Do you ever doubt yourself?

[zetina]

I'm a very competitive person so the fires in me are roused when I see lil' 14yo shits drawing way better than me. Like, wellp what the heck have I been doing then? It's not so much doubt as regret. I doubt I draw enough, I doubt I experiment enough, I doubt I study enough, I doubt I care enough. I regret every day I didn't draw.

But.
Times and people are different. It's difficult to understand alas.
One thing I heard from one Ben Juwono was that the reason artists often hate their art is 'cuz the images in their head are always ahead of their skills, so, like, you can never really be satisfied. It's a sign that you're looking ahead, really. (I'm paraphrasing a lot, mind.)

[chiharu_j]

I get doubtful feelings a lot. Most of the time I just feel as if I'm not good enough, I literally just look at my art and my comic and just want to delete everything. I'm not a super emotional person but when those thoughts come up I feel so upset and I don't even know what to do with myself. Recently I entered an illustration contest and looking at other entries made me feel so bad instead of inspiring me, I think this one and only contest I've ever entered has put me off illustration contests btw lol

At least it's only been a few months for you, some of us have felt this way for years. There are always going to be negative thoughts but you have to try and find that little spark that inspires you. When I'm not feeling well I think of my favourite artists and how far they have come in order to be where they are. That always gets me going I can't say to you don't compare yourself to other artists because no matter how many times someone says that to you, there'll always be art that you look at and go "my work is not much compared to this" but try to make that your inspiration, don't be the best because your art is like someone else, be the best of you. Outdo yourself instead of trying to be in competition with others.

Sorry for the rant lol good luck with everything.

[Airgita]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Judging from everybody else's posts so far, it's pretty evident that you're not alone in feeling insecure about one's artistic skills (at pretty much every level) so I hope you don't feel too bad about that.

I think what has helped me personally with this insecurity is the feeling of joy I get while I'm drawing. There is nothing that could make me happier than when I'm drawing something, even if the end results don't turn out the way I'd liked them to (because then I can just delete it or throw it away or slip it in the back of my drawer). I think it's important to hold on to that, whatever creative thing you seek to do, I think you need to always remember how much you enjoy creating something.

What I also think helps is not to dwell too much on what you've made. I know it's hard not to feel a strong attachment to your work because it's essentially a piece of yourself and you worked hard on it, but the sooner you can move on to start on something new, the less time you'll have to stare at the previous work and nitpick at every single thing you think you should have done better. That isn't to say that you shouldn't like what you've made. You should respect it and appreciate it for what it is, but learn when to move on.

We're all going to suck when we start out and who knows if that feeling of not being good enough is ever going to go away. But art's not really a competitive sport, there's no scores or time limits, and there's no rule that says only a bunch of people can win the game.

Anyway... sorry for the wall of text. I give you virtual hug yes? You're doing great!

[Doubtcent]

All the time, but I've in a way conquered it by well, personifying it.

This is the design for my own personal Doubt. He's sort of like a blanket with arms and a creepy smile.
He likes to tell me that creating is a waste of time, that my quality isn't up to snuff, and other things as well, just to make my day a little lower than it should be.

But because my Doubt is personified, I can face up to it a bit better. I can punch him in the face and tell him to shut up.

[TristanJensen]

I probably do that more often then I should be comfortable admitting. Especially when they're the same age as me or close to it. But rather than get all depressed and think "I'll never be as good as them" I just steal from them.
I find what I like and what I can or can't do. I break it apart and figure out how it goes together. Then I learn what I can't do (easier typed then done) and improve what I already know. And then I put it into practice.
Will this make me an expert overnight? Obviously no.
Will it help me improve? Yup.

That and I look at some of my favorite arts older stuff to remind myself that they had to work to be as good as they are now.

[Menbung]

I think it's part of the process, feeling that you're not as good, or will ever be as good... The trick is to try to turn that feeling into motivation, that way you can take that moment and analyze your flaws and work to improve your skills.

Also as peeps mentioned, try looking back at your older drawings, I'm sure you'll be able to notice your progress =] .

If you feel that you're no good, practice, sounds dumb, but there's no other way to improve. While others sleep you draaaw, cheers mate!

[nikacomics]

Yep, doubt sucks. It also helps you grow, so it wouldn't be wise to shut it away entirely. Personally, I find the best way to manage it is by creating a schedule/routine and sticking to it. Create when you are inspired. Create when you are not inspired. No matter how you feel, as long as you give yourself the room to be creative, you will improve. Be patient with yourself ^__^

But, let's take a step back. As a comic creator/artist, you have ONE priority: to tell your story. No matter what happens, never lose sight of that mission!

Also, for motivation, I love this comic by Vivian Ng:

[Mineu]

Oh my! I doubt myself all the time! Just today I was thinking I should stop drawing and writing forever because I would never get anywhere... because even though I have improved a lot I haven't got anywhere yet...

In my case I try to seek for advice on the internet: any critique or suggestion or advice. Sometimes we tend to judge ourselves, as you said, by comparing to others who are way more experienced than us so I think the best idea to overcome that is by asking other people what they think about our art, what we are doing right and where there's room for improvement. At least to me, that makes me feel better

I tend to over-criticize myself to the point that I think nothing I do is right and that I may be lying to myself by thinking I could ever get to achieve something... so yeah, I seek for advice, that way I know that maybe what I do is not as bad as I think it is or if it is, at least I know where to start working at hehehe

By the way, you have improved a lot! Keep up the good work!!

[Vikiro_Hop]

One of my favorite quotes from a group of people who inspired to make art goes something like this. "Listen you are going to suck for a long time and eventually you will get better. Just draw a whole lot." It's not eloquent, but really made me want to try going into art and give illustration a chance.

[aspiderjonny]

I think the better question is "do ever not doubt myself?". But seriously, comparing yourself to other artist is kind of inevitable. I do it all the time to the people I follow here. But when I look at my old pages I see how much improvement I've made and I feel a little better. There's no problem comparing your art to other, because then you can see what they're doing right and you not, and vice-versa. Just don't take it too seriously, or else it starts become a negative influence on your art as opposed to helpful self-criticism.

[papachan]

Okay. I'm too lazy to read thirty comments. I know that sounds silly, but I'm being honest. I doubt myself constantly. Even now I am in an argument with a friend talking about how I feel so hopeless about some of the stuff I do. Part of my problem is I have an anxiety disorder. However, I think that people get this way about the things they are passionate about all the time. It's normal to worry and fret over the things we love.

[FixerTheWise]

Every day ^^ but it's good. That's what you need to do in orer to improve!

[R.n.P]

i don't let my mind go there since I take my comic as a hobby so don't yourself juz be optimistic bout ur comics afterall in a big world we live in there are hundreds of people that will be interested in reading.

[RewindLabs]

Oh I get that all the time.
I lack confidence when it comes to exposing myself and my ideas, so I try my best to be competent and master a certain art form.

As for my drawings, I use that doubt to spur me on, since my ideas are directly tied to my self esteem, the form matters a whole lot more. I tend to move on from multiple styles, master different styles and keep going till I find the style that suits my idea.

Though doubt leads to a lot of anxiety and I am rather detached so I deal with it by trying to overcome it, rationally, in hermit mode. I'll ignore the art of giving up, as long as I find my ideas to be useful and meaningful to both myself, and my audience.

[PixyByte]

Always. Always and forever.
The only way I've learned to deal with it is when I start to compare my work with others', I try to turn it into a learning experience. I'll try to figure out what it is about this person's work that I admire so much, and try to incorporate it into my own art. For example, if I see something colored so beautifully, I figure out how I can color similar to that.
Practice, always look for ways to improve, but most importantly, don't forget to have fun creating and drawing! Don't ever stop enjoying what you're doing! Everyone has their days where they are just not feeling it, and that is OK.
Try not to get too caught up in what everyone else is doing, that will only take away your happiness.

[atlas]

I'm sure even the best artists (and writers) doubt themselves. Heck, I feel it once in a while. I understand that my comic isn't up to the "standards" of most readers on this site, but honestly, I'm having too much fun just making the comics that I want to make! Find that story that speaks to you, and that art "style" that gets you excited about starting the next page of your comic and dang it get to drawing!! Life's too short to ponder too much on these things.

[jacintawibowo]

Yes I've felt this often before. I don't feel it as often now, because I've kept myself very busy! Drawing everyday, working on assignments, constantly working on a webcomic gets you so busy that you don't have time to feel doubtful of yourself when a deadline is approaching. It feels good too, because you constantly improve when you draw everyday so you become happy with your progress!