_{Read Time: 2.4 Minutes}

One of the hardest parts of mastering any skill is staying consistent.

Especially when it comes to something as vague as art.

For instance, say you wanted to get better at something like math. You would know you were improving by getting the answers right to more and more complex problems.

Which sucks, because we all know to get really good at something, you have to do it a lot. This means you need a lot of consistency.

So what are we as artists to do?

If you want to get really good at something, you have to do it a lot.

That means the last thing you should be doing is judging any of your work harshly. Because judging your work harshly will only discourage you - especially if you make a habit of hating your output.

You need to reframe every piece you create as another repetition working towards your goal, not as a final statement or another failure.

Think of developing your art skills just how you create any single artwork.

To make a complete artwork you need many lines and many strokes of paint done in sequence. You can’t do all the lines at once. They must be done one at a time. They can be erased or altered, but you must still take actions in order as you move towards your goal of creating an artwork. If you stopped to judge every line you made, you would never reach a completed piece.

It’s the same for your art journey.

You can only create artworks sequentially, just like drawing lines. And just like drawing lines, all your pieces together will create a complete picture. But in this case, the complete picture is you reaching the skill level you desire.

Motivation is a side effect of excitement.

Why did you first create? It’s probably because you enjoyed it on some level. Your passion for art is where that spark of motivation first came from. Not the other way around.

So you must be mindful to nurture and follow your excitement - even if it says you need to step away from practice for a while. Don’t force it. Your creative muscle might need to rest before you can flex it again.

Imagine if you decided you wanted to master running. So from dawn to dusk you ran, never sitting or stopping. You would just burn out and injure yourself. Now thanks to your forced discipline you can’t run at all. Creativity is no different.

Ironically, once you give yourself the space to take a break, you may find yourself doing it more naturally.

Nothing destroys excitement faster than expecting unrealistic results.

Sitting down and deciding “I’m going to make a masterwork” but judging what you create as not on par with your expectation is a recipe for disappointment.

You need to let go of being attached to any preconceived results when you create. And learn to let your art be what it is at this moment. Don’t apply good or bad labels to what you make. It’s just something you made - that’s all.

This should help alleviate some of the stress of creating, which means you can create more.

Sometimes what's stopping us from being consistent isn't a lack of motivation or passion, but hidden fears we keep like pets.

You need to realize that these fears are all in your head. You let them exist. You fuel them. If you decide to love your work regardless of how it turns out, these fears will melt away like snow in the spring.

The secret to consistency is letting go and finding a way to enjoy the process. 

Because the more you let yourself create for the sake of creating, rather than focusing on hitting arbitrary targets or meeting expectations you have for yourself, the more likely you are to put in the work that actually improves you. 

And then, in an ironic twist, even though you are letting go of “being great” you are now more likely to reach your goal - because you'll have less trouble being consistent. 

Hope that helps 🙏

Peace and Love,
Brosatsu