Why MY art sucks, and so does yours.

[@ergojosh]

The first 1000 people who click the link will get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium! ▶ skl.sh/ergojosh3 My lil podcast lol ▶ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/art-food/id1483679225

[@al3xandra391]

Well.... Hello you People

[@insomniaxe]

*WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER-*

[@al3xandra391]

@@insomniaxe i know

[@drwcomics]

+- You are, legitimately, one of the best art teachers I've ever had. Recently committed to pushing my art and myself and to put myself out there, and your videos have taught me more in the past month or two than I have managed to learn in the last year. I fell in love with art again. Thank you, dude. I would *love* a podcast from you, and I really loved this video; I'm down for more like this one - very much so.

[@maissac2079]

yes ^

[@goose9475]

Ergo: “why your art sucks” Me: it’s true but you don’t have to be so rude about it

[@winter0122]

saaame anytime i watch his vids i ask myself why am i such a maso for clicking on these personal attack kind of titles

[@goose9475]

R Dallas I don’t do very much illustration art. Other people love my art but I don’t find it that good

[@syrusangi8743]

Ergojosh: you probably feel the same way Me: *tearing sketch book pages* I don't know what ur talking about

[@nadiaafk3900]

Same xD

[@sup7453]

I thought it was just me. Now maybe I'll feel less guilty everytime I tear some pages off- :'>

[@melinaa.4649]

Thats the reason i use sketchbooks with ring bindings.... so i can rip the ugly pages out xD

[@pencilsandstories]

This is super random, and I don’t know how old all of you all are. But I threw away a LOT of drawings when I was around 16 and I later regretted it SO MUCH because afterwards I improved so much but I have nothing to compare it to. And now that I’m older there’s an entire period when I *know* I drew like crazy but I almost have no art from that period. My point: make sure you keep drawings from every age, especially when you’re younger! Your older self will want to look back on those and go: AWW I was an adorable artist.

[@idk-pm4er]

Thank you

[@sarroora]

For me, it was an intentional decision to *stop* paying attention to the ages of artists I follow and look up to. I realized that the whole age-in-relation-to-skill thing was causing me a lot of anxiety and feelings of failure. Now I just look at their work for inspiration, and then the only person I compare myself to is myself from yesterday.

[@amreliah7118]

im like this. i keep having anxiety because of looking to age and skill relation. thank you for saying it. it will help me in the long run. :>

[@hobabobatea4071]

Thank you for saying this ;^; The time where I knew that there where people the same age or even younger than me better that what Im doing. It made me envious and annoyed T^T

[@hobabobatea4071]

Anyways tysm for the encouraging words ;^; Hope you have a wonderful day/night :▷

[@weiss5333]

Yeah, I’m still pretty stuck in the hole though. As a person who gave up on art (the drawing kind) at one point because I thought I was gonna end up doing something else, this thought hits home. I’ve came back to art as something I enjoy and honestly want to get good at for the sake of it. However I see really good looking art from like a 6th grader and I blame myself for stopping art around the same age. It’s hard to ignore.

[@raeastridfrancisco3264]

Same :(

[@emilsdr7977]

Art is definitely a very patient process to get really good and recognized (but even then you're not satisfied) :P

[@axserwz5022]

Oh well😂, the important thing is you still do it anyway, even if there's the possibility you may not be satisfied in the end, you can't let that hold you back

[@jeromecinesh2290]

I mean I get satisfied sometimes

[@Jamesfckoffscammers]

True that, I never felt satisfied no matter how good I got.. and I'm damn good (but not the best, admittedly there are other artist that are better) lol 😂

[@Jamesfckoffscammers]

@@jeromecinesh2290 me too, sometimes... and only temporarily lol 😂

[@aeryelle]

"You're only going to be happy with about 10% of your artwork, and that's normal". Yes! As artists, we're perfectionists. It's natural to be self critical.

[@calebbach7542]

“You’re only going to be happy with about 10% of your artwork”. Well, I guess I’ll start drawing 10x as much as a normallly do 😂

[@mako298]

I started thinking the SAME exact thing

[@thelordz33]

Why just 10x? Why not 100x or 1000x?

[@tofu8661]

@@thelordz33 I mean I would, if sleep didn't have to be a thing 😂

[@jei4682]

@ScatterInk no. It'll still be at 10%

[@eugeniosabater8449]

Maybe for begginers but when you get pro you really like 95% of the work you do I know because it has been a journey for me!

[@funnytime1111]

I think there is a healthy dose of “disliking” your own work. You need to be a little critical of yourself to improve. I think you need to try to get specific though about what you’re not liking in your work to really benefit. If you think all your work is great then you are never motivated to improve.

[@BionicTalik]

Definitely, and also noticing good things in your art that is good too, not only noticing the bad things

[@SwarumtheForum]

Depends on who you're doing it for. If you're doing your art because you like doing it, you'll want to improve regardless of how you perceive your work.

[@simreaper]

It took me years to get to a point where i was actually mentally and emotionally ready to focus on art, and I feel like people don't talk about that enough. Specifically, a change I have noticed is that instead of looking at someone like Josh and thinking "oh man his art is so good i could never do that" I now think "His art is so good and I could do that too" (with practice of course). I feel like that way of thinking will give you much more drive and help you fall in love with art more if you start believing that each piece helps you grow, even if it's minuscule, and that growth will never stop so long as you don't give up. Just enjoy it and relax in the meantime, and one day your art will be amazing too.

[@thegreatcornholio3219]

I used to be the same way but there comes a point where you get tired of it and something kinda snaps in your brain. Then you realize that they certainly didn't get to the point they are by just moping around.

[@kryptinitekat]

I agree, it is definitely not talked about a lot. I’m currently going through it, but with covid happening and now that school is over (for me) I’m starting to get into drawing again, which is something I’ve been really wanting to do for a while, but I wasn’t physically or emotionally prepared.

[@nikkif6871]

This. I just turned 33 and the drive and focus I have now is magnitudes higher than anything I had in my 20's. This is my 4th time restarting drawing and this time it wills stick. I've lived years without pursuing it and realize I will never be happy until I'm able to create the visuals I see in the world and in my head. It sucks starting this seriously so late, but one big benefit is I have over a decade of being an adult (in theory!) with a more varied appreciation of things than when I was a teenager. Even if I'm only improving 1% a day, that's better than 0%.

[@EyeLean5280]

I've been an art teacher for quite a while now, and I can assure everybody that the ones who never worry about their art sucking are the ones whose art REALLY sucks, because they never feel impelled to make it better. And, hey, they're perfectly happy with it. Happier than any of the rest of us are with our own art, so what's the problem? Well, the problem of course is that while they're happy with their sucky art, nobody else is all that happy to look at it. Meanwhile, the artists who fret over their art sucking make art that others enjoy.

[@essentiallyleon]

Recently I've caught myself in a loophole, where I constantly do studies and take notes and practice which I enjoy but only to an extent. What I truly enjoy most is the feeling of when I draw one of my own characters from memory, nothing else makes me as happy. Yet when I do, all I ever see are the mistakes and the flaws and it makes it so hard to enjoy my creation. I want to improve so bad, but it comes at the cost of enjoying art as a way to unleash creativity and more about studying, it becomes like a chore. I have the motivation and the drive, but I just wish I could truly be happy with my work again. People say art should be made with the intention of pleasing yourself, but recently that just hasn't been happening for me. I have no intention of giving up ever, not in a million years. But I do hope I can get through this phase sooner.

[@ergojosh]

Keep playing with the balance of studies vs personal projects! Thats what I am doing.

[@alieenoir]

damn this just gave me goosebumps because you literally wrote the exact thing that I went through. I had such a drive to only do studies and get better, that i didnt even see me losing interest in art. Until one day something hit me in the face and took away all my motivation, all the fun i had and i stopped drawing for weeks. I didnt understand what happened. Where was my motivation, where is the fun gone. I had goals and dreams how could they shatter from one day to another. I had a talk with a friend a few weeks ago and thank god i did that. She opened my eyes and made me realize that it's not only about studies and getting better but also about finding yourself, having fun and doing what you really love. I hope you can find a balance like i did

[@essentiallyleon]

@@ergojosh Thanks man! I tend to get carried away on one thing versus the other a lot, but the fact that you took the time to remind me really means a lot!

[@essentiallyleon]

@@alieenoir SO glad to hear I'm not alone. Hopefully, I can learn from what u did and make art feel fun and fulfilling again :D

[@mawcha]

Essentially Leon try this, my friend: combine those tactics! when you draw from your mind, draw that stuff and then find some references or intense studies and tweak your work and use the strengths and make notes of the “mistakes” you’ve made. one sketch always has room for glamour!

[@damismith9644]

This hit home for me because im currently going through this situation where i feel like im not good enough. It got so bad that I stop drawing or making any type of art for almost a year now. I went down this dark path where my thoughts were just me thinking that i have nothing to strive for so theres no reason for me to keep going in life if that makes sense. I had this feeling of me living worthless now because was the only thing i did when i was young and to feel like this now at the age of 25 i just dont know anymore. I recently deleted all of my art posts off my Instagram and during my time on Instagram i felt some inspiration come to me. I get this small urge now again to create something and im pretty happy i found this feeling again. I cant wait to create my vision and post it not caring as much anymore forcing myself having to post something that i dont really like.

[@gabvie8264]

Yeah I kind of feel u on that. Lately I’ve been really unmotivated and disappointed with most of the stuff I make. I’m abt to start college and I’m questioning what I’m trying to do with my life. I wish the best for ur art journey my guy 😌

[@ergojosh]

Its a journey and I'm glad to hear you are on the upswing.

[@pencilsandstories]

Mental health has an enormous impact on your artistic life. Things like motivation and how you perceive your own art. I never met an artist who had a period like that and was happy with their art, IF they did any art at all. Because most can’t when they’re in that headspace. It’s pretty normal I think. But I’m super happy to hear you got inspired! From experience: start small, don’t put enormous amounts of pressure or personal art projects or whatever on yourself. :) Happy art making!

[@werewooof]

really needed to listen to this right now. it feels so much easier to navigate artistic frustration when you’re being honest with yourself and sitting with your art, its potential and its flaws. reflecting on what drives you to create art in the first place helps you realize that the 10% is worth all the hard work and years you’ll spend improving. art is a neverending journey of exploring and experimenting and that should be a motivating aspect, not a discouraging one.

[@leiasart4610]

Just saw that "advise of an old man" video before this. Interesting coincidence :D And also I don't know if this means something, but I'm really glad you made that choice for yourself and your art. I love the artworks you made prints of. They're so creative and have a lot of character, which I feel like is the best thing to achieve as an artist :D Looking forwart to lots n lots more ergoart!

[@sadhorny969]

Lol me too, KZbin’s algorithm is weird mate.

[@mimiabdo7159]

I had the same video recommended to me on all my devices and all my accounts . So weird

[@Lilyjem39]

I saw that too!

[@kalbarry10]

SAMMMMMEEEEEEE

[@starfire139]

Yeah pretty weird, I don't listen to any advice that's not art advice on KZbin and wasn't planning on clicking it.

[@monkey-pe6of]

Some time ago i really didnt like my art so stopped drawing for months, then i started drawing again, i did that 100 faces challenge (excpet i did in 20 days to be easier on myself) i tried to be easy on myself and not beat myself up if i didnt like what i did. it ended up quite good and im still very proud of those drawings. Not beating myself up helped me do better art. Im still not that confident about my art but sketching often helps a lot so i try to do that if i feel demotivated. Taking breaks sometimes is also very important. Sorry this is such a long comment I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS YOU GIVE SUCH GOOD ADVICE

[@shelbyhiromi]

Thinking about that "if i spend ten years devoting myself to this, how far could I get?" gives me a lot of motivation. That change in perspectives makes me really excited about my potential. I wanna draw and learn!!

[@abistorey252]

Me getting offended by the title Also me: no, no he’s got a point

[@di_anso]

I always feel like my art sucks but I kinda embraced this feeling and learned to see it as a positive thing. It's actually, in my opinion, an indicator of constant improvement. If it sucks it means either there's actually something wrong with it and I lack knowledge, or I'm not satisfied with the execution and the overall image doesn't look like I was imagining (that's lack of practical skills). So if you see that it doesn't meet your expectations you will strive to do better next time. But the most important thing about this is to actually analyse your work and understand why exactly you perceive it as bad. That way you'll learn your mistakes faster and know where to put your focus on to improve.

[@jetstar232]

The thing is.. my friends/family know me for making a specific art style.. and I continue to make it.. the thing is I'm never happy.. What I love is sorta cartoony and simplified.. This vid helps quite a bit actually

[@lisapisa2851]

Remember you can have more then one art style! Just create one you like or a few you like 😄 good luck 🍀

[@jetstar232]

@@lisapisa2851 yeah I know.. but they keep pressuring me .. like legit pressure😭 imma try ignoring tho

[@pencilsandstories]

When I was still in high school I figured out how to use guidelines and how to set up light proportions. Before, I’d just “wing it”. I was happy about my progress but yeah, my style became much more realistic. My friends didn’t like it. Said it lost all it’s spontanaity. Oh well, it’s not their art. Glad I didn’t listen to them, I have my own art journey to follow. This kind of critique often comes form non-artists, too. And they don’t often understand what it means to improve your art. Sometimes you start something new and your art will look crappy for a while while you’re learning the new thing. That’s part of the process and nothing to be alarmed by. But if I’d have listened to my friends my growth would have stopped. Anyway, good luck! It’s not fun to hear. But in the end, it’s your art and your journey and no one has a final say in that. Only you.

[@jetstar232]

@@pencilsandstories thanks for the words❤️❤️❤️ appreciate it.. good luck on yur journey too

[@noylasri9412]

There's audience to all kind of art styles and people who are going to appreciate it so it's important you appreciate yourself first and love what you do.

[@lachimolalacarbonara6393]

I really needed this right now. A few days ago I started like my fifth art Instagram account after deleting all the other ones because they never got more that 30 followers. I think I had all the wrong mindsets when I started those accounts. Now, I've improved a lot and I'm much more confident. This time, I'm going to focus to make great pieces and push through, and hopefully break through that 30 followers milestone. I want more than anything a community to talk to about art and share my thoughts and characters and art. I hope I can reach that goal.

[@yusrafathima70]

Hey! Whats your instagram handle? Would love to check it out😊

[@lachimolalacarbonara6393]

Yusra Fathima oh my god that's so sweet of you thank you!!! 💕💕 it's @niyauro tysm again lol you made my day

[@kevinyang9484]

Yoo Instagram has a bunch of artists and stuff its great! but don't put that as your main goal you know what I mean. You can use Instagram to help document your journey but I don't think it will help when you create art with the intent of posting it on social media and using it to garner followers. but good luck!

[@lachimolalacarbonara6393]

Kevin Yang Yeah, I think youre right! I'll always have a passion and love for Art, and it will never just be for followers, that's just a side goal 😅 Thanks for your advice! I want to share my art with the world, and I'll keep working hard to improve and further myself as an artist!

[@realswobby]

@@lachimolalacarbonara6393 I'll follow you :)

[@StacyCee]

This video was a lot different than I thought it would be, but it's honestly exactly what i needed, I'm currently in a period where I feel very stuck with my art and you described what I couldn't about how I feel

[@evlulm3630]

Have been drawing with pencil for most of my life, u till I immigrated from Zimbabwe to the UK in 2009. Then discovered digital art. So got a xp-pen tablet, and have been uping my game, not too bad with landscapes, but would love to know how to create my own character like Ross draw, whom is another digital artist I have been following on KZbin. Both of you have been inspiring me with your KZbin videos. Keep up the good work, look forward to more in the future Josh.

[@kingmurder3493]

When I get art requests/commission's from people and plan on doing art collabs I have a seriously hard time planning everything out lol I get very judgmental about my work when it's for someone and I end up hating it or not wanting to finish it because it just doesn't look right. Lately I've been in a kind of funk, I have a lot of projects lined up to do for and with others but I just can't focus on anything because im very critical when it comes to my detailing. I've been trying to do study sketches in the mean time, I'll work on the projects on and off. I hate having time restrictions because I'm incredibly slow unless it's something I really want to draw. I could probably do so much more if I could stop being so hard on myself and plan things out better lol watching your videos has definitely been a help especially when you're talking about hating your own art, and things you can do to improve some things. You don't do it in a rude way it's constructive and I love how you explain things.

[@corwin32]

“95% of artists detest what they make, and the other 5% are lying” ~ Yahtzee Croshaw

[@kei1340]

I needed to hear this, been feeling really miserable and unhappy with my art lately. I'll take a break for a few days and come back to it when I feel determined and ready, good luck to the rest of you all! Sometimes breaks are needed, so try not to push yourself when you're not in a good state of mind

[@roseasaurrex5862]

Omg this video really describes what I’ve been feeling about my art, I’ve been adopting a more simple illustrative style than a more realistic one and it beings me so much more joy! And I’m excited to get on to skillshare and learn some new things.🥰

[@sup7453]

Thank you for saying that.. I hate letting my family see my drawings. Because some of them keep pursuing me to make more realistic art. Im proud of the sudden improvement I made so it sucks that they'll just suddenly call me to show drawings of their friends implicating that it's how I should draw. Thank goodness the only ones who do that usually arent around me cause my parents and siblings are pretty supportive. Sorry for the long reply I badly wanted to let this one out heh

[@yeahgirl11]

@@sup7453 Don't be sorry.🙂

[@macabrederek9179]

I tried to push my art abilities to a point where it was getting self-destructive. I get it's impractical, but it got to a point where it just made me hate art in general... I made it a point to focus on art a couple days a week as I find free time, but now it just feels like I plateaued, and trying to get over that was the worst part. Right now, it's rebuilding my own confidence and acceptance that I am not where I want to be, but it's where I am. I hope for everyone you don't push for perfection and expectation and just focus on the journey and consistency.

[@khaosarts2089]

It is a funny feeling Josh. For some reason my recent "higher quality" work doesn't get that much love as my first sketchpad, maybe nostalgia, maybe I give the old works a pass because they were young. Now I'm much harder on my new drawings like they're children or something lol. Having high standards and expectations kills fun and love from the art grind.

[@angelicagarcia6427]

THANK YOU JOSH . I agree the key to art is time and patience. I have been drawing for over 8 years and now I am 22. I can say that in these past couple of years, I have become more serious about wanting an art career. I am still learning so much at my university majoring in Illustration. I just want to draw everything, I believe one has to have the passion within. I have an IG and (fairly new) twitter incase anyone is interested- Keep up the great work(even if you don't show us most of it)) cause heck, I do that as well haha

[@TheAnimeHall]

Ok this may be a long comment but bear with me. When I heard that ergojosh and I have the same age I asked myself "should I even try?" (I'm just getting started with fundamentals), I was going for an engineer title in college but I couldn't bring myself to finish the career even when I always got the highest scores and such, I really wasn't feeling any connection and it wasn't the direction I wanted for my life. That was a long time ago but I always had this itch whenever I saw art that I like and pondered on why I didn't continue to pursue that. The recent events forced me to reflect on a lot of things and I decided to start, this isn't a race against anyone except me, and even if I feel like I have a slow progress or that I'm not good enough, etc. I know that I will regret it if I give up on my dreams. I've never felt so close to the human side in general and both ergo and adam duff really inspired me, so in all honesty, thank you guys, after feeling lost for years, now I feel alive again, even when I get bored of studying, knowing that I'm doing it for something I actually want is refreshing, I wish this was an exageration but living without a sense of direction is harsh, and just... sad.

[@paulankolo6348]

Can I just say this timing is beyond perfect. My art has been degrading recently and I really didn't know what to do. Thanks ^u^

[@ergojosh]

Glad I could help!

[@kuurarisu9618]

this was just one of those days where i felt didn't end up appreciating a lot of the art that i created, and nothing seemed to turn out right and i would restart a whole new canvas and redo a whole new drawing process and repeat the cycle - but listening to your advis=ce in the background on my nth retry brought a level of comfort and confidence in me and it allowed me to enjoy what i was doing instead of focusing myself too much fretting over the details and imperfections. thank you so much!

[@Growhealthy1990]

I like you’re videos like this a lot. I’m older than you but I’ve been back and forth my whole life about art. Whether it was drawing still life to anime. To graphic designing. And now oil painting. It’s just nice to get some perspective on what it means to be an artist other than just skill level and creativity. While of course those things are good. It’s just nice to see someone talk abut everything else that comes with being an artist. Whether it’s the frustration or consistency or even like you said now about artist only putting out their best work. Very insightful.

[@zerofivenine-creepydrawing4243]

Next level deep voice..... I can listen to you speaking 24/7.

[@grand1nquisitor]

At 11:48 you had talked about another artist that is older. That is what strives me to keep on making art. The idea of looking at my art where it is now, what will be in 10 or 20 years? That fascinates me and gives me the power to keep on making art. Just found this channel today and I appreciate these types of videos. Thank you.

[@dredaashi7169]

I'm going, to be honest. Your voice is comforting for some reason and thank you

[@darthbee18]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO JOOOOOOOSH WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE TO REMIND ME THAT I SUCK 😭😭😭😭😭😭 ...but seriously though 😂😅😂, it is a long haul trip, this art improvement thing is. I used to follow an aDVicE from a certain artist on insta that you don't have to do it (ie. drawing, sketching, just practicing your art in general) very often to be able to improve (which is a weird advice, but his artworks were crazy good and got significant engagements on insta so I believed his aDVicE). I followed it and sure enough, the improvements were slow. Once I got to draw more often, my drawing started to improve (somewhat) more quickly (though admittedly still quite slow 😅, I started to draw more regularly around 2017 (wonky proportions and all) and I only got my proportions (somewhat) better in around 2019 (and this too, can still improve ofc)). So yeah, with the unholy algorithm being what it is (on whichever social media you are on 😫🙀), it's probably still best to just draw for your own goals, independent of any external sources of validation. Remember folks, it's a marathon! 🏃

[@xxgabrisunxx9050]

I honestly needed this lol since lockdown and all that I’ve not been drawing as much and, in my eyes, my skill level has just dropped? I guess you could say that. I really don’t think I’m good enough, I keep looking back through my sketchbooks and at the pieces I actually like and whenever I try to draw it all looks really bad. I keep telling myself to trust the process and it’s okay to make bad stuff but it’s so frustrating sometimes. I’m so glad I’m not the only one that feels like this.

[@fionak8183]

Thank you ergojosh! ✨🌸. This video gives me motivation to continue improving. I've been drawing for 2-4 times every 6 months. I always stop halfway and i get demotivated but this video gives me hope✨🌸

[@semani]

The Little Cherry Blossom The way I actually improved my art was hating myself and my art. And I changed it so much and it helped me improve but that was so unhealthy for me. Still I sometimes hate my art, everyone says it's awesome but inside you have that feeling that they're lying. I want to improve more healthy with my art and you help me a lot! I love doing art! Its not like I don't enjoy making it! Ive always wanted to be an artist! But sometimes you just hate it. And there is a certain amount that is healthy but I was not healthy at all. My mental state was horrible but I'm working on being happier and watching your videos are so helpful!

[@sarahvaldez843]

You are such a big help to me. I've been really caught up with trying to run the race of becoming a successful artist thinking that I have to run as fast as those who's been running the race for years without realizing that just as any beginner athlete, I can't expect myself to run as fast as those who've been doing it for years since they are already equipped and trained enough. I have my own pace and I have to accept that I'll get better over time the more I practice my skill and just enjoy the moment that I am in and I will eventually get there. Thank you so much! I'm learning a lot from you.

[@zeann4068]

This is a year ago video but man, Ergo Josh is now my go to art youtuber when I'm struggling and feeling bad about my art. Thanks for these kinds of videos man, it really helps.

[@spaghetae5679]

You should react to r/delusional artists and give your critique

[@duckhugger7692]

It's a bit surreal that *THE* Ergojosh said he hates his art. I was doubting so much because of how much I look up to him and how much I compare my art to him (which I'm trying to get better at) and how in my mind his art is perfect. I literally look at his art and see perfection but it made me realize that even the greats of greats have their own insecurities too

[@prachitalukder8651]

recently i was really indecisive about drawing what i like or drawing what people like. things i really liked drawing weren't getting as much attention so i had stopped drawing them for a while. this video helped me a lot today so thanks a lot.

[@TheArtMentor]

Art is definitely a long game. I wasn’t the best in my art school, but I am now just because I’m the only one who didn’t give up and kept going. It’s sad how many people get bogged down in the leg work necessary to improve

[@SazBerry]

I really like this talking format for topics like this! I think doing realtime drawings with a voice over talking about whatever you like could be really nice, rather than just another podcast. As for the topic of this video, I always find I'm most proud of my work when I've been learning, when I take it seriously rather than just 'sketch'. Sketching is obviously important too, but I think being intentional in what you want to make and really having a purpose for creating is super important for me

[@ladyseshiiria]

Also Josh thanks for always opening up an awesome dialogue and getting us thinking food for thought I loved it.

[@samodiva_]

I know, just 5 mins in the video but I had to say something about the other artists being self critical part: One of the main reasons I love Jess Karp and her art videos (other than her art being sublime) is her attitude towards it. She speaks of art with such love and appreciation. She doesn't shy away from being self critical but it's always framed in a constructive way. It relaxes me and gives me hope. There is a way to be (self)critical and instead of hating all you do, you use it as a learning experience.

[@Zorrofunk]

thank you for this video! it's nice to know i'm not alone in all of this, i always feel really discouraged when a drawing isn't up to standards, sometimes i make something really cool that im proud of and want to show off to everyone and other times i end up staring at a blank page not even knowing how to start at all and it made me really consider quitting art forever, especially when you see those amazing insta artists who post fully rendered drawings everyday when i have not even picked up the pen for a week, it felt i was being extremely unproductive and everyone was on a completely different level ive found it helps to try something completely different that you are interested in, for me it was trying to learn coding and music again thank you! youve been a huge help for me in my art career

[@arya.nair2]

Josh, what you told in this video is so true!!! There were many instances where people ask me to pick a few of my favourites among my art works and I would feel really confused and feel that I don't like any of them😅 Thanks for this extremely helpful video, you're my favourite youtuber ❤❤

[@riju_kun]

Josh's work is so amazing.... He inspired me to open up my own KZbin channel recently with anime art content in it.... But I don't have much people engaging yet so that I can start up making a fun community

[@rajarshiaich6886]

Awesome content bro 😍

[@rijushots]

Definitely subscribing

[@rijtaku]

Subscribed

[@pansychan9919]

Best of luck with your channel 💖

[@shizukuchi3926]

Damn!.... You're underrated

[@luhan5123]

dude I see you want to work on your stuff, and I really hope you get the time and the 100% mindset and energy to do it, I wanna see the best of you. I hope you achieve it and I hope you're always happy with all the things you achieve because not only it is a lot, but also you deserve it, never forget you deserve to be satisfied with how much you have achieved!! age doesn't matter, we should never compare ourselves to others, we're our own, individual world.

[@safiyaarts]

Thanks Ergo for sharing this video. I can relate alot, I think its a journey that artists and designers walk through. It is a learning journey, and making more effort in what we love and do.

[@artzerial]

I've been doing art for 5 entire years, and I still love doing it!!!! Art truly requires patience, but, for me, if I'm not liking my stuff, I redraw them after some months and then compare them with my old ones, the difference inspires me a lot!!!! Hope everyone found this useful, peace!!

[@BethDooner]

The 10% thing is really interesting to me. I used to be a photographer and the hit rate myself and my colleagues would get would be about 10% per shoot... Granted, we were shooting a lot of quick action stuff (and it's a similar case with weddings), and yeah we're often whittling down 6000 photos to 600... but yeah, it's the same amount. Obviously, not all of THESE shots are going to be 'portfolio pieces', I'd say about 10% max of those, and it's usually less the more experienced you get and more critical you are (or you can afford to be picky and have the body of work to fall back on if a certain shoot doesn't come up with any). And yeah, I think because of 'time spent' I've always felt that every art/sketchbook piece needs to be at least shareable, unless it's going in the ugly/thumbnail sketchbook, but the 10% hit rate thing is a really good reminder that I have absolutely needed! Thanks Josh!

[@denonychus2313]

Hey Josh! Thank you so much for making this video. I'm starting to think you might be a mind reader because this video couldn't come at a better time. I've been drawing since I was very young (I'm 20 now) but I sometimes see that having drawn since very young and having people compliment your art from that age has really unintentionally inflated my ego and caused me to have really bad view on studying art seeing it as something I don't need to really put in effort for. I say this as I recently have been unhappy with how my art has been turning out and finally decided that I needed to start from scratch and learn the art fundamentals again. This is only the start of my second week in and I'm starting to really tire out mostly due to my bad attitude to learning XD. But this video really helped re-energized me and I made my remember why I'm doing art and I really want to just say thanks XD. P.S.(Like the lowkey flex with your art prints in the background XD)

[@sydneykleinrock19]

This was super helpful, thank you for sharing! I have been trying to share both ends of my artistic journey, the bits I love and the bits that are a little rougher.

[@IrwinPeraltaArt]

Thanks for your viewpoint Mr Ergo, but I like my art. Maybe not everything about each piece, but I like enough about each piece that I see value in it. I only hide about 5% of what I've made. I've tried to chronicle the good, the bad, & the ugly so other artists can see development and that we're not perfect. On DeviantArt, you can see sketches from when I was a kid, high school, on up. Still can't feed myself with my art, & I'm almost 40. My Instagram game is horrible, but I make what I like.

[@michellefang4615]

Hey Josh, love you as a person and your videos so much so I'm of course obligated to leave a comment here. For me the motivation question comes up a lot during streams, to the point where I will personally reach out to a few that appear to be struggling to get out of their head space. Art is, for me, more about the mentality that the skills and technical ability. To be at peace with yourself, accepting that mistakes come and will pass, and to approach things from a perspective of "play" and experiment is more valuable than how hard you grind. Thanks for the quality vid and talk! Cheers :D Fangedbunny

[@MVARTZ]

The last months of 2020 I didn't do much art just for me. I worked hard for the studio 'm at and tried to put out some content for my small following of animation friends. Sometimes that sets our own growth on hold. Eventually I knew I just had to do something for me, for fun. So I started sculpt january and learnt tons of new things. It is a nice feeling to make just the things I want, so I can improve. This year will be about finding that balans, for me at least. 😊

[@melle4563]

To be honest, I enjoy your artwork and your stuff a way more since you began to stay true to yourself and stopped drawing those "popular" instagram models. I know you said we shouldn't say something like this, but... keep going :) I really like your new direction!

[@MrB_Chamberlain]

Random question. Have you ever thought of doing voice over work? Your voice is amazing.

[@ChocolateAsian9000]

Hey Man, I’m really glad you’re working for yourself now. I could tell when you were doing things for the like, and while I still learned from those kinds of videos and posts, this is such great news. I didn’t want you to be “just an influencer” and I’m proud you’re sharing this with us man. I’ve been feeling the same way with my work so let’s do this together!

[@TomasFolanHasici]

I think the key thing is understanding the difference between negatively putting yourself down vs a genuine positive criticism. Also think about the people you expose yourself too and cut out anyone who just drains your energy and is a constant source of negative vibes.

[@thaisribeiro3368]

It's so interesting you post this video. I recently uploaded a video in my Instagram Art page, and one of the topics was precisely that! And in the end of the video, I mentioned you and your KZbin page, and how you helped me a lot with your advices (the video is in Portuguese though). Maybe you didn't expect to influence a 23y girl in a whole other country, but you did. And that's how life works. We can think we suck sometimes, and even so, inspire someone in their journey without even noticing. That's why we need to keep going!

[@llamalulu04]

Thank you so much! Your words are always so inspiring. Your honesty and humility really resonates with me. Even if you may think some of your art is not your best, it really is amazing and your journey is amazing to see.

[@maxofb7745]

This is so true. I'm not an artist but a musician and violin teacher. Writing songs is basically the same. A good friend once said to me that out of 10 Songs, at least 5 are for the bin. But they get you practice and improvement.

[@bonniebertovichcreator]

I watched a few episodes of Mastercrafts (a British documentary on people taking 6 weeks to really get into the bones of crafts that take a lot of skill.) One thing I noticed is that the "artistic" people had a harder time learning the skills because they wanted the freedom to be creative or use their mistakes to go with the flow, or they were getting their feathers ruffled about the perfection the teachers were looking for. But all art is about skills, it's only in modern times that creative types have become free spirits who if they don't get instant pleasure think it's not worth the time and effort. It comes down to this, if you want to do something and do something well and have people's praise you must buckle down and perfect the basic skills of the craft. I struggle with this too. I am extremely far from being a master artist, but at age 30 I am finally slowing down and trying to learn and build my skills.

[@dugoo3405]

My family always says how I'm so good and while I'm the Artist of the family I feel like I don't deserve everything I've gotten because of that. I love doing Art but I'll always feel like there's someone else that deserves my Art "tools" more than me

[@kierrastanley3340]

Jossshhh

[@legomyego420]

I really enjoy these philosophical videos! They encourage me to try harder and continue practicing. It's more discouraging when you see such fantastic work by other artists, but are unable to see all the work they did to get to that point. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@tatsukinomiya]

Always appreciate your videos, Josh

[@DPaquette]

This honesty about art , the ego and the ID is what makes your channel very popular. At least this honesty is what drew me in.

[@junygucci2859]

This is so accurate, you are amazing, I hope one day I can draw like you, I will practice and practice until I reach your level of art! love you💕 thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! 💓

[@alicee936]

Totally feel u, specially right now with all the unknow and the virus thing going on I think we are worry about the money and create and create content to sell that we forget what we actually want to draw, in my case rn i'm thinking about some merch halloween inspired but I really don't know what I truly wanna draw (it's hard to take some time to draw freely while bills are waiting to be paid) ;m; and yeah pro-skills take time x'3

[@mobstakat]

as humans we always want to do better and be better. It's part of our journey. I'm so glad to know someone like you can speak up about it and put us all at ease.

[@madamepharmaciste4691]

Please do podcasts! You voice is really soothing and pleasant to listen to. Also I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to share your artistic knowledge. I learn so much from you and it's nice to draw while listening to you so I can learn while I try to improve

[@axserwz5022]

I recently did ten, 1 minute figure drawings for the first time, (never did it timed before) and it was horrible, then I did it again and I improved greatly, then I was reccomended to carry my time up, so I did 3 minutes, and I drew a complete figure much better than one I took hours to draw, and never finished Figure drawing helps me get out of my comfort zone

[@zaysho]

For a while I'd see your videos pop up and wrote them off as clickbait, but giving your stuff a view is refreshing and your content always feels honest and coming from a place of being helpful.

[@Kadazia]

I really enjoyed this video. Sort of a stripped-down, life of an artist, and how we think. I've been having a lot of the same thoughts recently. The balance between creating because I want to create and creating to share content that can translate to followers. I have very little followers on Instagram (less than 400) and I consistently have to remind myself to create and post what I want to create and post. I want to build a following of folks who are interested in my work, my artist statement, and my journey as an artist. I very rarely show the background seams of everything coming together on Instagram, I mainly just do that if I'm working on a big project. I usually save that sort of content to share with my patrons on Patreon through my week in reviews where I share project pictures, what I got done, and what books I listened to while I worked. But I'm also working on bridging that gap, on not being afraid to share the mistakes that led up to the pieces I'm very proud of. I also really enjoyed your thoughts about starting to archive your work to have a full journey to look back on. I'm in the process of doing something similar. I'm immunocompromised so I'm quarantined indefinitely until there's a vaccine or cure leaving me with a lot of. I typically house all of my long term project notes, rough drafts, thoughts, etc in a dedicated sketchbook for each individual project. And I also have a reference sketchbook as well as one I'm starting this next month for all of my swatches. But I want to start a new sketchbook where I take pictures of and annotate projects I've done, big and small. I want it to be a physical thing, sort of like a scrapbook of my art journey that I can always look back on. My degree is in filmmaking but I definitely enjoy doing things traditionally before making digital versions. All in all, I identified with what you were saying in this video! I'm interested in seeing how it all manifests for you! Also, your shirt is fire. Goes great with the glasses. Just an all-around good look.

[@rm.makes.me.smile_]

I’m so glad I’m not alone 😭 people will be like “hey you love art right? Show me some of your stuff!!!!” And in that moment I will suddenly shrink into an atom of existence with fear, trying to think of what piece to show them because I feel like all of it sucks even though there’s some pieces I’m proud of, the rest just makes me cringe

[@STICKYArt]

I personally think it’s good to post old art. To me it shows progress. I think the key is to not get to caught up in chasing clout. I am always happiest with my art when I’m true to myself!

[@Celestial.x.]

We always compare ourselves to other artists but then forget how many years they’ve been doing this for compared to yourself. I’ve done it. I look up to Ergo here and other artists but I shouldn’t be thinking wow I suck compared to him. I should think I haven’t had as much experience and studying as him but with time and practice I can get better. I love watching your videos and your live-streams. So chill and entertaining and very responsive. The advice from the old man was really something. And advice from Ergo is also really something. But one thing I gotta say is, you take forever to eat one cookie lmao 🤣😭

[@meteor_boy]

"the greatest teacher failure is" said the little green old jedi ^^ It's really important to be patient with ourselves, be on a constant journey to acquire knowledge and just practice.

[@Alxndrzlkrnn]

Im feeling burned down from creative work. I needed this a lot. Thank you!

[@Sewius]

Thanks for sharing with us. I'm still fumbling around and appreciate your insights.

[@luluming860]

I'm now going through art block and I am really frustrated, and I got easily agitated and I cry and mourn a lot for my art. I did wonder if it's my age - I feel ashamed for still drawing crappy art at this age, friends are progressing so well, gaining thousands, and hundred thousands of followers on IG, and me be like stuck for 100 for ages. I tried rationalize with myself. But the inferiority still coming back haunting. I started to wonder if I am just unfit as an artist? Why do I fail so badly on something I dedicate my life on? And then I think about my artwork - stuffs I used to be so excited when working on them. Back then I don't actually care about my skills, and I made friends during the journey. I was happy. I don't know when things start to change. I want to be better. But I don't know how. So I get into practicing gesture drawing for an hour everyday. But I still feel sad, I still feel like loser, I still feel like going nowhere. Still, I draw, and cry, and barely coping with my daily study. I feel dead inside. I want to draw happy stuffs too. But things that make me happy back then, I don't feel anything anymore But thank you for this video Josh. At least I don't feel alone

[@Bridget7521]

Thank you for sharing this. Very helpful adice. I needed to hear this.. One of the biggest issues I'm facing with my art is the status on my Instagran. I have done art for years. I feel that my art isn't appealing to the audience. It has brought me to frustration that my art isn't that good. I want to work with hyper realistic animation style but I struggle with some things that I need to improve. I draw too harsh, flat, features and posture is off, bad contrast and poor color choices. 😢

[@poetrythebest7466]

Love your channel and great talk! We all have to remember to create for ourselves and not for others❤️

[@cindy9797]

This is something I had no idea I needed to hear. Thank you, and good luck in your art journey as well.

[@zunera.a1925]

Oooh josh ... Today u have clicked my right switch . Regarding my art I always feel like I don't want to make smthng that I don't like. Or enjoy the process. But once I fall in love with it I don't want to let it go .

[@senanarchy4467]

It's funny how as my journey progresses that my technical skill gets better but the art I did in a creative frenzy years ago is the stuff I'm proud of and love to look at. My newer stuff I'm just so critical of I have a hard time just letting it be the way I did before. It's put me in a weird creative funk where my drive to create something dies about halfway through whatever it is I'm doing and I've resorted to living vicariously through art youtubers again. 😂

[@artemis3520]

I can relate so much to this because I was drawing only fanarts or famous dtiys just to get likes in my ig and I was struggling so much. But now I started drawing things that I really like and I'm actually interested in and I have the excitement and the energy to draw them and with this I see a huge improvement in my art and in myself 💞

[@rominasantana6006]

Love if you could could release more stuff in your art food podcast! Very good advice, I really feel a little down with my art, having to start a new illustration 2 o 3 times to get it right, so thank you for the encouragement!

[@positiveartist3989]

I just love how your titles sound insulting but during the video you really are right. I just love you so much you are really helpful and inspired me to do my own art channel. 💞🌻

[@iloveyouuwu9467]

You're so right haha

[@hiiam9182]

Yeah I really love his personality

[@miaia4567]

That's true

[@jngarrettart]

I like this kind of video, honestly. If you enjoy doing this format, I’d say go for it! Regarding art and self criticism, the thing I tend to say to myself is, “work on your weaknesses and play to your strengths”. I try not to just be “down” (unproductively critical) on my work, but to constantly think over what I felt worked and what didn’t in my drawings. Knowing these points about my work allows me to go forward into future pieces armed with some ideas about techniques and approaches I want to try to repeat and continue to build into my process, and weaker areas I want to try to approach differently. About taking time to do things well - that was an excellent point too, and I think the more we do this instead of panicking about how much we’re producing, the more we increase the chances of producing work we like. I also agree with you about the value of creating work you enjoy and find interesting to do.

[@ergojosh]

playing to your strengths is huge! theres such a grey line between it and using it as an excuse not to improve but its so important to help make your work stand out.

[@jngarrettart]

e r g o j o s h e r g o j o s h For sure, it’s definitely possible to shift from playing to one’s strengths to excusing everything as “well, that’s part of my style”. That’s why I feel “work on your weaknesses” is also a hugely important part of that little statement I say to myself - it’s the complimentary concept to “play to your strengths”, and I think these two concepts in tandem can do a lot to help us to keep moving forward.

[@kayeherl9195]

Your video titles always make me expect you to start yelling at me through the camera but it always ends up being really thoughtful, gentle, helpful advice that makes me think. Idk why I expect the first at this point.

[@maximepage8049]

Thanks for sharing this, it's a nice perspectives and food for thoughts. I needed to hear this today

[@heidyflores1802]

I'm worried about the fact that many people say that Instagram artists must have a theme or a color theme but i just can't do that it depends on my mood or the drawing of what the colors should be and I wouldn't be able to stick to one color palette for my entire account