artist and the frustrating moments. If you visit the subreddit reddit.com/r/choosingbeggars, there are many instances of people demanding an artist make a comic book or artwork for free or for exposure on a small social media account. Many people take artists for granted. To finish an artwork on a professional level, takes a lot of hard work and sweat to get to that point where people think it is so easy you should give your art away from free. That isn’t even including the amount of time it took to make that specific artwork.
Don’t Allow Negative Thinking To Hold You Back
When you are learning, it is easy to lose faith in yourself, especially if you have already started with the premise that you lack talent. When we are learning something, the thinking of I don’t know how do this can easily turn into I cannot do this and I never will. Art isn’t impossible, because it is all lines and shapes. Even if you cannot shade well at that moment or paint in a style you wish to paint, your brain will get it with practice. By studying art, eventually your brain will start to see the world differently, with procedures that you have learnt, you will find that your current art is better then your previous artworks. That improvement will be a wonderful feeling. The Dalai Lama is known for asking scientists many questions, such as can the mind overcome the brain. Scientists had long dismissed this idea as they believed only physical states can give rise to mental states. With the discovery of neuroplasticity in adults, some scientists decided to start commissioning studies to answer this question. In one study they put adults who have depression (I understand there a varied types of depression) into two groups. One group received an antidepressant and second group went through cognitive behaviour therapy. The CB therapy group was taught to stop catastrophising and to not view any setback in a negative manner. Both groups depression had lifted, but they had made scans before and after the study finished. The CBT group’s brain’s had changed, their frontal cortex (where the reasoning and higher thought happens) wasn’t overactive anymore. There was another study where scientists studied monks, who are known to have meditated for over 10,000 hours. It also had ten volunteers who were taught the same meditation technique that the monks practice called compassion meditation. This is a practice of feeling loving kindness and compassion towards other beings. When practicing the meditation both volunteers and monks had strong gamma waves. Gamma waves are the aha feeling when you look at something and recognize it. Regions of the brain that are supposed to be of self, were less intense while the parts of the brain that control emotions and happiness were stronger. The monks had the highest gamma signal even when they weren’t practicing their meditation and there were obvious differences in their brains compared to the volunteers. They had a stronger connection from their frontal cortex to the areas that control their emotions. Mind over matter especially with something as skill based as art, is an absolute reality. As you do it your brain will definitely change.
