Do you feel as though you're at your breaking point? Maybe you've been feeling like giving up lately because you're not seeing any progress when it comes to your art (whether we're talking about progress in terms of your skills leveling up, or progress when it comes to making a living with your art).
We've all been there. I, especially, have been there. In the ten plus years that I've been trying to break into the industry, I haven't had my own big break just yet.
And that's okay. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's alright to be patient with yourself.
Getting Good Takes Time
Maybe your biggest frustration is that you feel as though your art isn't getting any better. Maybe you've hit a plateau in terms of skill, and you just can't seem to climb over that hill. So now you're wondering if you really have what it takes to make it.
My advice is, just keep going. Just keep creating. Just keep practicing.
I remember this one story I heard from a podcast interview with Brian McDonald, an award-winning filmmaker, and author of the books Invisible Ink and The Golden Theme.
You see, Brian once taught story structure and storytelling techniques to the folks over at Pixar. He also taught students at various seminars and workshops.
So, anyway, in this podcast episode, he tells this story of how a popular playwright was once asked, "How do I get a play up on broadway?" And the playwright answers him with the question, "Well, have you written a play?"
The man answers, "No."
And the playwright then says, "Well, first you've got to right a play. And then you have to write another play. And then another play. And then maybe you'll be on broadway."
Naturally, the one who asked the question didn't like the answer. Why? Well, because it involved him having to work for it.
And that's the problem that most of us creatives have with our art. We believe that the heavens will just reward us one day for doing very little, that it will all just fall onto our lap and everything will work out in the end.
But reality works far more different from that wishy-washy once-upon-a-star dream.
Success takes work. Not always hard work. But it takes work nonetheless. Some people get lucky, but you'll notice that the number of people who do are just a handful. Most successful creators who make a living with their work take months or years before they see success.
It's a Time & Skill Issue
There's another story Brian McDonald tells in this podcast interview. He talks about how he and a couple of friends (comic artists) went to this convention and saw this booth with this incredible, utterly amazing art.
Now, understand, these guys were several years in the industry already. They were pretty good at what they did. But they were just floored when they saw this art.
And then came the question that one of them asked the group, "Well how old is this guy?"
Once they found out the artist's age, a huge sigh of relief swept the group. The thought that came to them went to the tune of, "Ah well, no wonder he's so good. He's been here long enough. He's done the work."
Age plays a role in skill because age can suggest just how many hours one has spent practicing and perfecting their craft.
Have You Put in 10,000 Hours?
It's like Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule. In his book, Outliers, Gladwell talks about how some of the people we consider modern-day geniuses or overnight successes weren't actually geniuses from birth. People like Bill Gates and The Beatles, actually put in a LOT of work to get to the level they were at when they became successful.
The story of the artist at the comic convention reflects that same sentiment. He put in those 10,000 hours. That's why his work was so good.
Stephen King writes book after book after book. It's no wonder he's a bestselling author. Picasso created thousands of paintings. In fact, experts estimate his work to amount to about 13,500.
The question is, how many stories, novels, paintings, scripts, sheet music have you created?
Can you really say you've done work that's equivalent to the greats to call yourself a successful artist?
If the answer you have to that question is, "No," there's no reason to panic.
You've got time.
Andrea Bocelli was 38 when he released his debut album. But it wasn't until his third album did he achieve worldwide success.
Louis Armstrong, despite being a well-known and recognized performer, was 64 when his best-selling album, Dolly!, was released.
Julia Child published her first cookbook at 50.
Stan Lee, caught his big break when he was in his 40s, when he published The Fantastic Four.
Yayoi Kusama's fame in the art world only started to grow after she hit 60.
So Start Putting In the Work
I used to be pretty active in the local comic book community here in my country. I interviewed a couple of artists about their work and their creative process. I even tried self-publishing and selling a comic I created with my brother at these conventions. So I follow a lot of artists.
There were these trends, back then, of artists showing "Then and Now" pieces of art. The older piece was from when they first started making art, and the newer piece was one of the more recent artworks.
There was also that trend wherein they would recreate a piece of art they did in their teenage or childhood years, and show the difference side-by-side.
The difference, of course, was staggering. The way their artistic skills developed was nothing short of inspiring.
And then there was this one artist who also shared a "Then and Now" post, but it was the growth he had in a single year. At the start of the year, he committed to making a drawing every single day, for 365 days. And the difference between his work at the start of the year and the end of the year was mind-blowing.
Again, all this goes to show is that when you start to put in the hours into your practice, you will improve.
Build A Creative Habit
So, when it comes to improving your work, the last example I gave would be my best piece of advice.
Turn your art into a habit.
Create every day.
There is this one writer, Jeff Goins, whose work I absolutely love. He's written several non-fiction books on art and creativity, including my favorite, "Real Artists Don't Starve."
He started as a blogger, though, and the first book he wrote that created his breakthrough was this little manifesto he titled, You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One).
Jeff tells the story about how he'd already started several blogs in the past and how none of them saw success. The difference between those blogs and the one that made it was that he had committed to create a habit out of his writing by getting down at least 500 words a day.
Deciding to finally commit to your work makes a huge difference. So if you haven't built any habits around your creativity yet, now is the best time to start.
There's that old Chinese proverb that goes, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
Start now. Doesn't matter how old you are, or how much time has passed. If an artist can see amazing results with just one full year of practice, then that possibility is available for you too.
Don't Give Up!
Lastly, if you do decide to go for it. The last thing you should ever do: is quit.
There's this story of how there were these two miners who went to the mountains to go digging for gold. So they start digging and go on for a while, digging and digging, not finding any gold or success.
Eventually, one of them gives up and leaves. Never seeing a single piece of gold ore.
The other miner, however keeps going. And not long after, he arrives at the gold vein and makes millions.
The miner who had given up didn't know that all he had to do was keep going for a few more meters and he would've hit that vein himself. He had given up right before he reached a breakthrough.
So, in your case, no matter how tough it gets. No matter what results you're seeing (or not seeing), if you love the work that you're doing, then don't stop creating.
Eventually, you'll hit your own gold mine.
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