Demons

For the artist, there is a seemingly endless list of fears, misconceptions, and excuses that get in the way of making art, and it is only by recognizing and facing these demons that you will be able to realize your goal to become a good artist.  I’ll just lay a list of some of the most common demons (as I see it) today, and then deal with each one in greater depth in upcoming posts. They are not in any order of importance or seriousness, and while some artists have to deal with only one or two of these issues, some find themselves suffering from nearly all of them. The first step is to consider each issue in relation to your own situation, and determine, honestly, what impact it has on your art-making.

1. Fear of failure/criticism

2. Unrealistic expectation

3. Self-doubt (lack of confidence)

4. Self-discipline

5. Success

6. Choice of medium

7. Time

8. Procrastination

10. Lack of focus

11. Multi-tasking

12. Misunderstanding of your intent

13. Misunderstanding yourself

14. Packrat

15. Perfectionism

16. Inertia/lethargy

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”   David Bly