![]() It would feel divorced from who I am if I suddenly tried to paint landscapes with realistic colors and compositions. Thus, when I begin a new painting, I keep those things in mind, but I also know that I can’t try to force myself to paint in a way I personally don’t like. For instance, I would rather create work in an illustrative style than a realistic style, though I adore surrealism and like to romp in that playground. Choose to keep those aspects that call to you and make you feel complete and ditch those that don’t speak to you. Personal style should be just that: personal. Taking these small bits from other artists, I begin to build a foundation of skills that, when woven together, create my own distinctive style. I pay attention to how light is used in Caravaggio’s work and how watercolor artists create light in soft glazing, like in the work of Heikala or Koyamori. I love the hands drawn by artists like Michelangelo and Myriam Tillson. ![]() For example, I prefer a lot of texture, mixed media, and human figures or animals in my work. There’s nothing wrong with finding a style you like, as long as you weave it into a fabric of your own making. We influence and inspire one another, so put away the guilt. If you take small bits from several different sources, you can start to find what aspects you prefer in your work by getting inspiration from the art community. Your main focus should be to find the aspects you like creating. Finding the things that makes your work stand out or identifies your name to your pieces will take time to develop. Keep in mind that having the badge of “personal style” will not a successful artist make. This is an elusive idea and I feel like a lot of artists put too much pressure on themselves to actively create a unique or bankable style. At the end, I’ll give some helpful insight on how to get through this doubt and how to proactively head it off at the pass before your brain can start to sabotage your work.Īnother stressor in the art world is “creating a personal style”. I’ll also share my own experiences with self-doubt and negative thinking and how I’m able to keep it tamped down. There are a few common tollbooths artists tend to encounter that could result in a trip down the Imposter Syndrome highway, so I’ll address them here. It’s that annoying voice (which sinisterly speaks just like you) in your head that is telling you “you’re a fraud and will be exposed at any moment!” ![]() Merriam-Webster defines it as “a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success.” Keeping in mind that “success” and “abilities” are subjective, this kind of mental mind frack hampers all artists from becoming their best. The term “imposter syndrome” has been bantered about in the artist community for years. They feel like a fraud among legit and more prestigious artists. They notice that their work could be compared to (or worse yet, be accused of stealing) the work by a more well known artist. They dread they are not bringing anything new to the table. ![]() Most people I know struggle with that complicated soup of feeling slighted on one hand and like a total fraud on the other.”-Amy PoehlerĪt one time or another, most artists have felt like they are just copying work that has been done before. “You will never climb Career Mountain and get to the top and shout, “I made it!” You will rarely feel done or complete or even successful.
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