Is Artistic Frustration Really Terrible?

Artistic frustration is common, especially as a beginner! As you progress, you will also learn how to cope with this frustration.

So how do you deal with artistic frustration? Most of the time, it comes down to taking a break. Either stop painting for a while and instead observe and do something that inspires you. Or do some simple painting exercises and draw something you like that makes you happy!

Of course, this sounds easier than it is. It’s easy to focus on the things that go wrong. So let’s talk more about these frustrations, why they happen and how to get over them!

Why do we suffer from artistic frustration?

Creating something is an emotional experience. Painting is a form of self-expression. Even if you’re just drawing a homage to something you love, or learning a new discipline, you’re always using your language.

We always put something of ourselves in our art. Even when we don’t notice it! It’s a natural artistic frustration that our hands and tools don’t seem to want to work with us when inspiration strikes.

Sometimes, our minds aren’t fully integrated. Other times, our perception of what good art is and what we imagine in our minds is not yet within our reach. We need more practice.

Creating in any form, whether it is painting, drawing or any other form, is a deeply emotional experience. We create from a “different place”. Our work becomes an extension of our emotions, and we often place our value on what we create.

And that’s why we are proud when we succeed, and why we hide our work or throw it away when we fail. This is why artistic frustration is so strong, especially when our identity is often tied to the label of “artist”.

We must learn to separate our emotions from the work we create. Although not entirely possible, we must learn to look at our work objectively rather than emotionally.

Suffering does not make art. Draw what makes you happy, don’t force it. We create things that make us feel good, but internally and externally. We also often create things to make others feel good. So it’s only natural that if you feel good while doing these things, they will get better.

Figuring out your rhythm

Fortunately, artists are now starting to be more open to burnout and other mental illnesses. It’s important to know when to rest or even take a break.

So, as always, if you’re not feeling good about yourself and your art, talk to someone, it might help! Take a break from the work you are doing or slow down. You may not be as productive as you used to be, but performing even the smallest of tasks is enough!

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Take frequent breaks

Everyone has a different way of dealing with their artistic frustrations, but it’s always important to know when to take a break.

If your drawing is not going the way you want it to, but you continue to try and get the same results over and over again, then you may need to take a break. It’s no use continuing and satisfying your frustration.

Stop, even if it’s just for half an hour. It’s always important to take a break from painting. If you draw for too long, your muscles start to tense up. Therefore, taking a break will not only clear your mind a bit but also keep your body healthy.

Let your thoughts stop. Sometimes the problem is not in our hands or our ability to draw but in our minds. Things aren’t going the way we want them to and our attention is focused on that.

It takes time to perfect any process

When learning something new, it always takes a long time to get better. And you might get in to artistic frustration. But you don’t get better day by day, you have to accept that!

Even if you spend countless hours a day focusing on your art trying to improve, it still takes time and you might even get exhausted! So, as we talked about before, it’s always better to rest and take your time.

We learn not only through painting but also through observation. Think about this while watching a movie or even reading a book. I often see myself analyzing how or why certain shots were taken.

When you are in artistic frustration, it’s important to find things that inspire us and help us improve our art and style! These inspirations don’t need to be explicit in your work, but you will certainly know what inspired you to choose this or that subject, that color scheme, or how you drew your lines.

Just take the time to learn, look for drawing inspiration[review:5 Ways to Find Drawing Inspiration], and improve over time. It is normal for it to change all the time, especially in the beginning, but with each practice, style, and exercise you are learning and improving!

If you find the artistic frustration that what’s holding you back is your lack of skill level, you need to start honing your skills. Wingfox is a good platform to learn from. There are 11 digital art sections with tutorials for you to choose from. You can also get a 10% discount by joining the tutorial now and using the coupon code: blog10 when you pay. Just start learning and don’t hesitate.