Hey Kyle. I am my only critic (added to the fact that I have generalized anxiety) and I feel most of the time that what I will create in an illustration won't work because of the composition, or that my idea is not deep enough to connect to other people, which makes me want to leave my stuff unfinished and keep my creativity restraint, and I keep forgetting that I am barely starting and that most people are not professionals and won't have such high standards as I have for myself. I would like to read more about this in the future. Anyway, thank you for writing about something I think most artists struggle with, this makes me feel like I am not alone. ☺️
Monic, you certainly are not alone! I promise that even the most seasoned professionals struggle with this all the time. It just takes practice to focus more on your strengths, celebrate your progress, etc. - thank you for the comment and for reading. 🙏
Kyle I am incredibly proud to read about what wonderful insights and successes you are experiencing in your life. We haven’t seen each other in about 30 years! Such a blessing that J was able to meet up and catch up with C. I adore your writings and clear insights. They are an inspiration for me as I live in the 3rd chapter of my life. Stay inspired and please continue to grow and know that your journey is incredible and that you are a precious spirit in this universe 🙏🏻♥️ mrs. R
What a wonderful note, dear Marlene! And how amazing to know that the mother of one of my great childhood friends can be connected to me through this writing experience- the world is full of surprises and gifts. Thank you for this! I wish I could have been there with J and C last week, but at least I got to share some laughs with them via video call. I hope you're happy and healthy, and I'm sending you a hug through the internet! ❤️✨🙂
I have a question that wasn't sure which post it would fit on, but it seems "critic" seems close enough.
In short, how to deal with the situation that almost everything we "try" to create, someone is already doing, thought of, has invented, etc...? The feeling that we actually aren't creating anything new. Almost any idea that comes up, if you search online, you'll find content very similar to what you think was a new idea. I often thought this was a case of Impostor Syndrome, but doesn't quite seem to fit in the same way. Of course, what we "invent" is based on references and things we absorb during our lives, with some slice-and-dice/mix-and-match.
Has the feeling of true uniqueness+novelty+invention just faded way by the mass volume of stuff already out there? Are we stranded on just creating remakes, rebrands, rewrites, readaptations, redesigns of everything that once was original?
That's a big criticism for myself: that every new cool idea that I come up with, gets demotivated in 5 minutes of online searching for references. It's all been told already, why would I?
My simple answer to this is that nothing you create will be *exactly* like what has been done before because *you* are not exactly like anyone else who has come before! If you ask 500 children to draw a horse, every drawing will be slightly different. There have probably been a million paintings made of the Eiffel Tower but that won't stop artists from painting it. If you are happy making the things you are making, keep making them. And if you wish to sell them, you will naturally come up with a way of marketing them that suits your personality and your personal 'brand,' etc. - there is room for your and for your ideas in the world, whether or not they are 100% original.
Thank you for your wise words. I needed to read this tonight and get out of my own way!
Thanks, Coco. Onward and upward!
Hey Kyle. I am my only critic (added to the fact that I have generalized anxiety) and I feel most of the time that what I will create in an illustration won't work because of the composition, or that my idea is not deep enough to connect to other people, which makes me want to leave my stuff unfinished and keep my creativity restraint, and I keep forgetting that I am barely starting and that most people are not professionals and won't have such high standards as I have for myself. I would like to read more about this in the future. Anyway, thank you for writing about something I think most artists struggle with, this makes me feel like I am not alone. ☺️
Monic, you certainly are not alone! I promise that even the most seasoned professionals struggle with this all the time. It just takes practice to focus more on your strengths, celebrate your progress, etc. - thank you for the comment and for reading. 🙏
Kyle I am incredibly proud to read about what wonderful insights and successes you are experiencing in your life. We haven’t seen each other in about 30 years! Such a blessing that J was able to meet up and catch up with C. I adore your writings and clear insights. They are an inspiration for me as I live in the 3rd chapter of my life. Stay inspired and please continue to grow and know that your journey is incredible and that you are a precious spirit in this universe 🙏🏻♥️ mrs. R
What a wonderful note, dear Marlene! And how amazing to know that the mother of one of my great childhood friends can be connected to me through this writing experience- the world is full of surprises and gifts. Thank you for this! I wish I could have been there with J and C last week, but at least I got to share some laughs with them via video call. I hope you're happy and healthy, and I'm sending you a hug through the internet! ❤️✨🙂
Hello! I truly enjoy your content, as always!
I have a question that wasn't sure which post it would fit on, but it seems "critic" seems close enough.
In short, how to deal with the situation that almost everything we "try" to create, someone is already doing, thought of, has invented, etc...? The feeling that we actually aren't creating anything new. Almost any idea that comes up, if you search online, you'll find content very similar to what you think was a new idea. I often thought this was a case of Impostor Syndrome, but doesn't quite seem to fit in the same way. Of course, what we "invent" is based on references and things we absorb during our lives, with some slice-and-dice/mix-and-match.
Has the feeling of true uniqueness+novelty+invention just faded way by the mass volume of stuff already out there? Are we stranded on just creating remakes, rebrands, rewrites, readaptations, redesigns of everything that once was original?
That's a big criticism for myself: that every new cool idea that I come up with, gets demotivated in 5 minutes of online searching for references. It's all been told already, why would I?
My simple answer to this is that nothing you create will be *exactly* like what has been done before because *you* are not exactly like anyone else who has come before! If you ask 500 children to draw a horse, every drawing will be slightly different. There have probably been a million paintings made of the Eiffel Tower but that won't stop artists from painting it. If you are happy making the things you are making, keep making them. And if you wish to sell them, you will naturally come up with a way of marketing them that suits your personality and your personal 'brand,' etc. - there is room for your and for your ideas in the world, whether or not they are 100% original.
Spot on! Hope you and the fam recover quickly from Rona!