#Being a Healthy Artist by making myself stop looking at my art lol

[avoidmint]

Rookie (Affectionate)

This was supposed to be a quick warmup doodle but then I got too obsessed with how much I disliked how Sonic looked. After re-drawing him like 5 times I told myself I needed to just stop touching it.

[carpisuns]

I just wanna say I have an old post of yours saved in my drafts, about being a beginner artist…. I look at it sometimes to give me perspective and reassurance. Thank you. It has inspired me to continue my hobby/passion even if I don’t get many notes rn. I improve and I see it! Thats all that matters. Thank you. I hope I can be that for someone someday.

oh wow 😭 this just warmed my heart—thank you for sharing with me. i don't know what post you're talking about specifically, but i'm so glad that something i said could give you a little extra boost sometimes<3

it's both cool and sort of embarrassing that this blog is a record of my entire art journey. i didn't start learning how to draw until i got into ML and joined tumblr again about 3.5 years ago, so it has my very earliest art as well as my most recent. the other day my sister and i went through my art tag and i was literally crying with laughter at some of those pieces alskjdf (particularly this one). they're sooo bad but they were my best work at the time! as much as i cringe to look at them now, it's nice to remember how far I've come. There are still so many things I struggle with and things i disappoint myself about, but that's normal because I am still growing. no one stops growing. the artists you look up to the most, whose work seems absolutely flawless to you, are still growing.

and YOU are growing too! whether you feel like you are or not. sometimes it takes looking back to realize it. i'm really glad you can see your improvement! honestly, that's a skill too! having a healthy mindset about your own development can take a lot of internal work so I'm really proud of you for that.

(i got very rambly so cut for the rest lol)

and honestly sometimes the improvement isn't even about what the art looks like—it can just be about how you feel about making it. I think one of my biggest improvements in the last year was getting comfortable with drawing and sharing things that are Bad and Ugly! for example:

the first one i drew 3 years ago, just a few months into learning how to draw. the second one i drew about a month ago. they both have obvious flaws and you could even argue that the old one is better drawn than the newer one. so it's like omg did i not improve at all after over 3 years?? did i actually get worse? lol. no! because a lot of the improvement is internal.

you'll notice that the first one was done in pencil and the second one is pen. it took me years to feel confident enough to sketch in pen because you can't erase! you have to commit to the lines! you can actually see tons of erase marks in the first one, but i didnt even use my white-erase tape at all on the second one. also, the first one is a screen redraw. i was just looking at the image and trying to replicate what i saw the best i can. the second one is new scenes/poses that came from my brain—not that they are very complicated/impressive lol, but there's a difference there. and what you can't see at all is just my attitude about drawing them! i can't particularly remember doing the first one but i guarantee i spent forever on it and was nervous about posting it. second one probably took me 7 mins and i knew it was ugly but i was zero percent embarrassed about that lol. that's progress baby!! cant even tell you how much of a difference it has made to me to let myself draw ugly things. i draw ugly things all the time. some of them get posted online. some of them get shared with one or two friends. some of them get shared with no one. and i've finally learned how to either embrace them as what they are or just shrug it off and go, "you know, this is not it! moving on." blank pages are so intimidating because you have a million opportunities to mess things up, but you also have a million opportunities to explore and learn and experiment and have fun and also to surprise yourself with what you're capable of.

i started out with nothing but a pencil and some powerful blorbo brainrot, and that was enough! that has been enough to power me through years of all the struggles and triumphs that artists go through. it was enough to help me push through every art block and keep drawing to the point that my instincts have improved and things that used to be almost impossible for me are just regular hard lol. i've actually illustrated for a print magazine a few times now, and a few weeks ago i finished my first animatic—which i always wanted to do but didn't have the skill or confidence for.

sorry this is so long, i'm just very passionate about this subject lol!! i just want every growing artist to know that if you keep trying and having fun, improvement is not only possible but inevitable. like, you don't even have to do formal studies if you don't want to. keep looking at art that you like and figuring out what is appealing to you. keep drawing what you feel like drawing. if you're no longer inspired by a piece or it's a little too tough for you right now, it's ok to drop it. you can come back later or never. you have infinite opportunities to make new and better art. and don't forget to give yourself credit for the progress you've already made. it's so hard not to compare yourself to others, and literally everyone—even the best and brightest—feels bad about their work sometimes. but try to compare yourself to your past self and pat yourself on the back for your improvement! it's okay to grow slowly, or in a way that's not so visible on the outside. just remember that you are growing, and you will only get better and better.

also, side note about notes/likes: i know it sucks to feel like your work is not getting attention when you poured a lot into it :( this might sound rich coming from me because i feel that people have been incredibly generous toward my work from the very beginning. but just know that popularity is not really about who "deserves" what, and it's not an accurate reflection of skill either. so if you feel unseen, that doesn't mean your stuff sucks. and you never know what your work might have meant to the people who saw it, even if there aren't that many. art doesn't have to be popular to be meaningful, and it doesn't have to be perfect either.

the world is a little richer and more beautiful because of the ways you are growing and the things you are sharing. so thank you, and please don't stop.

[cherrymoonxx]

hi! it’s been such a long time since you’ve done a game🙈 i’m happy that you’re back and doing them again.

for your valentine’s day ask game, i’d like to choose letters of love 💌

i think the most happiest/sweetest moment of my life was when i was snooping through my elder brother’s stuff and found a box. it was filled with things i made him when i was young.

i remember seeing that and becoming so filled with emotions, i just had to burst into tears haha🫣

thank you for the tarot game! - s.k 🍓

Hey SK! It has been a while but I’m happy to be back🩷 and omg that’s sooo sweet!! I would’ve burst into tears too for sure 🥹 but thank you for sharing this lovely memory with me!

Okay, let’s get to the good stuff:

So I feel like this person is a bit more reserved with their emotions. They feel like they’re very artistic and can use music and art to express themselves. I think they can be some sort of artist, like a painter, because I kept getting hand imagery and sketchbooks. Despite them being more introverted, they are quite romantic and idealistic. They can be in their head a lot but they seem to be quite good when it comes to being attentive to you and your needs.

Here’s what I channeled from them:

“Hey… this is a bit awkward huh? I don’t want to disappoint you so I’ve been thinking about what to say to you. I kept starting and then stopping because I wasn’t sure what to say. How about we start off simple? How was your day today? Have you eaten? I hope you’re not putting too much pressure on yourself. I know life can be really stressful sometimes but I know you’re strong enough to withstand anything. Make sure you get a lot of rest though and eat a lot of good food. I’ll make sure I do the same so that when we meet we’ll both be healthy. I’m sorry the start was so awkward *laughs* I just want to make a good impression! You know, I constantly wonder whether there’s someone out there for me but I know it’s you. I’ve been waiting for you and trying to be the best version of myself before we meet. I’ve just been working on myself and doing things I like to keep me grounded. I think life is beautiful and I’m honestly excited to experience it with you.”

Okie dokie, there was definitely some awkwardness at the start. lol it reminds me of the first date jitters. But once they got more comfortable, there was more of a smoother flow. I saw it as someone starting to write a letter but kept stopping and getting distracted. Kinda like that one episode of SpongeBob where he had to write an essay and spent a whole bunch of time procrastinating lol. Their energy reminded me of that. But once they started, more information kinda flooded through. Like, their favorite thing about you is your smile. I kept smelling the smell of coffee so this makes me think you guys will have cute little coffee shop dates. Museum dates possibly. Picnic dates on warm sunny afternoons. They seem to be romantic and always looking up fun activities to do with you. They will really make an effort to be a good partner. Sharing songs with you will also be a big way they show their love for you. You can definitely expect cute playlists dedicated to you.

These are some songs I channeled as well.

Alrighty, that’s what I’m seeing for you. I hope you liked this reading. Please let me know if it resonates!

Thank you for participating! Have a lovely Valentine’s Day 🤍