_{Read Time: 5.8 Minutes}

Howdy, art friend ^.^

Buckle up - this is gonna be a big, important one.

Cuz If there's ONE thing universal to artists… it’s really hard to stay positive while learning art sometimes.

And hey, it’s fair.

Art is really personal AND takes a lot of effort. There a piece of you in every thing you create. A little fragment of you on a page, poem, or song for all the world to see.

That relationship can be truly beautiful, but that comes with a lot of potential baggage. If you're not careful art will drain you dry then tear your heart to shreds.

And trust me. I get it. I've been there. Huge burnouts, motivation droughts, entire projects flopping, or working on something forever just to hate it. This art thing can be a brutal mistress.

But through all those trials and tribulations, I’ve discovered some outlooks that make the process much more pleasant.

Thus, in the hopes of saving you some trouble, I offer my insights to you.

I hope they help 🙏

Success always starts within.

You see, there are two versions of you:

Right now, "Current You" gets stuck in the toxic trappings of an artist trying to make it. "Current You" might see success as out of reach - requiring luck, exposure, or outside validation.

Right now, when you struggle to stay positive, it's because the beliefs, skills, and habits of "Current You" are not ideal to achieve your goals.

You see, the "Future You" (the one-day successful version of you) has different beliefs, skills, and habits from "Current You". "Future You" knows success is inevitable because they've put in the time to become disciplined, resilient, and knowledgeable.

To become "Future You" all you have to do is relax and allow the process to occur as it needs to. It’s like you’re sharpening a blade - turning "Current You" into "Future You". Every time you pull that blade across the whetstone it gets a little sharper.

And this isn't criticism of who you are now. This "Current You" is a crucial step on the path to becoming "Future You" - just like each step of a staircase is crucial so you can actually get up the stairs.

So, start by honestly asking yourself two questions:

Why? Because...

And you are not your beliefs.

If you're struggling to let go of old ideas, realize that beliefs are simply a means to an end.

They are tools to be utilized when they are relevant to the current stage of your journey - or they become dead weight.

Imagine…

When you have to cross a river, a raft is very useful. But if the next part of your journey is climbing a mountain, you shouldn't be dragging a raft around. Dragging a raft will make climbing mountains harder. Make sense?

Now that doesn't mean the raft was pointless. No. You needed the raft to cross the river, but after the river the raft's has no value. It's the same with all the beliefs you keep.

Keep the appropriate beliefs for the appropriate time.

This means letting go of ideas that no longer serve you so you can make room for ideas that will serve you.

You may need to let go of:

And none of this is about forcing yourself to change overnight. It is about recognizing when the old version of you is resisting the new version of you.

That brings us to...

Ego is a sneaky snake, and you need to watch it like a hawk.

Ego, if you aren't careful, convinces you, “I already know enough.” It convinces you that your way is the right way. It resists change because change feels uncomfortable. It likes "Current You" a lot - cuz “Current You” probably likes your ego too.

But here is something to consider: If your current beliefs and habits were enough to get you where you want to be, you would already be there. You wouldn't be humming and hawing about your likes, your art, or your style.

Of course, this does not mean you are not talented or incapable.

It simply means that your Ego doesn't want you to accept there is still more to learn - that you will ALWAYS have more to learn. Because your evolution requires that your Ego has to come second. And Ego HATES coming second. It wants to be #1 - all the time.

But your growth has to come first.

So, check your Ego and...

Change is not a betrayal of your artistry.

It is a natural part of being human. Every artist you admire has gone through it.

Remember.

The artists who succeed are the ones who recognize that they are always students. They embrace the uncertainty of letting go of old ideas - willing to adjust, experiment, and grow in ways they never expected.

Think about the artists, musicians, or creators who have sustained long, vibrant careers. They did not stay the same forever. They experiment. Picasso had a blue period. Opeth started making Jazz. David Bowie couldn’t stop changing his persona. etc. etc. etc.

Let yourself become something else with time - and let your curiosity guide you.

Will your current "style" still be your "style" in 10 years? 20 years? I bet you'll get tired of it by 30 years, right? As an artist, you are in a constant state of transformation - whether you like it or not. And EVERYTHING you make is "your style" - whether you like it or not.

The only question is:

Will you allow yourself, and your art, to grow or will you fight it?

And as you create and grow, don't forget...

You need to learn to separate your art from your self worth.

Many of us struggle to disconnect what we make from who we are. And I get it, it's hard not to.

You put a lot of effort into your art. When your work gets no attention or someone criticizes it, it's difficult not to feel like YOU are being directly attacked. You poured your heart and hard work on to that page, didn’t you? That art IS a piece of you, right?

But this association will destroy you if you don't address it. Especially because you need to create A LOT to get good at art.

The longer you allow your art to be a direct reflection of you, and a reflection of your value as a person, the harder it will be to put in the time you need to flourish.

So it's in your best interest to learn how to pour yourself into your art to make it real. But then the moment you are done immediately accept "it's not me anymore. It's something else". That work is it's own being separate from you. So wish it luck, then send it out into the world.

Just because you made it doesn't mean it has to define you.

You are a work in progress, just like your art.

So embrace the journey. Every good adventure has some chaos.

Embrace that growth is messy, uncomfortable, and sometimes straight-up infuriating, because this mayhem is the key to unlocking the artist (and person) you want to become.

The more you welcome change, challenge your ego, and separate yourself from your work, the more you’ll excel.

So keep going. Keep learning. Keep making. Keep evolving.

Because the best version of you?

You haven’t met them yet.

Peace and Love,
Brosatsu