Artists fear rejection and doubt they’re abilities on almost a daily basis. We tend to compare ourselves to other artists and think, “I’ll never be as good as they are,” or “My art sucks. I can’t actually show this to anyone; what if people don’t get it?”
Fear is ever present. It’s an endless source of unsolicited, unfavourable opinions your work. It paralyzes you with scenarios that, in reality, have yet to happen. Doubt strikes after fear has immobilized you and endeavours to rob you of whatever determination you have left to fight against fear’s poisonous grip.
Why do we allow this to happen? Our egos. We have both an unconscious and a conscious desire to be more skilled and expressive than other artists, and this, for me, is an artist’s greatest failure.
I can spend ten minutes on Instagram searching out new artists and be humbled by whom I discover for the rest of the day. There is so much talent in our world. There are so many outstanding individuals, both people we learn about and people we don’t, that it would be impossible for any one person (or any group) to be named best of anything.
Are some people more accomplished than other people? Absolutely. But no one is born that way. Your environment definitely helps, but people work at getting better and improving themselves. For the artists who always investigate, who always remain a student of their craft, ideas and concepts begin to present themselves – music, words and pictures that other people are seemingly deaf and blind to. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys reached that level of artistry. John Coltrane certainly did. The Pre-Raphaelites, the surrealists; William Shakespeare also comes to mind.
One must build their artistic self from the ground up. Start with good teachers and a proper education. A firm foundation in your chosen discipline will support you through all of your trials and tribulations. However, once you gain an understanding of the fundamentals, experiment, step out of your comfort zone from time to time; most importantly, do not become a slave to rules that are meant only to help you, rather than confine you.
The most boring artists are able to compose paint-by-number “picture-perfect” representations, while some of the most interesting art can come out of someone’s mistakes, from an artist’s willingness to allow imperfection and spontaneity to enter their work. In Moebius’ work you will see eyes on faces that aren’t quite level, or maybe a hand that’s bigger than another. Does it matter? No, because Moebius did his due diligence and then transcended his training, producing some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring art the science fiction and fantasy community has ever known.
The world famous jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, whose solo recording, The Koln Concert, is my single, favourite album of all time, released a multi-album live recording called The Sun Bear Concerts. If you listen closely you can hear, every so often, a misplayed note. Did it change his performance? Did this imperfection (if you could call it that) degrade his artistry? Not one bit. Why? Keith Jarrett has such an intimate knowledge of the music he is expressing and the instrument he is playing that his presentation as a whole becomes a work of art. An artist in this state performs in the moment, without the whisper of fear or doubt catching their ear.
The antidote to fear is hard work. The antidote to doubt is humility. There will always be someone who is farther along on his or her journey than you are at any given moment. So what? Ask yourself, “What do I need to improve upon?” and fix it. It’s that simple. Surround yourself with people who will inspire and educate you; spend your time wisely. No praise, no blame, and conquer one mountain at a time.