The Power of Ugly Art ✨ Creativity Exercise for Dealing with Your Inner Critic in Your Sketchbook

[@shirahsheartbeats]

❤ a little more practical appreciation. Thank you again

[@marienoellewurm]

oh my god thank you soooo much!! You're my second ever super thanks and it means so so much :)

[@shirahsheartbeats]

@@marienoellewurm 🤗 may you feel more and more appreciated day by day. It's not only about your work and dedication that brings value here..but your being. Much love and blessings to you P.s. it's my first super thanks ever. I'm not so technology person 😅😅 but it was an easy process yey

[@marienoellewurm]

@@shirahsheartbeats aw I'm so so honored :) and yay, how cool that it's an easy process, I think you inspired me to give my own super thanks to a creator I love :)

[@Flash-Strike]

Im a fine Artist and I recommend to you The Drawing Art academy On-Line course I think will help you understand a lot more Art God Bless All

[@Elena-Studio]

I like that you used the word "scribble" because I feel even "doodle" is now seen as something that produces a complete drawing.

[@marienoellewurm]

True!! And yes scribbling is such a wonderful word for our creativity 😁

[@scribble_with_me]

Yes!

[@johikva546]

I absolutelly agree on this, I go to art school for context and the word doodle is commonly used these days as a cute little silly and quite simple drawings that are percieved as a cute product of creativity and inspiration so a lot of people are scared to even doodle cuz they have the feeling doodles are suposed to be cute and a piece itself totally missing the point of doodling (is at least my opinion)

[@mikuenjoyerXD]

I used to get in trouble for 'scribbling' in art class so I have a little bit of a negative connotation with 'scribbling' but fuck that art teacher!!!! Stupid rule

[@justyourlocalrat7]

+

[@anasofialozano7914]

I’ve never allowed myself before to do ugly art. It’s so freeing!! Not trying to always chase perfection is life changing

[@marienoellewurm]

yes totally!! :)

[@lairx]

there is a quote by Nam June Paik i absolutely love: when too perfect, lieber Gott böse

[@justyourlocalrat7]

My journals and sketchbooks used to be so messy and free back when I was in High School, and I really miss that. I've started feeling like I don't have any hobbies because everything I pick up I'm so focused on getting good at that it becomes just another job. This was a great step for me in starting to find that joy of creation again

[@T34Panda]

I was really interested to hear your experience because mine was the opposite. Having everything I put in my school sketchbook graded and critiqued was what gave me the anxiety of what I put down on the page

[@razrv3lc]

I had this exact mindset too. I have just been scribbling on scrap pieces of paper lately the way I did when i was little and actually had fun doing it and it’s fun again. Chasing perfection and “professional” quality as a hobbyist isnt fun at all lol

[@ontologicalornithology]

I really hope you find that freedom again ❤

[@Mippioo222]

As another person said, I had the opposite experience. I find myself trying to undo the over analysing I learned in art education... Everything was graded and felt like pages needed to look a certain way, I didn't really understand the value of scribbling and intuitive art and always felt quite inadequate/pressured to create, rather than appreciating the process !

[@marienoellewurm]

haha you even get a little tidbit of me clearing my throat/repeating my presentation of myself because I forgot to edit that out. hahahaha - this is a perfect example of including 'mistakes' in whatever it is that we create!! 😅 oops 🤣

[@marcilynn2943]

Love it!

[@marienoellewurm]

@@marcilynn2943 aw thanks so much! :)

[@RawSpirited]

Loved it, haha. Was cute

[@marienoellewurm]

@@RawSpirited 😅

[@willbephore3086]

Perfect 😂👍

[@dislocational]

I just did these exercises. It was hard with the second one, because every time I started to draw something intuitively, I would start to analyze it logically, e.g., "oh, this looks like tears, so let me make it round and not square". So I would coninue down the logic path instead of intuitive, and had to interrupt myself and return myself to a more intuitive way. And secondly, I still think that your "ugly" drawing and also the second one are so beautiful :) , but I think mine are indead ugly. I know that's not the purpose to assess them, but just an interesting thing I noted. Also, I do have a sketchbook that I don't like, and now I symbolically called it "the ugly sketchbook", and it gave me a sense of release and play :)

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I'm so glad that you shared your experience!! Because I think this is SO common, and it's super cool that you were able to 'catch' the automatic switch to the logic/analytical brain. Once we really learn to 'see' those switches and the thoughts/intentions arising, then you can also more easily decide WHEN you want to use one or when you want to use the other. Thanks for the kind words. :) And yay for having your very own official ugly sketchbook :D that's awesome.

[@willbephore3086]

I'm going to borrow this ugly sketchbook idea, thanks!

[@drendelous]

i tend to think more and more that those fancy sketchbooks piled on instagram and tours in youtube are made deliberately to show off. i cant believe what they sell are sketchbooks

[@marienoellewurm]

yeah, I think they're more seen as 'portfolios' as sketchbooks. Which is fine too! But also creates unrealistic expectations about what a real working sketchbook might look like. I remember that I used to try to make every page something that I liked, and that was fine, but I also learned a LOT more when I gave myself freedom to experiment and sketch and also have ugly drawings in there too!

[@elenakulikova8876]

So here is the emphasis of the video - great🙂👾! Really, this marketed perfection it just makes us feel unworthy. Also it must be really hard to 'spoil' those perfect pages. I myself - I am not professional, I just like drawing sometimes - used to buy the albums for children's drawing classes and make some pictures. That was OK, but on the other side I was really feeling humiliated😁🤭

[@ninalockie]

i’m so detached from the final product of my art that it doesn’t really matter to me if it’s “good” or “bad.” all i care about is the process and what kind of things i learned about myself, my medium or the world. we get very tied up in the idea that art needs to be perfect or something amazing. it just needs to be something for you. that’s all.

[@marienoellewurm]

yes exactly this!! thanks for chiming in Nina :)

[@sage9836]

I am usually not much into the outcome because I like my ugly art alot. But now and then I start feeling like I should make seriously praiseworthy pieces with awesome technique to justify my time and my use of quality materials. (Which is why I am watching this video now.) The fun of just seeing what happens is an amazing experience.

[@sandrafisherhayes3219]

​@@sage9836but you are justifying your time! You ARE using your art supplies, you ARE creating. The only person you need approval from is yourself. Unfortunately art as an activity or profession is never accepted as a true 'profession' unless we are commercial artists or well known artists...to some it is regarded as a 'hobby' if we are not making pots of money. It doesn't matter what others who are non artists think...there is so much creativity happening behind closed doors and it is not for them to expect us to 'justify' or validate our occupation. A certain person in Citizens Advice asked me what my occupation was. When I said I am an artist she asked if I was registered I said 'no, do I need to be?' Her reply was 'then you're not a 'real artist'...🤷‍♀️🤦

[@lairx]

yep, totally agree. in my creative process i often actually integrate steps where i strive to create something really ugly and disturbing, because i get so irritated when i see something that is just beautiful. beautiful stuff is boring. when i slam some sort of chaotic artistic wedge in my works, things come together and become interesting. i actually quite like Marie-Noëlle's scribbles, there is power in them.

[@BleakNovemberrain]

I'm starting to realize this! Just getting back into my art and it feels like it's just for me. It felt amazing just to mane something I wanted again!

[@lcarolc03]

I’m a mental health counselor by career and an oil pastel artist since retirement. So this video for me is like coming home. Art is such an emotional , intuitive process and I don’t think artists talk enough about all the internal things behind their pieces. I finally started an on line art group to provide a space for personal discussions - internal orocess.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I"m so honored to hear that Carol. :) and yes I couldn't agree more that art is an emotional intuitive process first and foremost, and that it's so so important to talk about what goes on internally! all the best to you.

[@angeliquew2131]

Hello Carol, where can I find your group, please ? I would love to join if it is possible. I'm a rookie with AS and would appreciate to discuss with other artists.

[@lcarolc03]

@@marienoellewurm I shared the link to your video in my small private group. Several group members jumped on the idea and raved about his freeing it was. Thank you again.

[@MyLifeInTheDesert]

Hey I’d like that info for your group too

[@claudiamanta1943]

Art therapy and colourful Rorschach, eh?

[@melissaamyx2196]

My biggest "fear" is "wasting" paper with bad art... it absolutely horrifies me! 😢😢😢

[@egglibra]

if u want any advice mine would be, use the cheapest paper you can find. dollar store sketchbook. printer paper. hand me down paper your parents or siblings or friends didnt finish using up in school. second hand. for bigger projects use wood you find in the street, like when people put their old or broken furniture there to throw away. stuff like that

[@egglibra]

the back of cereal packages, recepts, generally trash !!

[@marienoellewurm]

Those are great recommendations from @yasmin965 ! I’ve also done that, bought sketchbooks with paper I’m not afraid to waste - it helps!

[@cheerubebayonettaholopaine2638]

or rip it into little pieces amd glue them together fresh. make a collage. i do that with my ugly gelliprints. i hate it to waste paint or colours. paper i use wastepaper in my job, which i cut out. perfectly fine, whenever some single swntence of printed mails i can rwmove is on it 😂

[@LKayArt]

I am a professional artist who uses paper from the dollar store! "A master does not blame their materials for the quality of their craft" something I heard once and it always stuck

[@neromillie]

This is exactly why I teach abstract art now instead of realism. It's so much more fun!

[@marienoellewurm]

agreed! Abstract is just too fun.

[@ArtemisZannou]

It probably also is a direct line to our subconcious,completely bypassing the logical mind! It sounds like a relief especially during this era! Maybe I will study abstract art one day, as well... It sounds like freedom ❤

[@neromillie]

​@@ArtemisZannouIt's the only time my brain is calm.

[@ArtemisZannou]

@@neromillie I totally get it 😌🙏🏻

[@MsHGH1]

I bought a 'Wreck this Journal' journal a few years ago - you know, one of those books that has prompts like 'rip up this page', 'rub this in the dirt', 'scribble wildly with your eyes closed', on each page. I found it incredibly difficult at first - even my so-called destruction was very deliberate and compositionally aware. Ridiculous!! That book is really mangled now and I think these exercises might have a similar freeing affect. I'm going to have a go!

[@marienoellewurm]

ooo yes I've seen those around! And so cool that you noticed that your destruction was 'deliberate and compositionally aware' - it's wild isn't it how strong our impulses for 'controlling the outcome' can be, right?? hahaha. Hope you enjoy the exercise!!

[@sage9836]

Love Wreck this Journal.

[@foxr1249]

I had a Wreck this Journal when I was 13, but I was so terrified of the idea of making deliberately "ugly" art that I never touched it! Now I'm working really hard on breaking out of perfectionism, and I just bought myself a new Wreck this Journal, thank you for reminding me it exists!

[@isacienfuegos9210]

As someone who feels so blocked, this exercise has helped me to open up a little bit my creativity and see for myself part of the things that are blocking me. It has been quite a cathartic experience.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh Isa that makes me so so happy to hear :) :)

[@paulinelittlewood1229]

I just say to myself, what is the point in making this mess. Wasting my time and art products. I could not let myself do that

[@isacienfuegos9210]

@@paulinelittlewood1229 I used my cheapest pencil colors to do this exercise. You don't need to use your expensive art products. It's about letting yourself do an exploration.

[@fluffedsquirrel]

​@@paulinelittlewood1229 the point is having fun. Remember, just like you did, when you were a kid (you can also use cheap crayons and draw on old envelops, corn flakes boxes, etc to waste as little art supplies as possible.)

[@Relaxinghypnoasmr]

i love when you approvingly said, “That’s pretty ugly I think.”😂

[@寝坊太郎-h5j]

I've been living in the middle of an artist's block for the last 20 years. I'll try using this to get started. I went from drawing everywhere, on everything, all the time, all day long to absolutely nothing. It was supposed to become my source of income and now I'm left with the shambles of my plans and dreams. It's so hard, having to admit that you've lost skills not drawing, needing to relearn a lot if things, when your inner critic is on overdrive.

[@theeditor1149]

This has been me the past two decades as well. I had to give up on some dreams and working full time in a job that really sucks the life out of me took all my creativity out of me. I'm always too tired to want to create even though everything inside me just wants to draw and make things. I also feel like the lack of time to practice and daydream has robbed me of the abilities I had. I was by no means good at drawing or painting but I had some ability to make art worth showing others. I hope somehow we find our way back to ourselves and can be free again to just live and create the things we want to create happily and joyfully❤❤❤

[@SketchTr]

Things gonna be better. I know that feeling that you put so much pressure on the activity (that it suppose to be your source of income), that you loose the whole motivation to do it at all. Try to return to the beginning, to that feeling when you create out of joy. Wish you to return your passion back to your life

[@olnabooh]

I feel this so, so much! And even though I really don't wish this to be anybodys problem - I'm glad that there are others that struggle (even for that huge amount of time passed) so I don't feel like the only one. Lots of good thoughts to you and others from Germany

[@nataliamartinez6834]

I experienced the same thing too, turns out I’m autistic. You can experience autistic burnout for years especially if you experience sensory difficulties/ issues. Just saying! Whenever I stay with family and I don’t have to worry about bills and such and I am able to rest, I suddenly start becoming artistic and inspired again. Whenever I have to go back to surviving I’m suddenly not feeling so inspired anymore. 🤷‍♀️ I was supposed to be a professional artist too, I dropped the ball pretty hard 😢💔

[@elenakulikova8876]

You are so lucky to have those skills. You must have spent a lot of time to accquire them. Just appreciate that, appreciate your previous input, and be free to experiment with the techniques you already know🙂 I think that, in the end of the day, art was invented for pleasure, whatever that pleasure may be...😇🌿🍀🍁

[@amajjikakumara6942]

The pornification of creating beautiful “art” on social Is a doubled edged sword: it is inspiring and limiting at the same time. It takes me a fair amount of ugly art to work through to create something I am satisfied with. There is a great book called Art and Fear. I highly recommend anyone interested in understanding themselves and “art practice” to read it. Marie, thanks for discussing this topic and providing a great resource to let inner demons sit on the page and out of our bodies which is where they belong 🥰

[@marienoellewurm]

yes that's such a great recommendation! I"m embarrassed to say I still haven't read it, but it's on my list!! :D haha

[@marienoellewurm]

also I couldn't agree more, YES they belong away and out of our bodies - much easier to deal with when you can 'see' what you're working with! :p

[@justa_gigi]

i watch this video repeatedly. Beyond the 'good vibes' and positive energy, it's like a walking cane and a lighthouse to me. "perfection" only happens when you're not trying

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I"m so honored, and so glad the video is helping!! :)

[@ampleparkingTV]

I love that you didn’t cut any pauses or errors in your introduction either - it really captures the values you reflect in the video.

[@Lady_Bug_Lightyear]

to me the first "ugly" art piece looks so coooooool. my inner child loves it :D

[@marienoellewurm]

hihi thank youuuu from my inner child to yours :D :D

[@912009]

My butt clenched at the idea of scribbling ugly art in my sketchbook 😂. I'm so glad I found you, I have much to learn. I actually recently started doodling in my 2022 planner that I forgot to use. It didn't get to fulfill it's purpose as a proper planner, but in a roundabout way has now become a creative planner where I pull it out to brainstorm ideas or thumbnail sketches. It's now my favorite "sketchbook" because it feels like a judgement free zone

[@marienoellewurm]

haha that's hilarious. Keep it up!! it sounds like you're on the right path. :)

[@misstalulah9063]

I really like this idea. I have lots of ungfinished planners and books like that I am going to have a go at this :)

[@ostensibly531]

Did you mean your hole clenched? Lol. It's worse than toe curls.

[@Arietreya]

While doing this alot of sadness bubbled up, I feel like crying but no tears yet. But a little voice in the dephts of my sadness is asking me to go on and make more ugly art so that I can make the sadness feel welcome and safe to exist. So I will try my best to listen and grant that wish. Thank you for showing us (me and the sadness) the way. ❤🙏

[@marienoellewurm]

oh yes what a beautiful gift to your sadness, it is such a precious and gentle soul that deserves love and care. You've got this! also, always remember that if too much of it bubbles up and it feels overwhelming, don't be afraid to find a therapist who can help you work through all of that. Therapy is also one of the most beautiful gifts we can give ourselves (when you find the right fit of course!), and sometimes that's also a wonderful guiding light for those harder parts. Sending love your way!

[@Arietreya]

@@marienoellewurm Thank you for that loving kindness. I already have a therapist. And everything else I need! 🥰

[@LaPeintures]

I felt sad too watching this video your not alone.❤

[@hellodelightfulrando]

This is the kinda art channels I need more of on KZbin. So many artists here put waaaaay too much emphasis on only presenting their perfect art pieces and even if they are aware of how harmful that can be for themselves and the art community they’re too afraid to just show their humble little scribbles. I can empathize with that fear, the internet can be an unforgiving place but we need relax, take ourselves less seriously and just enjoy making some stanky doodles to please our inner goblin child ❤️❤️ this video was exactly what I needed, thank you for sharing ❤️❤️

[@marienoellewurm]

yes yes yes I agree, we need to show more of our scribbles :) Thank you for seeing it and I"m so glad you like the video. :)

[@misstalulah9063]

Exactly why i just press subscribe. What a brilliant and useful video, i’ve been trying to do stuff like this but really not succeeding. Having grown up with the idea of ‘artist’ in my head - it is so hard to just let go and make marks for the hell of it. My therapist has been telling me to make bad and ugly art, but something else, the judgement, takes over each time. This feels like a wonderful antidote to that.

[@ollekoos2071]

The problem is that "scribbles" of professional artists are normally look "perfect" . I know what i am talking about.

[@jennifercoopman]

I tried these exercise. The first one went great for me, thank you! On the second exercise, the first expectation i wrote was 'work must be completed and perfected in one sitting'. I had other expectations written as well, and so started drawing. I felt like it went well, until i noticed a collection of abstract shapes on the page from the first exercise. I expanded on it, added to it, and eventually tried to perfect it. Which of course made it worse. I didn't even realize until that moment that i had already succumbed to the first expectation!

[@marienoellewurm]

yeah it's wild how automatic it is right??? Noticing it is the first step to overcoming these habitual responses. :) You've got this!!

[@siobhanrose1680]

I have this huge block that I cannot get past, like rational me knows all these things, but then I paralyse myself with these other thoughts. If it’s not perfect, I don’t deserve to be doing it. If I can’t make good art, what right do I have. Mine will never be good enough, therefore how dare I think I can. I also just never know what to do. I get bouts of inspiration, and I’ll draw or paint a thing for a while, and then… Nothing else comes and I don’t draw or paint for another 6 months. The thing is I love the idea of making art, I love, love, love it. I have this deep seated lack of self belief. I know somewhat where it stems from, but I also think that’s just me making excuses. I truly feel like I have some talent, like 20% talent, but NO inspiration or creative ability. I cannot think of what and how to create. Ever. My mind is just blank. It’s so frustrating. I love this video though, and am going to cut myself some slack, and practice some of what you speak about in this video.

[@kellystorm6760]

I love that you shared your heart here in your story of your inner world , the feeling state of your situation . I'm understanding how important it is to recognize what's happening in there. So thank you my love for sharing. ☺️♥️♥️♥️

[@marienoellewurm]

so many people can relate with what you're saying! and yes yes yes, please cut yourself some slack because you deserve to just have fun and play with colors and textures :) No need to have any ideas at all or any inspiration, just whatever color speaks to you at that moment, and allowing yourself to make marks on a page. Sending much love your way!

[@Tobazhniazhi]

Omgosh I feel the exact same way! It's so frustrating... I think everything in our world is expedited and we expect our artistic practices to be the same but the truth is our creative skills take time to develop and they also don't remain on a fixed trajectory. I love making portraiture drawing but I suck at it! But recently I've been making small non-objective abstract drawings and I noticed that it was actually difficult to stop drawing! I couldn't believe it. Even though I desired and intend to do portrait drawing, somehow strangely enough, subconsciously, I actually am drawn to abstract art. I think that's why having a vast array of interests is important so we don't restrict ourselves to what we think we want rather we should give permission to allow our innate curiosity to go explore and try new things. IDK

[@human_no847]

Do you feel that way about any other skill in life? If I'm not immediately good at it and perfect, I should never even bother? I doubt it. So why is art any different?

[@wonle22]

One day when I was frustrated about not knowing what to do and feeling no inspiration, I remembered how as a small child this was absolutely no issue. As a small child I just could start and create whatever, and so I knew I had this capacity and I could tap into that. From then I started to get really into it and a long path of exploration followed. Nowadays I'm struggling with paralyzing perfectionist thoughts again, because I probably have come to believe that I cannot take the criticism or rejection that may come with acting on this child energy. I have the need to be valued, and not seen as inferior/unimportant. Like 'child's play' actually means something irrelevant. Even though I know that to me it means something much greater, I cannot trust it somehow anymore. I guess I am fearful of being a laughing stock or seen as a wuss, a weakling, something like that. Writing it down like this makes it more clear to me. I am going to put this on the expectation list and do what is suggested in the video. I'm interested in seeing what happens

[@ArtistRebeccaLS]

I used to think things about art like you mention “oh that looks like a child did it” or “that’s rubbish " even to my own artwork but now , I follow the Picasso quote which my artwork seems connected to without me even trying to »Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Most negative comments towards our artwork will most often be from non art people - I use your idea about cheap paper before using an expensive sketchbook because let’s face it, sketchbooks have all increased in prices lately even the art creations ones. In France anyway 😅 Using children’s fibre tip pens are a great way to loosen up too , they tend to have more durable tips for scribbling fun 🤩

[@marienoellewurm]

yes yes yes love this quote. :) and so true about the negative comments! My guess is they maybe don't do art themselves because their inner critic yells THAT loudly to them... and yes cheap paper can be such an amazing way in to our sketchbooks! You're right that all the prices have increased, ugh. oh I should try out children's fibre tip pens, I don't think I own any but it makes a lot of sense that they've made them more durable hahaha. All the best Rebecca!

[@amcreative3784]

Helped immensely especially as I was taking on unnecessary suffering again.

[@goldfishzzz]

Thank you for this. Ever since I started art school I felt the need to please my professors and never being good enough. It created an unhealthy relationship where I equated my art as my value and worth as a person. Today is how I'll start healing.

[@glynissweeney]

I took know this as I was younger, I let go of that a long time ago and now I just enjoy the process of new mediums and exploration, it is truly freeing. Create art just for yourself and not others, you'll enjoy it completely that way.😊

[@jaybee.b.L0VE.rEVOLUTION]

That's beautiful. I strongly relate to that feeling of pleasing my art teacher, to feel worthy.

[@misstalulah9063]

It’s so hard to let go of

[@alicequayle4625]

Imo art teachers should focus on teaching processes and skills rather than outcome. I remember at school being told off for doing a draft for a big complex piece. They were clueless. Rubbish teacher.

[@marienoellewurm]

yes that's so true!! I promise that with practice, it gets easier :) don't give up!!

[@dgott1678]

I just discovered your video and was pleasantly surprised to watch it. The title itself immediately drew me in. Every word you say is spot on. Instagram seems like "artists" are trying to imitate artificial intelligence. Many of the works seem soulless. I'm trying to explain the essence of art to my students. I notice they are obsessed with "neatness". Now I have your video to help me with that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Very inspiring.

[@MedaHalmaciu]

Just seeing you face come up here and I'm already inspired to take my supplies out.

[@marienoellewurm]

awwww thanks!!

[@dreamerwithpearls]

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful drawing practice! Half an hour flew by without me noticing. By drawing out the expectations of what I think a good drawing should be, the right sketchbook, the expectations of what I should be as an artist, I felt lightness within myself. At the very beginning I felt anxiety, tension in my shoulders. I drew all of this out today. Thank you, a very healing and empowering practice.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I'm so glad!! :)

[@toriwntr]

I've loved art my entire life but somehow convinced myself I wasn't good enough to even try to create and had no talent. I found your video and now I'm making art again. I felt joy for the first time in a long time. What you're doing here is precious. Thank you ❤

[@apatheia3515]

It has therapy value, confronting yourself with your fears and not taking everything seriously is freeing 🌌🌌

[@marienoellewurm]

aw yes, I couldn't agree more, it's so freeing!

[@LaPeintures]

Agree ❤

[@GabrielleMarinArt]

I've watched a bunch of videos trying to spark my creativity back and once again, you're the one who really does it for me! Grabbed my old wax pastels and doodled something abstract and found that play factor again. I said this to you on many platforms but you really are awesome!

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I'm so so glad!!! :) :) and thank youuuuu I'm really honored. :)

[@wanderinfeet]

I drew a lot when I was in school, but my studies and job have taken over my life. The past few months I have been diving back into art. I feel self conscious because I don't feel like I am at where I should be/where I was and get down on myself. Loved this video and cant wait to experiment with art this way. Thanks for the video!

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I'm so glad you're allowing yourself to dive back in, and yes I know 'coming back' can be so hard and really drive that inner critic to be super loud. Sending courage your way and can't wait to hear if the experiment helped :) all the best

[@cathyphegley7848]

Therapy art! Just go for it! Do something…..even if you hate it. It’s like exercise on paper. At least if nothing else you’re learning about different mediums and how they work on a paper. I find this tutorial very helpful as I struggle with perfection. I’m going to start doing this loose and haphazard technique for a while and see what happens. Thank you!🦋

[@marienoellewurm]

aw yay go you!! :) so glad you like the video!

[@mozhno_vse_i_dazhe_bolshe]

I just love it when you put a piece of paper next to an ugly drawing to ... protect it))) Thank you, I wish I could give 100 likes to this video, it's truly beautiful and liberating one. I'm not an artist, but this video showed up just at a right place, and at a right time for me. 💖

[@samcollage7682]

I love doing layers over "less than wonderful" sketches or first attempts. As I get closer to resolving the imagery, I feel like I'm saving myself. A wonderful analogy for depression. There's usually a sense of calmness when the imagery is resolved or close to acceptable, to Me.

[@marienoellewurm]

Oh wow yes that’s so powerful!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@Cookiedesigns254]

Woah this made me realize I may have stopped drawing due to chasing perfection rather than just expressing my creativity in any shape or form the way I did in middle school and high school. It was so much more freeing back then. I love your take on this! I definitely want to exercise this more! Thank you ❤

[@marienoellewurm]

Please do! You’ve got this!!! :) :)

[@neurospicypisces]

I used this as a way to feel past an anxiety attack. I am definitely feeling into this style for my sketchbooks, so I appreciate this video a lot. Thank you for sharing. From an artist who never believed in herself until I allowed myself to make bad art 🩷 bad art teaches skills and techniques you can carry over as you get better at making the art you want to create ❤️

[@marienoellewurm]

oh wow I'm so so happy to hear that! Art is so powerful isn't it. It can welcome us no matter what we're feeling or where we're art. Sending love your way!

[@mysymboliclife]

I super appreciate your approach. I do want to be expressive and create but don't like what I create... I have no experience or training, for some reason I have spent the last decade thinking I should just magically know how to do this skill. 😂 Your perspective shook some things loose for me. Excited to experiment with the ugly. ❤️

[@miklosnemeth8566]

Honestly, at the level of your experience and talent, you cannot make anything ugly, you instinctly cannot make it ugly 8:38 is absolutely gorgeous. The really ugly would be just to mess up all colors and have a grey mass :D

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I'm super honored, thanks so much! :) (believe me, I do draw ugly things too hahahaha)

[@ontologicalornithology]

Thank you for this lovely video and perspective ❤ When I realized that art was a process, not a product, it freed me from the pressure and guilt of needing to always create. Sometimes art is just about looking and appreciating the world; of witnessing with the artist's eye that turns the ordinary into something meaningful. We don't always need to produce an artifact to be making art

[@victoriaaxworthy9787]

Oh wow, THANK YOU so much for creating this! I just discovered your channel today and am so grateful to have found you now. I have recently been trying to overcome my doubts and insecurities that have stopped my efforts at creativity. This is so very helpful for me at this juncture! ❤❤❤

[@marienoellewurm]

aw I'm so glad it's helping Victoria!! :)

[@0203hon]

This is really calming... your voice, your art, whatever you're saying. I woke up in the middle of the night because of stomach cramps and watching your video made me feel at peace. Thank you so much for sharing this :)

[@marienoellewurm]

oh wow I'm so glad it helped!! sending much love and healing thoughts your way

[@EsperanzaCorrea-i3m]

Thank you so much, for bringing this topic to my attention. I am one of those to feel terrified to approach my sketchbook, ❤ now I know someone there encourages me not to be afraid of.😊

[@marienoellewurm]

ahhh there are so many of us that are scared by our sketchbooks... I promise it gets easier! and yes, do it do it do it, despite the fear, with the fear, without the fear, you've got this! :D

[@kaunescau]

This video appears to me in right time, I’ve never allowed myself to create ugly art, and this is what keep me whithout no making art at all for a time. Now I'm gona try this and unblock my fears. Thank you so much 🥰

[@jimclarkartyoutube]

Great video! I've more or less rejected the beauty of polished portraiture in favour of the raw energy of spontaneity. It's so incredibly freeing, and this video is a great explainer of why. It's helped me fill in some gaps in my thinking, so thank you 🙏

[@marienoellewurm]

oh my yes, it IS so freeing, I agree. I"m so glad you liked the video Jim!

[@ruthscott2312]

Thank you, I really needed this. The interesting thing for me is I knew it all in theory but I was still not allowing myself to make a mess in my sketchbook and the emotions that arose by making ugly art and how they moved... wow.

[@sejinkim3394]

Thank you for this video. I used to work with preschool-4th graders and found all their art to be beautiful, not ugly.

[@marienoellewurm]

couldn't agree more!

[@soleravioli]

i was so afraid to watch this and in a lack of better terms, confront this within myself. someone in the comments wrote it best but I find myself lacking a “hobby” because i fear i’m already not going to be good at it / i need to be perfect at it for it to contribute value. thank you for this. i’m so glad i finally watched, how freeing and comforting. i’m going to try the exercise where i jot down what i expect for myself to draw for that moment.

[@marienoellewurm]

Oh I’m so glad you showed so much bravery and did it despite the fear! Yes please do the exercise and let me know how it goes for you. I have no doubt that if you do this once, or twice, or even ten times, it will become easier and easier and your fear & perfectionism will start taking the back seat instead of the front :). Youv’e got this!

[@mermaidp-uke]

Love love love this video and your message! About a year or so ago I created the goal for myself to simply "make bad art", and this has completely transformed my relationship with creating. It's good to have more reminders of that message, so this is definitely a video I will come back to. I'm intrigued to know more about the intuitive process you mentioned, it sounds like a way of doing art therapy, which I love too. Excited to follow along on your creative journey and see what you share with us next! 💖

[@marienoellewurm]

oh oh that's sooo awesome that you created that goal for yourself. And yes I guess in some sense, the intuitive process is almost like a form of art therapy :D though I wouldn't replace it with actual therapy haha - since therapy with a professional is even MORE transformational unto itself. But I do think it's an amazing therapeutic tool we can include in our life and that makes it better too :) Thanks for dropping by!

[@צוףחנהלשם]

העובדה שהסרטון לא ערוך יותר מדי, גורמת לי להתחבר אליו יותר.. הרעיונות שהעברת בסרטון והדרך בה ביטאת אותם, הם משני חיים, תודה רבה רבה על התרגיל המיוחד הזה!

[@marienoellewurm]

Aw yay glad you liked it :)

[@takyiwah2022]

This was very cathartic for me, especially as someone who feels like everything they do must be perfect even before they have given it a try. I didn’t expect the thoughts or feelings or emotions to come up the way they did. I was skeptical but I went along with the video and I am still shook. I love the idea of the space to make bad art. I feel like I can breathe!

[@marienoellewurm]

that's awesome to hear!! Thanks for joining in :)

[@SmeebsyArt]

That was the most fun and freeing exercise I've experienced. Never imagined I'd let lose and just bleurgh into a lovely sketchbook but I'm going to be adding more ugly pieces for sure! I've just recently got back into regular creating art and generally being creative and I have some ol books that need some love that i'm blowing the cobwebs off with and this is perfect!

[@MagdalenaMantler]

Such videos like yours helped me overcome my "sketchbook fear" - I always was embaressed because my sketchbook didn't look as neat and tidy as many others, full of wonderful drawings. I even left many pages out and there were many white spaces. Than I saw some videos on youtube, were people talked about this and that this is not what a sketchbook is here for. What also blew my mind because I have never thought about it: You can paint over things you don't like or glue something onto it AND you can come back weeks, months or even years later into a sketchbook and fill out blank pages or redraw stuff if you wish to. This is such a great idea I never thought of and I want to incoorperate into my sketchbooks. :) thank you for your great video! It is really needed.

[@marienoellewurm]

yes yes yes I love what you said about all the different ways you can 'work with' the things you don't like in your sketchbook. I actually used to do this a lot - go back into my sketchbook and rework things or draw over them, or collage, until I found something I liked. It was fun!! Now I have to admit, I just allow the ugly sketches to exist because I'm more 'okay' with ugliness in my sketchbook - and it's quite liberating I have to say! thanks for your kind words and yes I hope you keep it up and keep allowing yourself to make a messy sketchbook!

[@MagdalenaMantler]

@@marienoellewurm Yes and that is what I love about your video, that messiness and "uglyness" is also allowed. :) It's just a great thing to know, you would always be able to come back to something or try it again. When this idea of doing something again if I don't like it came to me back in school it was a great relief after all and made me more chill with my sketches. :)

[@LenaLovesgoodStories]

My daughter of 2 years is currently helping me learn this. We doodle a lot together and the certainty that she will start doodling on my page frees myself not to be perfect either. I produced a ton of rough sketches of all she requests in the last months (cats, tractors, sailboats,... Sometimes, I make a super quick Google search to see what a crane actually looks like,but mostly I just sketch. I also let her use all my expensive markers and crayons and she drops them and presses them onto the paper, but it's perfect, because I used to value my tools over my own art, not wanting to use expensive paper for instance. And whenever my expectations catch up with me during our sessions, I remind myself that I want her to be less weighed down by her expectations when she grows up. So I have to set an example. 😊 So guys if you have kids please draw with them and let their attitude inspire you instead of teaching them. ❤ Edit: ah, and what really surprised me is that I'm almost certain that this (comparatively) ugly art of mine has improved my art a lot. I never drew machines before, for instance, because they don't interest me much but now that I draw all these vehicles and stuff everyday, it teaches me so much about perspective and so on...

[@vittoriapuca6355]

trying to purposefully do something ugly I ended up with a lovely sketchbook page😅 the second exercise was a bit hard at the beginning, but once I got the first expectation written on the page everything trickled down. On a more personal note, I've started using sketchbooks in 2019 with one of you first skillshare classes (think it was the 10days one) now I'm on sketchbook n°7 and I can't say thank you enough! ❤ Learning to embrace mark making for the sake of it, has been a lifeline, enabling me to express things I don't have words for and sometimes just "decluttering the mind". Really appreciate your art and your approach to it, so wonderfully real and lifelike with ups, downs, throat clearing and the like. ❤❤❤

[@marienoellewurm]

oh that's so wonderful to hear Vittoria, I'm truly honored!! and yes yes yes to everything you said 'expressing things you don't have for' and 'decluttering the mind'. I use it for those things too and it's enriched my life so much! and haha how funny that when you tried to do something ugly you ended up loving what you made... sounds like somehow a life lesson in letting go :D all the best to you

[@letiziarose]

I stumbled upon this while avoiding sitting with a big project I am working on, and you got me to reengage with the whole goal of my practice which is simply to create. Thank you for holding this space!

[@sheilagilleland4312]

I had to rewatch this after a stressful week, so today I Play and make ugly art! To me it turns out relaxing and beautiful! 🙌🏻

[@marienoellewurm]

Yayyy amazing!! :)

[@jeanneratzlaff2640]

I found this at the right time- felt 'stupid' in my enthusiasm. helpful to rethink my expectations with images and words

[@marienoellewurm]

oh enthusiasm is a beautiful gift, I'm sorry it somehow got associated with feeling 'stupid' about being excited. Keep cultivating that childlike enthusiasm, it'll give you back a hundredfold :) all the best

[@beanzburg888]

ive been having a strong intuition to start an ugly sketchbook, and i tried to but it’s still too pretty! thank you for this video, it reminded me that i really want to push myself to make art that makes me uncomfortable because i know it will be very healing for me :-)

[@marienoellewurm]

Yes yes yes I have no doubt it will! :) definitely start an ugly sketchbook I think that’s a great idea!!

[@vaphiadis1]

For the most part that's all I expect and enjoy doing ! No expectations just enjoy the playful process and I love not knowing what the end result is going to be trusting my intuition and feeling joy in the freedom. It's so exciting. I love it ! ❤❤❤

[@xXjules13Xx]

It’s so funny that we have the same flawed “it needs to be beautiful” mindset but mine is because I’m NOT a professional artist!! It’s a double edged sword 😭

[@marienoellewurm]

Haha wild isn’t it. Our brain will find any and every excuse to break our creativity down. Let’s not let it! 💪😁

[@daniel-ht4gu]

wonderful video, im a working artist in the middle of a personal & art crisis! im in the process of coming to terms with a dissociative disorder. when you mentioned making room for all the parts of me in my artistic journey- i felt such a sense of calm come over me. lots of the self help ive been reading talks about incorporating art making into the healing process, but this has been such a struggle to me. ive been stuck in the mindset that it has to be perfect, like an anatomical diagram. but this is exactly what i needed to loosen me up and connect more with the emotional side of my art and my self. thank you for this demonstration!

[@lstandish9]

Thanks.. that was interesting!

[@marienoellewurm]

glad to hear it and thanks for dropping by! :)

[@xengineer9751]

It's night time where I am and I couldn't sleep. Right before me going to bed I was opening expensive sketchbook and was judging for never doing smth there. And well the first page here now is that "ugly art" and it feels good Thank you for this lil brave step I made not alone❤

[@space_1073]

Crude art like this is like lofi film, purposefully flawed and low effort, all feelings. It's personally my favorite style funny enough

[@marienoellewurm]

ohhh your comment makes me happy because I loooove Lofi, the grainy raw textures, the simple truthfulness behind it. so thank you!

[@doop15973]

this was such a fun experience, i really needed to let that shit go

[@marienoellewurm]

I'm so glad to hear that :)

[@doop15973]

I'm on the skill share now 😎 thanks for being a fun teacher

[@marienoellewurm]

@@doop15973 oh that's amazing, I look forward to seeing you there then! :) and thank you ❤

[@mysustainabilityjourney9321]

I listened to you whilst I was in the bath, so didn't see what you were doing but my imagination was greatly enhanced by your accurate description..brilliant..... lovely video.

[@marienoellewurm]

Oh thank you!

[@sheilagilleland4312]

Seriously, there’s something about scribbling in a page of my art journal that’s so freeing!

[@marienoellewurm]

I couldn't agree more!! :)

[@alexhawkhead]

"Making something ugly is everyone's worst fear. What if, instead of running away from it, we lean into it?" thank you for this video and this exercise, the stuff it brought up for me absolutely needs to be addressed with some angry scribbles, I will definitely be trying this! Love it!

[@marienoellewurm]

Yessss to some angry scribbles 😁😁 so glad you enjoyed it!

[@FoolsandToolz]

Keep the adventure growing within ✨

[@FoolsandToolz]

I understand the secret in the power behind scribbling and doodling

[@WhoTheF_isSHE]

your vibe is just so heartwarming🥺💖

[@marienoellewurm]

aww thank you :)

[@ShrutiJain-ce1zy]

Best art video I’ve seen

[@marienoellewurm]

Oh thank you!!! ☺️

[@plantlove2585]

Love this! This is like inner parts work but on the outside with art! That's amazing! Thank you so much!

[@justme9818]

Gosh, aren't expectations awful. I mean REALLY awful. Seeing them illustrated really highlighted how destructive they actually are...

[@marienoellewurm]

YES, so true! Making the invisible visible is really a powerful thing because it strips those things of their 'hold' over us.

[@rcamhess]

Thank you for sharing! The lack of editing and the pace of your voice allow for such a lovely experience to watch, let alone joining alongside you.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh that makes me so happy to hear!! :) thank you :)

[@chibicibi6034]

i would love a video on how to practice working by your intuition. thank sm this was so nice

[@marienoellewurm]

ooo good idea, I'll keep that in mind for a future video! so glad you enjoyed this one. :)

[@darbeymartin3465]

I really appreciate you taking the time to record this, I never share my art with anyone because I’m always told it’s “too weird/different” and this makes me feel better about the colors and styles I use.

[@marienoellewurm]

yes yes yes let all your lovely weirdness shine bright :) :)

[@suzanneblaylock9598]

STOP SABOTAGING YOURSELF. FIX YOUR TITLE TO BE KIND TOWARD YOURSELF.

[@marienoellewurm]

Don’t worry, I’m very kind to myself. :) have you watched the video? I’d be curious to see what you think if you try the exercise!

[@suzanneblaylock9598]

@@marienoellewurm You do? Then fix your title to posiviity ! Our words are powerful.

[@anikatasnim6001]

@@suzanneblaylock9598watch the video, would you? She is not calling her arts ugly. Ugly arts are not what you think.

[@DrovShorna]

@suzanneblaylock9598 You’re missing the entire point because you can’t see through your own triggers 💕 hope you allow yourself to make ugly art one day

[@keepyourtrouserson]

It was really nice to open my sketchbook that I'd been carrying around all day to never open it... and to join you in this activity.feels really good to just begin.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh it makes me SO happy to read this. I hope you keep it up and come back to the video if you're struggling or feeling stuck! All the best to you.

[@paulwoodford1984]

Children could draw better. i would be embarrassed to show scribble messes like that

[@marienoellewurm]

good thing that I'm not embarrassed then :D would be interesting to see what you made if you followed the exercise in the video. I dare you to make something uglier!!

[@brittanichamberlain2663]

My therapist in the past had me do this, it really helped to free the mind and flow without overthinking or judgement/expectation which are a few things that can provoke anxiety. Amazing really. Also it felt great throwing that piece away as if i let all that go.

[@aliciawang3749]

I’m so glad I came across this video. It’s truly inspiring and relieving to see you accept all of the less pleasant thoughts and not judge, it’s very similar to meditative practices where u don’t push thoughts away, u just notice it and let it be. Thank you for helping me realize I’m not unhinged for wanting to just MAKE and EXPRESS, that’s the whole reason why I think we all love art to begin with. Fine detail is great and all but sooooo boring to me now. Sometimes I’m afraid my skills are going to go away, or I’m not making a finished polished product. But it’s not about commodification, it’s about experimenting and evolving. It’s honestly why I wouldn’t be an artist full-time, i prefer it as a release from the struggles of daily life. I love how this type of art is about YOU as a human being, and not the FINAL RESULT. ❤ Just as valuable, if not more

[@marienoellewurm]

yes yes yes I love that analogy with meditative practices, I definitely see resonance with that! and NO you are not unhinged for wanting to create - your self-expression is SUCH a beautiful thing :) all the best to you Alicia!

[@Squeaks60bird]

This is the best advice I have ever received concerning art. The power of ugly art, "my sketch book is a working tool", thanks for encouraging me to get free on the page again like I use too.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh oh I"m so glad it resonated!! :) and yes, the fact that it's a working tool is such a constant helpful reminder. I think about it a lot! And keep on drawing, it's worth it. :)

[@karladawnjones718]

Thank you for sharing. I subscribed a few minutes in. I love everything you’ve discussed I am 48yo. I went to art school 24 years ago and have only completed one painting and that was 22 years ago. I’ve started some pieces and I do work in my sketchbook over the years, but after becoming a mom two years after graduating, plus recovering from trauma- I wasn’t feeling it But now I’m starting here.

[@Ava-jf9uc]

Perfectionism and anxiety definitely have held me back. Planning and thinking too much, forgetting the purpose of creating. Trying to create more freely lately. Thank you for this VALUABLE video I will definitely do this. ❤️

[@ETF-88]

I like you embracing your humanity…I stumbled upon your channel thanks to the algorithm and I couldn’t be happier that I found your channel. I’m a therapist and I think I’m going to use some of your lessons in my therapy sessions with families.

[@marienoellewurm]

Oh thank you I’m honored!! :)

[@samiahkhashoggi277]

A much needed content in the face of a creative block. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏽🌺

[@marienoellewurm]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@maris5888]

Thank for this video. I used to have a numbing feeling about my sketchbooks, afraid to put something unprofessionally looking there. But recently I allowed it to be just a work area where anything as acceptable. Beautiful art doesn't have to be "beautiful" in common understanding. It just should carry some creative energy to be brought to the audince.

[@Manyatabedi]

This is very inspiring, I followed the practice and instantly felt freedom, to be myself. The art that I make doesn't have to be perfect, but imperfect with all the colours of emotions. It just needs to be authentic and free

[@marienoellewurm]

oh taht makes me SO happy to hear. and yes yes yes! Authentic and free, it feels so good :) :)

[@heyho5075]

i think the knowledge you share here can be applied to so many aspects in life! and the practice seems to hold a lot of potential for digging into hidden feelings and realisations

[@thifalrn]

listening this while continuing my painting is such a wholesome experience! it's like reconnecting myself and my painting, you're awesome!

[@marienoellewurm]

oh I"m so glad! :)

[@tinaxvp]

The second exercise reminds me of an exercise from the book No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz! Basically the book is about Internal Family System which in a nutshell means all of us have different "parts" whom have different roles. One of them, of course, the inner-critic. The exercise I'm talking about is meant to "map out" your parts on paper by feeling and intuition as well. I definitely loved your version however as it simplifies it for me. Instead of having to wait and see what comes up in my body and thoughts, writing down the general expectations I have for myself will make it so much easier for me to start mapping it all out. Thank you for this!

[@marienoellewurm]

omg this makes me SO happy to hear. I haven't read that book but have definitely done parts psychology and I think it's truly groundbreaking for resolving inner conflicts (which the inner critic definitely is!). And it makes me so happy to hear that the exercise helps with your inner parts work too. :) Sending much love to you!

[@ancar.teodora7118]

I absolutely love this process. The first page felt like a scrambling of entangled emotions and thoughts (maybe even with slight denial from the red wash to cover them right at the end). After the thoughts were sorted, the following shapes were giving off the same vibe, but with more clarity and acceptance. Thank you for this! :D

[@mahima02]

Thank you SO MUCH for existing and putting this out for free for everyone to access. As an artist and a person in therapy. I deeeeeeeeeeeeeply appreciate this content. I’m so glad I found your page. Don’t ever stop putting this out. So grateful for you and your page. I felt freed, and I flowed with all of the exercises, I will always return to this to reconnect with disturbances from inside.

[@medievalcloud7945]

It feels so good to see someone whose physical writing style/handwriting is so close to mine. I have been self-conscious in the past about the random missing letters and imperfect style of my handwriting. I also write so quickly and if I slow down, my mind sometimes blanks and the I focus too much about the writing being perfect and forget the point of it all.

[@marienoellewurm]

oh that's so funny! I used to be sooo criticial with my handwriting so I get it. For me it really corresponds to how fast my mind is working at that moment. so I get it. Much love to you!

[@dbazang]

I needes this so bad, and I also loved it. I had an art block for maybe 2 years now, this helped me so much, I had tons of fun I did love my first page, I love collors and dissaster. Thank you. Also your guidance and your voice was a lot of help, very soothing and relaxing

[@TheFreedPerspective]

Can’t even tell you how much I love this, plus your instructions and commentary were so comforting and lighthearted! I do art therapy with my clients and this gave me some great ideas!

[@marienoellewurm]

aw I'm so glad to hear that! :) thanks for joining in!

[@bigkingsha]

Agree 100,000% !! The brand new sketchbook is often looked upon as an infinite pool of creative possibilities in which each lead stroke and drop of ink or paint must be perfected. This is a great exercise and method to break through into that magical realm of imagination that bypasses overthinking analysis paralysis. Random chaos, serendipity, mistakes, discoveries and secret formulas are waiting to be brought forth and are all ways to learn. Environmental factors, music and your favorite beverage can help improve the journey. Also, creating artwork with children is extremely rewarding, for they are not bound by rules and self-judgement...they just GO! Awesome, awesome video!

[@PeachiPixie]

No because I struggle with this exact thing. Sometimes I fear sketching or ‘creating’ in general, as I’m always expecting perfection. But as a human, we’re all faulty, and knowing that I might make something ‘ugly’ or a mistake, makes me often scared to even create in the first place. As a result I sometimes don’t. This video was very helpful to learn how to let go, to just, not think so much. I think every artist should learn from this!