How Beginner Artists Waste Their Creativity
I feel like I have squandered large portions of my creative potential because I didn't understand the concept I want to discuss today. I would be a much greater artist today if I had understood this at an earlier time.
Motion Vs Action
The difference between motion and action is that motion on its own won't produce results but action will. So for example, watching tutorials, doing research and collecting references are considered motion because they won't actually improve your abilities.
Sitting down and actually drawing, on the other hand, is taking action because it produces results.
Stuck in Motion
The reason a lot of people, if not most people, get stuck in motion is because it feels productive without being risky. When you take action you will face your inadequacies and challenges that you don't face while doing ‘motion’ activities.
I'm not saying that there isn't a time and place for planning and preparation, having the proper information and game plan is important to a strategy for growth but it is meaningless if it isn't followed by action.
I have caught myself doing a lot of planning for things that I never ended up doing because I wanted to feel productive without being vulnerable.
Minimal Research
What is the minimal amount of research and planning that you can do to get started? This is an important question to ask yourself because it much easier to see if the planning you are doing is actually effective.
Goal Specific
What is considered motion versus action will be specific to the goals you have set. If your goal is to have fun drawing in your sketchbook then doing studies is taking action, but if your goal is to become an illustrator then studies would be motion because you arent doing completed work.
Motion is valuable so doing studies is a great first step but you have to remember to also do finished work if you are aiming to become a professional artist.
Vulnerability
The main challenge of taking action is that you leave yourself open, but you won't be able to do anything of value if you’re unwilling to take that risk. Courage is at the foundation of achievement and we won't be able to grow without taking action in the face of uncertainty.
Think about how much further in your artistic development you would be if you spent more time taking action than being in motion.
Taking Action
I think the key to taking more action is to see the task as an exciting opportunity rather than a scary challenge. One way we can make the task more exciting is by lowering our expectations and leaving room for play.
Perfectionism and the fear of mistakes will keep us stuck in motion. A lot of intelligent people don't take action because they are overly aware of the mistakes they might make, but the problem with this is that there is no growth without mistakes.
One exercise that has helped me take more action is writing out which activities are taking action versus which activities are just being in motion. I have created a worksheet that you can grab below.
If your art hasn't improved over the past few years then it is likely that you haven't been taking action.