Why We Love and Hate Our Art (and How to Cope)

We've all experienced it. You make art. Art looks bad. Emotions run high. You think of quitting the discipline altogether, and the hermit's life in the middle of nowhere increasingly seems like the best prospect. In this video, I discuss the highs and lows of some of my recent paintings, my rocky relationship with art as a whole, and how I'm choosing to move forward with the punches. And trust me, there are a lot of punches.
If you're new, be sure to subscribe and turn on the notification bell to catch all my future videos! Your support means the world.
00:00 Introduction
00:54 First Painting
02:12 Fun Driving Analogy
04:13 Feeling Love
05:35 Second Painting
07:59 Feeling Hate
09:27 Balance
10:40 Conflicts
13:07 How Do I Cope?
~~~
🎨 MATERIALS USED 🎨
PAPER:
- Fabriano Artistico Cold Pressed 100% Cotton 180lb/300g
PAINT:
- Daniel Smith Watercolors
- Winsor & Newton Artist Gouache
BRUSHES:
- Art Secret Squirrel mop brush
- Rubens series 777
🎵 MUSIC USED 🎵
Norman - Boone River | courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Soaking Up the Sun - Ludlow | courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Somewhere in Dreams - Magnus Ludvigsson | courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Seven Days Ago - Constellate | courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
🌻 FIND ME AT 🌻
Instagram: / boxesofsheep
Tik Tok: tiktok.com/boxesofsheep
✉️ Email: [e-mail]
#artandcraft #selfcare #mentalhealth #watercolorpainting #watercolortutorial #watercolorart #watercolor #arttutorial #artandcraft #paintingtutorial #portrait

[@annipetratos9401]

Not just an artist, but a poet. Beautiful piece

[@patriciarcarmichael1219]

If I were asked to remove all videos on KZbin except for one, I would choose this one. It is the rare occurrence when the hand, the mind and the voice are in sync and meld into a visual symphony. Thank you.

[@dorimikszta6463]

I promise….you are NOT BAD AT ART! Boy, the zone is like crack for artists. It is best feeling ever and gives us the best art. But it’s when we aren’t in flow that we are learning, when we are aware of what’s happening and every stroke. The art we hate is the years of violin lessons before becoming a concert violinist, the years in the pool before the Olympics, those are the dues we pay for the flow and the masterpiece. So, keep hating your art because you never want to stop learning about it and who you are being made because of it. And I am literally binge watching your channel and you haven’t posted anything in a month and I’m gonna need more.

[@Hummmminify]

I love your videos, the visual art and painting style, the artful dialogue and zoning out with you. I find it meditative and soothing. I have tried two color paintings and I have come to love that too. Keep them coming….and thank you for coming on KZbin so I could discover you.

[@omybeach8743]

Every ounce of effort you put in your art, and your art of putting thoughts out to us is one in a million. Thank you.❤

[@Madeline96]

You described so eloquently the thought trajectory I fall into every time my brush touches that paper - I'm bad at art. I'm bad at life. I'm bad.

[@Upstart800]

Wow,,fine art and a therapy session rolled into one. Excellent!

[@ekaterinash3546]

Amazing video and very relatable musings, thank you so much for putting your time and effort into this, it's very precious

[@dshanley4226]

Wow. And the struggle goes on… Thank you for your thoughts.

[@georgeonyegbula4462]

I love the poetry that plays in the background as you create. It heightens the experience. Thanks for sharing!

[@Foolish_huan]

You just spoke out my inner monologue 😢❤❤ . I love your art too!

[@thomaskuhn6045]

I just discovered your channel and was touched by your words! Your a poet, a painter, a great and mindful artist! Thank you!

[@madhurya333]

You have a beautiful mind... creative with art and expressing your feelings in words. I could just listen to this like a podcast and not even watch the video itself and it would still be so visually striking. Good job.

[@peacockfeathers7409]

kinda dramatic but i see what you're saying! i think i don't struggle with this because i keep my art as a hobby. if someone wants a commison i feel free to tell them no if im not into painting it. my focus on painting is always for joy, happiness, my own mental health. very interesting to hear your viewpoint though!

[@marynazhabskaya6931]

Ah, even if you feel like you failed with this one, it feels different for me. There is so much power in his look. He represents fight and power. He is alive, and he came out of feelings that needed expression. It is beautiful.

[@wimjanssen2181]

Wow. Just what I needed after a morningclass Aquarelle and feeling all the things you mentioned. Thanks for getting me out of that selfcritizing mood

[@robynrandolphart]

What a great poetic and engaging video!

[@tommylee6741]

it's so crazy how familiar artists journeys are. we all have colors that sit in the corner collecting dust. sometimes it's so important to give them some love too. awesome video, keep it up

[@boxesofsheep]

Thank you Tommy! 💕

[@jeannes]

This video really helped me crystallize my thoughts on painting deliberately and painting impulsively and why they feel so different from each other when you sit back and examine the painting you have before you. Knowing every moment you spent when you paint deliberately really effects the expected payoff. Fantastic video. (Side note I’m Team Otis for fattest bear🥰)

[@boxesofsheep]

I'm so glad, thank you Jeanne! (Otis is really the bestest boy)

[@StephanieNL]

"The rotting bones of the art I hate is the bedrock of the next art I'm going to love." Beautiful. Wonderful post, thank you. I find your art both inspiring to myself as an amateur artist; and as a person, it makes me feel, invokes emotion, which is in itself unique in art these days. Thank you. (And if I can, I'd love to know the names and authors of the 4 books from the beginning of the post, the fairy tales?)

[@boxesofsheep]

Thank you Stephanie! And the books! I'm happy someone asked about them. They're Assassins' Quest by Robin Hobb, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in the Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

[@jeannes]

I hope you come back to youtube when you're ready. You and your art has a unique, refreshing voice on this platform.

[@boxesofsheep]

Aw hey Jeanne! I definitely got burned out (and honestly a little confused about my work) during winter, but I'm working on new videos right now, and happy about making them again. So you'll see me again by the end of the month! Appreciate you SO much, thanks for thinking of me. ❤

[@jeannes]

@@boxesofsheep Burn out is real but I'm glad spring is bringing you a new phase.

[@Marteire]

Beautiful. The paintings, the video, your thoughts. I've had a similar experience recently. It seemed like I made a breath in and a breath out - and here it was - my painting that had happened on its own. I've tried to replicate the process with other works in the series, but I failed. I was pleased with them, they were nice paintings, definitely better than many other truly failed ones. But they lacked something... this touch of "happening". These were definitely created, not just appeared. I attribute this to my little experience. If I paint meticulously a little more, maybe one day some other painting will just "happen" without my planning every single step and brush stroke. I hope so, at least. And in the meantime, I just repeat to myself, "Nothing is ever wasted". Thank you ❤

[@chordata1]

Beautiful lil diary of an upload, very relatable, thank you for sharing and lovely works regardless of the varying methods of attack! Take care.

[@peacockfeathers7409]

also i would really enjoy it if you posted a video of your farm! i was born & raised on a farm and live there again now. it is something wonderful to get to live in nature!

[@martinaakervik]

You do impressive videos and art👏 Know the feeling, but can I disagree* (*maybe not the right word) …say what I think honestly without coming out as pointing your experience as wrong or so? I hear want you say, know the feeling. Just want to throw in my perception of doing art, the finish product and the process? Is it ok to have an intellectual dialogue here in your comment section? (Or try to, at least.😅) I don’t have any blueprints. I may say wrongs or rights. But dialogue makes richer. (Sometimes we rather want dialogue like that, not in official rooms though. If so. That’s understandable.) And just so you know. I like your videos. It makes me think and react. Really, well done. 👏👏👏

[@tommylee6741]

can you please list the watercolors you used here? please

[@boxesofsheep]

Oops I totally forgot to add the specific paints in the description. I'll need to do that later. 😅 They were Naples Yellow, Buff Titanium, Cerulean Blue, Red Light, Indigo, Burnt Sienna.

[@Shishizurui]

ok but what do you do when your drawing in loosness and then you wake up like after months or years and you are like F this crap and your suddenly mad at everyone for letting you go - like you did something really stupid drunk but that one drunk night spanned over a decade.