Success By Mistake

I would love to be able to write this blog with insights on how I overcame my fear of failure, but that would be a lie. Instead I want to use this opportunity to confront my fear directly.

Many of my fellow artists struggle with this same impending fear. In my opinion this is a symptom of a much bigger issue facing the creative minds of our society. We are taught as artists that in order to be considered successful we need to “hit the big time.” As a child I grew up being told that being an artist is a nearly impossible career choice. People equated success as an artist to fame and riches. At a young age I was determined and optimistic enough to believe that as long as I worked hard, I would achieve this success and all of the fame and wealth that came with it. It took me years to realize that this ideology was not only false, but would also not provide the sense of fulfillment I was seeking in my career.

Teaching our children that they need to become the next Leonardo Da Vinci in order to be a truly successful artist can have detrimental effects. Trying to achieve a level of genius that comes into this world only once in a lifetime is setting up an unrealistic goal to meet. When trying to reach impossible goals you begin to feel like a constant failure. Nothing you do ever feels good enough. Your self esteem takes one hit after the other until there is nothing left. It is my sincere belief that we need to reevaluate how we talk to children about artistic success. I’m not saying to discourage children from these lofty goals. I just think that it is important that creative young minds have a full understanding of what it means to achieve these kinds of goals.

I have struggled with being able to accept the mistakes I have made especially where my education and career were concerned. The idea that I had to become an acclaimed artist or be considered a failure haunted me. As a young kid I could draw for hours unconstrained my my own inner dialogue but, as I approached adulthood the pressure to make something of myself grew. I was well accustomed to receiving critiques in class and welcomed them gratefully. I saw these reviews as my chance to understand the inner workings of the minds of my teachers. These were people that had successfully made a name for themselves in the world of animation. Some of them had even worked at Disney or Dreamworks. However, before these critiques, in the confines of my own mind, I could only see my mistakes as failures.

I did not understand the old fundamental principle of learn from your mistakes. I thought I did. In reality, the only lesson I was teaching myself time and time again was, “I suck.” This is why I feel it is incredibly crucial our society begins to change the tone of the commentary on professional creative success. This narrative completely works against a young artist. Creativity flourishes where mistakes can be made. All forms of art are built on problem solving. Being able to imagine what you want to create is not enough. It takes a great deal of trial and error to figure out how to best bring your idea into the world. Being taught that failure is the end of success will stifle your ability to keep looking past the mistake and be able to turn it into something great.

I alone can not tell society what defines a successful artist. Sure, everyone wants to be rich. Yes, it would be nice to share my art with the entire world. However, the truth is, at the end of the day what I really want is to feel enriched by my work (emotionally and intellectually), and to make a difference in the world. Fame is not necessary to achieve either of these goals. Maybe I am naive, but I don’t think that Leonardo’s main source of motivation was money or fame. Perhaps the best way to define success is by asking yourself what is important to you, makes you happy, and helps you to feel fulfilled.

 

Getting Into The Creative Flow

I constantly question myself while I’m working. This practice is both a blessing and a curse. I might catch a lot of mistakes, but it slows me down and hinders my creativity. However, when I enter “the zone,” there is nothing but my work. Each idea and decision feels like breathing. It flows together like a perfectly orchestrated piece of music. I am gone. There is no time. Only my art remains.

After I made the decision to force myself out of my artist block I was happy to be working again. Although I was no longer stagnant, I seemed to be missing a certain spark. A feeling that I had countless times before, but could not seem to access. I did a bit of research on what this feeling even was and came across the term “flow state.” It described perfectly this spark I was looking for. Since I was a kid I had been able to access this extreme concentration that made everything around me melt away. It allowed me to only focus on drawing, writing, or designing. I had felt it in college too while creating my demo reel. The long hours spent in the labs animating never felt long enough.

Entering your flow state sounds like a fantastical super power, but science is beginning to understand what is happening to artists, athletes, and scientists when they “enter the zone.” According to Psychology Today during these periods of “flow” the prefrontal cortex is temporarily deactivated causing a person to lose their sense of self. The inner critic and voice of doubt also shut off. This elicits a heightened sense of confidence. Additionally the brain releases a number of chemicals associated with focus, pleasure, and optimal performance. All of these factors induce a boom in creative output.

Accessing this allusive flow state isn’t easy. It requires both physical and mental practice. I slowly began noticing my own flow being triggered again after a few weeks of hard work. It’s not something that I can just turn on like a light switch. I have to be relaxed and consciously tell myself to stop having so much doubt in my own abilities. I started observing what helped me trigger a flow state. Personally, a good long hike in the woods followed by a perfectly brewed cup of coffee seems to do trick. I suspect that hacking your flow state is a different experience for everyone. I have completed some of my best works during flow states and find myself feeling refreshed and more alert for days after. To me it is simply a form of artistic meditation.

If you are interested in learning more about flow states check out these awesome links. You may know Jason Silva From National Geographic’s Brain Games. He also has a YouTube Channel partnered with TestTube called Shots of Awe where he covers topics like creative flow states. He can get a bit carried away sometimes, but I love his passion.

"Happiness is absorption." - T.E. Lawrence Join Jason Silva every week as he freestyles his way into the complex systems of society, technology and human existence and discusses the truth and beauty of science in a form of existential jazz. New episodes every Tuesday.

 

Quest For The Inner Muse

Any artist can tell you that the road to creative fulfillment is a borderline mental health nightmare. I grew up with a passion for creating. I entertain myself with hobbies like sewing, jewelry making, and DIY projects. But my passion and torment is digital art and design. I attended Full Sail University and earned my bachelors in computer animation. Despite this achievement I have been finding it difficult to stay motivated and to even get inspired. I started writing this in hopes of finding my inner artist again.

Every artist strives to tap into this elusive, almost supernatural entity, sometimes referred to as a muse. In reality this is simply the part of the creative mind that induces an intense focus. This muse like state has been eluding me for four years now. I am determined to see it comes back with a vengeance.

I began the quest for my muse with a simple search for what causes artist block. I came across an idea that resonated with me. The basic concept proposes that every artist has two aspects to their creative process.

1) Your vision or your ability to critique and,

2) your physical skill level.

Most people have a vision that is slightly better than their actual skills. The levels of these practices will obviously fluctuate over time. Here is an awesome visual aid to help explain.

The ideal state to achieve is an equal level of skill and artistic eye causing that boom in creative output. There are only two points in my life I can recall when I was able to experience this balance. I decided to create a chart reflecting my own progress, adding in a line for confidence and motivation. The results have been eye opening.

This tidbit of information really helped me, specifically in getting this website started and it pushed me during my last professional project. When you choose to make a career out of being an artist it is like playing with fire. It depends on personal motivation and demands discipline. Both can be hard practices to maintain when life gets in the way. I personally am cursed with low self esteem and a perfectionist’s eye. This is a recipe for disaster when trying to motivate yourself to improve.

I have been doing a lot of self reflection over the past year and made a decision to keep working and improving, whatever the cost. I finally have a better understanding of what is going on in my jumbled up brain. I was worried I may never find my “mojo” again. I am looking at this obstacle from a totally new angle. I don’t claim to be an expert on the topic of artist block, by any means, but here is my advice to anyone going through a similar situation.

  1. Immerse yourself with things that inspire you.

  2. Take time to learn about topics that you have always had an interest in (or new ones).

  3. Surround yourself with people that are positive and encouraging.

  4. Rid yourself of negative people and find a new perspective on the negativity you can’t control.

  5. Encourage yourself. It might feel ridiculous at first but it is worth it. I promise.

With this blog, I hope to continue finding clarity within myself by exploring what inspires and motivates me. I want to dig deep into topics such as the purpose of an artist in the community, art and spirituality, and the ways society can nourish the creative mind. I am determined to keep working through this block and build up something productive from it, my inner artist.