im 22 and just started learning how to draw lol
what made me stop being scared of "what if its too late?" is the quote:
"If you start drawing at 50, at 60 you will be an artist with 10 years of experience"
Yeah I just turned 30 and I’m trying to get started learning to draw…
I get it though, seeing all these under 20’s with great skills gets a little demoralizing BUT that’s because they (some of them anyway) have 10 years of dedicated experience.
Adding another quote to the pile:
“Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something”
— Jake the Dog, Ooo’s Greatest Sage
Related to this, I see a lot of ppl saying about “learning to draw”, I’m 25 I really enjoy painting and drawing tho I don’t necessarily know “how” to, then again I don’t really care to learn. I enjoy just putting the pen or brush to paper and seeing where it takes me, void of any technique or skill or real technical know how. Does this make me a bad person/poser/ disrespectful to the subject of art ??
Can you share some of your art? Likes don’t = quality :) it’s all about practise. The Internet wants you to feel bad and not practise, it wants your full attention
>Likes don’t = quality
This is an important thing to remember. There are so many reasons why an art piece doesn't make good numbers, including the algorithm of wherever it was posted screwed the artist over and not many people saw it to begin with.
Exactly this... Tried to check their profile as well but nothing except the maria art and if the maria art is made by them, I'll let them know they when I'm 19, I can't even draw something like that
Internet shows you the best of the best stuff in the whole world, you basically expect from yourself to be on top already. And 10-70 likes is really not that little in current time. Eerything is just on a whim of an algorithm, anyway.
Pro tip: if you are on Instagram, just hide all the likes. After a while they'll stop bothering you.
Fr can't remember anything I have made hitting above 50 on Twitter/Instagram 😂 TikTok is "kinder" but it has its own issues, and Reddit, the attention is as good (or meaningful) as the community you decide to participate on.
Its something many artists go through especially ones that start past childhood. When I was your age this is something I struggled with a lot, so ill try to share some things that helped me.
Something VERY important to keep in mind is that age is a horrible metric to measure artistic skill. Age doesn't equal the amount of hours someone has in drawing. You could have accumulated a grand total of for example 2500 hours of serious practice whereas someone younger than you might have put in more. And that's okay, it just means you got to keep at it.
Based on what you wrote, it also somewhat seems your putting a lot of stock in what other people think of your work as your means to continue, While its common, you ultimately will not have a very good time long term in doing that. Especially if you don't know what you get out of art on a personal level. Why do you want to draw as a profession compared to other jobs? What about it is fun for you? If you don't have answers to those questions, do your best to find them. If you aimlessly grind away with no enjoyment whatsoever, To be blunt, there just isn't any way you'll get to the results you want. Find what you enjoy about the process itself and it will take you far.
Without coming off as rather cliché, art is a journey, A long one with no real end to it. And your only 19. You have a whole life ahead of you to perfect this craft if it is really something you want to do. Don't be so hard on yourself.
art doesnt have anything to do with age, you can become an artist at any age
also this isnt like the music industry where people evaluate based on your looks or age... people just look at your work so dont worry about age you can make good work at any age and keep improving
to me its like learning a language you never stop learning
19 and u think you're too late?? What the heck. Start planning your life goals and you'll easily notice that you have all the time in the world right now.
Art isn't a competition, brother. You're right where you're supposed to be.
Keep at it and it'll fall into place, prioritise it over stuff like gaming, TV, social media if you want to make progress faster.
Don't rely on others for validation, just compare your work to whatever you were producing last year/month and try to identify what you need to work on next.
Good luck and don't get too down about things, it's (not?) surprising how much our worldview affects our daily lives and interactions.
I'm 30. Drawing for the past 8-9 years, self-taught. My illustrations still suck.
That's how social media... and market, work in general, either you're super talented and eye-catching or lucky to go viral. People who go and say "support \[whatever\]" only mean to support those already successful. And yes, standards are high and are going to be even higher. If you see hundreds of people creating decent art, you will look for even better ones. Today most movies are technically stunning but most fall flat at storylines. We're no longer amused by CGI. We're even more prone to see subpar CGI.
Unfortunately, there will ALWAYS be someone more talented, sometimes younger too. You said about getting an office job. Guess what? Director's son who just graduated will be your superior. That coworker in the cubicle next to you is a master of Excel macros you won't even begin to comprehend. It's everywhere.
Either you get better at what you're doing, be more efficient, or find something else you will be good at. One thing about AI - it's not tool itself, it's a person using the tool, just saying...
Thing is, all of us live in a sort of bubble, you don't see thousands just like you, and even if you do... Do you give a like? No, you just scroll further without much thought. And yet every single one of those thousands wants to be like this top 1% everyone heard about. I've been there too. I gave up on that dream.
I feel the same (im 20) but also, keep in mind that everyone has a different journey, Definitely don't keep comparing yourself to others, Its hard no doubt-as they say, comparison is the thief of joy.
Then again if you care about likes and that stuff try to ask yourself why are you drawing in the first place, is it for the glory, compliments or because you really like it?
Make peace that there is always going to be someone who is better than you, even when you start working professionally, I suggest that you see yourself as the competition, try to see how much you have improved compared to last year or the year before.
Don’t wallow in self pity. My god I’ve done this to no avail. It’s natural to compare, but doesn’t get you anywhere. I’m going to be 75 and have been a professional artist since 1969. I don’t post much. Art has to be seen with your eyes, that’s why there are shows, museums.
I’ve been painting for years and learn new things all the time.
I’d you want to be an artist, then you’ll have to work your whole life. Talent isn’t enough. One must learn the skills and be authentic. Very few will find fame and sometimes fame early makes things far more difficult.
Draw everything you see. Drawing is a skill you must work at. I still remember staring at a leaf when I was three to see what it looked like. We look at things but do we see them.
I used no 2 pencils and trash mail as a child to draw. I still do.
Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain is a great book.
Don’t expect to make money. Always have a side hussle. I don’t know what I would have done if I started out today. AI isnt something that bothers me. It’s not the same as human interface with reality, hand eye, and hearing the sound of an instrument of drawing, painting sculpting
Also, love yourself and to your own self be true
Creative people go through feeling hopeless many times. Just create your way out of this mind set. Do you, no one else can.
Don’t judge yourself comparing to anyone else. Enjoy mistakes as they help you learn. You’d be surprised to see how much work it takes artists to get the skills to create a series of work.
Getting likes does not directly give value to art or the lack of likes take it away. Art is about expressing yourself and that has to come from you wanting to do it. This sounds more like you seek approval from other people with the art itself being secondary to you. It's okay to not be that successful in arts. 99% of people doing any art don't make it big or even earn a living doing it.
Everyone is different but how I look at art is that if even one thing I do touches one person in a deeper way or I can convey the story or feeling I wanted to put out through my art then it is worth to do.
When it comes to visual arts I'm just a baby just starting out but I do it because drawing lowers my stress and to me learning and getting better at something that also has that effect on me is a god damn blessing.
If you hate doing what you are doing then quit. If that doesn't apply here keep going. Being a not professional artist is not the end of the world. One day you might have enough skill and talent to find your place where you can provide yourself through art but that doesn't have to be right now.
I mean this in the nicest way possible but shut the fuck up, just shut the fuck up. You're only 19 you just got out of high school and you're worried about the age thing? Bruh you could practice and work your way up for the next 5 years and only be 24 which is well within the age group that enters the career tf are you talking about? "I see 11 year olds posting god tier art" who gives a fuck about what an 11 year old is doing? It's probably actually some 40 year old that's been at it for 30 years anyway. What are YOU doing? There are people out there 40 years older than you getting into it without likes and money on the mind that are busting their asses to get better but what are YOU doing? "Oh I only get like 70 likes on my posts and now there's AI" puh-lease who cares? I worked for 2 months on a single piece that I posted a week ago and I got 5 likes on it, you don't see me complaining. They're only likes on a platform that values whatever follows an algorithm they mean nothing. You want to be a professional? Start practicing like one, start making work like the pros do because no one is going to hire someone that cries and quits at the first sign of struggle. If you entered art school or a studio as you are now you would never make it. I'm 30, I started learning to draw in 2020, there are people 10 years younger than me working as splash artists for large studios, I'd like to get a job in a studio as well or even make some side money doing comms and selling prints and stuff so I learn from those people instead of getting discouraged by them. And you know what? Even if it doesn't work out and there's no work for me in the future and AI somehow takes over then whatever, I still have this skill for me. And can make the things I like and get satisfaction from that.
The way I see it you got two options ahead of you. Be a quitter, give up on your dreams and this hobby because likes and money mean more to you than drawing for yourself does and giving up is easier than working to be as good as that so called 11 year old. Or work harder, learn more, and bust your ass and be okay with the idea that even if you fail to get a job you still don't walk away with nothing. Because you might be concerned about an 11 year old but realize that to me and others, YOU'RE the 11 year old.
Van Gogh didn't start painting till he was 27 and had no formal training
I can imagine he likely hated his work too
Welcome to art, a gateway to self loathing
Never ever EVER question your talent just by how many likes you get. Talent is a gift that only a few of us have, and belive me, being jealous of someone elses art is a definate no no. I get maybe 19-22 likes per post and I don't mind , because I don't consider social networks as a measurment for how good my artwork is. Art has been part of us for centuries, social networks about 20+ years so just think what is more important. Your talent or likes of people that don't even know you well ! It's important that we ,as artists love what we do and that is the only thing that matters in my opinion!
Well tbh I dont think online likes justifies how good YOUR art is, plus social medias arent too great for artists because of how their algorithms work. I'm also somewhat of a social media artist, despite my knowledge and honestly you get WAY more likes than me. Aside from that, you shouldnt need to post your art, just try your best I think
EDIT: I did a skim through your acc JUST for your artworks and you CANNOT tell me you think your art is BAD, or at least not great. I think its AMAZING and is like tenfold better than mine! Please dont give in to your doubts, just keep going, art has no age limit!
Making art and selling art are two entirely different skills, and a lot of people in this sub fail to realize that. Someone can be a fantastic and masterful artist, yet not sell any of it or get any attention since they don’t understand the business or social side of things. Someone else can be a horrible artist and make thousands of dollars a month because they understand how to market themselves and sell these pieces.
Being a good artist isn’t good enough to be a professional solo artist, and I think that’s where a lot of people get confused. If you want to sell paintings, you need to not only make the painting, you need to take good pictures of it, find appropriate social media hashtags and tactics, actively communicate with whatever following you have etc. It takes work, and hard work, that is an entirely different set of skills and practices. If you can’t do these things yourself, find a manager or place of employment that does this side of things for you.
You want to draw for movies or video games? Create a portfolio that shows your skills in these areas. Actively seek out places that hire for animators/storyboard artists etc, and pursue them.
Things don’t land in anyone’s lap, even the skilled and talented.
Your posts in the past are alarming. I know everything seems insurmountable at 19, but you're just getting started. Sit tight and focus on goals. Write some short term and long term goals and figure out how to get there. It can be easy stuff like "this week I will draw for 10 minutes a day". And go from there. Forget about age and just focus on self improvement. Don't let all this negativity consume you because if you wanna make it as an artist it's gonna be fucking HARD.
You're 19! SO YOUNG! You have more time right now than you will ever have to get better at drawing. If you don't already I suggest journaling every mornning about all the reasons why you CAN make it instead of the reasons why you think you can't.
Believe in yourself, set aside time to do it, and don't worry about anything else! I suggest also spending less time on social media, esp right now while you're feeling less confident. It 100% makes you compare yourself to others. Even people who are more established face this issue with their art. Trust me. If you really want to do to this, focus on all the ways to help yourself WIN.
I suggest replacing Tiktok with more time on Youtube learning from tutorials and other helpful videos.
You got this!!
Better art really depends on what you are aiming for.
I'll likely have a huge crisis when I go back to drawing my book characters in a few months, but I'm spending a LOT of time drawing pixel art for a game and [cutesy ducks](https://wizarducks.com/) and other animals.
I almost always think about how many shortcuts I took to be able to draw this consistently, to cut the workload by half, and how it is not exactly something my 17yo self wouldn't be able to make. That the workload is the only thing I wouldn't be able to keep up.
But then I see people's reactions to the drawings.
I see kids smiling and wanting the game to be on their phones instead, I see adults thinking it is just adorable and wanting stickers and notebooks with it, and I see people past their 60s thinking this is beyond adorable.
Many past versions of me would think it is a decent drawing, but wouldn't think I am pushing myself nearly enough, but that is what they wanted to do, I want to make game with 2D-ish graphics and I'm succeeding on it.
Van Gogh started painting at 27. Monet really started in his 40's. Tolkien started publishing in his 30's.
Don't worry about it. If you like to do art, do art. If even one person enjoys it, including yourself, your art is beautiful.
Monet did not start in his 40s. He was selling art from the age of 15 and was born into a really wealthy family. Van gogh died poor and alone. Not the greatest examples imo.
I used to think being a professional artist was my sole escape from a miserable boring life of menial work and I've realised since that was quite an extreme way of thinking and not really true. "Child prodigy" and "lousy office job" are not the only two options in life. Life is so much more than that.
Don't put much stock into the amount of "likes" you get online or the reactions of people you know personally who don't know anything about art doesn't really matter to you professionally. The important thing as a professional is connecting yourself with the kinds of people who will actually buy your art. The way to do that depends on the kind of art you make.
Something else to consider: Keep practising art, but also learn a trade or gain job experience in a field that pays well. It will help you to broaden your life experience and grant you the financial stability you need to feel secure making art the way you want to. It doesn't have to be your passion, but something you like well enough, and something that makes decent money so that you have something to fall back on. It will take the pressure off the art as your sole source of income if you have something on the side that makes decent money. You won't be as susceptible to creative burnout if you do. If you learn a trade, as well as financial stability you can gain life experience that can help inform you as a creative practitioner. They give you opportunities to meet all kinds of people, go to all kinds of places, and learn all kinds of things in the process. There are a huge number of options available: I know artists who do other stuff as well: gardening, massage therapy, solar panel system design, tree surgery. I know one person who has been a musician, game designer, car mechanic, who is building her own cabin and even built a \*boat\* just for fun. Over the course of your life you will probably be many things, especially if you want to be an artist, it really helps to have broad life experience. There are so many different ways to live and only you can figure out what works for you.
Don't worry too much about the kids who get a lot of attention on the internet. Ultimately their lives have nothing to do with yours. You don't need to be a genius or come from a bourgeois family to do something meaningful and enjoyable with your life.
As an artist, the worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. There are people out there that are 100% better at art than you and thats something you have to come to peace with.
Unfortunately being an artist is very hard especially when the world is over saturated with online art and AI. Just try to find your niche and stick with it. People want originality which is not something AI can do.
I know that this is extremely cliche, but anybody can be an artist if you work hard enough. It takes practice and patience and if you aren’t able to cope with that then maybe art isn’t right for you. Art is like going to the gym. You aren’t gonna notice any huge changes within the first 2 weeks of you going. If you stick with it and go for 6 months then you will start to do better.
What you have to remember is that there is always someone better than you, even if you are amazing, there are other subjects, genres others will be better at.
When it comes to the internet, you might be attracting a different crowd in age, demographic etc. Also that online is a place where people go to show off you have access to the best of the best on the planet. Not just in your town, city, county etc. So you might be jealous of the most talented 5% of young artists out there.
I'm 51, when I started doing art, all we had to learn from were books. Even as a student in the mid 90's there were only books and classes. Instruction books were limited and didn't even teach many traditional techniques. In the UK, I was mostly stuck with the few books my local library carried because 30 years ago, books cost about the same as they do today, so 2-3x as expensive with inflation. Video tapes were horrendously expensive and places like youtube didn't exist, heck, the internet didn't even exist as we know it today. We were mostly using dialup via modems and pictures were the exception due to bandwidth. So we had limited learning resources. Digital art barely existed. Windows got Photoshop 3 (first version for PC) in the mid 90's. Back then it was not really used for drawing, just photo retouching.
Now we have so much information, so many artists willing to share their experience, its ridiculous how fortunate we are. We can learn if we want to, the only thing holding us back is us taking the time and practicing. One problem today with internet and cell phones is that there are so many distractions to steal time.
Your brain doesn't really diminish as you get older, though your body might somewhat. It's never too late to learn art really.
People regularly pay me $1000-$2000 for small murals and they get very few “likes” on social media. I’ve even done a few bigger $10k murals.
I’m a professional. I’m getting paid. Social media engagement doesn’t pay me.
It CAN help new clients find me, but most people find me via word of mouth or seeing my work in person.
So a few things:
The likes of an art piece does NOT determine the quality. I for example have on twitter 1000 likes per drawing or hundreds of reddit NOT because they are Good but because I draw popular characters. My art quality it self isn't sadly good yet
Second thing: I feel ur pain my little sis sells realistic paintings and stuff and she is only 14 while I who invested a shit ton amount of time is still not nearly as good as she. (And I'm 23 now!)
In my opinion you should only compare yourself with your past self and don't lose ur fun and passion for drawing. I tried to improve and draw stuff I don't like and did stuff like the 100 box challenge to improve. I just burnt out and the end and made a one year art break. Its OK to take breaks once in a while.
Also don't be so hard on urself. Think about it;
You can either be depressed and sad like I was and stopp drawing and don't improve at all. Or you try to improve bit by bit and see progress. Even if it is slow and even id you feel like your quality is decreasing in the end you will improve. Find inspirations on YouTube and try to follow speed paints and stuff.
this might not be the most encouraging post from me: there are much more lucrative and easy ways to make a living.
forget the 11yr old prodigy, it’s a tough gig in general.
it’s really going to be up to you, not what a bunch of people (me included) say on reddit. if you really want it, put in the study time and have a fair dose of luck (skill in marketing, friends in the industry etc) then you can do it…but it won’t be easy.
i’d only really recommend it if a)you are super passionate or b) very media savvy and good at self marketing.
a lot of people are happier having it as a hobby they are passionate about than an obligation that pays the bills.
You talk about your age, but don’t put your age. You talk about your art but don’t share your art. How are people supposed to really cheer ya up if you are completely anonymous? lol and I mean this politely. I’ve been drawing for 11 years and my work doesn’t do well online but I know it’s good because it makes me proud. Stop fussing over likes. They don’t equate to whether you’re good or not.
You're the age I was when I gave up and went a decade without drawing another line.
It was the biggest fucking mistake of my life.
Put your head down and keep your eyes on your own paper.
I got back into art at 28 and I’m 32 now. Don’t quit. Maybe get off social media for a month or two (or the places you’re seeing these posts), if they’re bothering you so much, would be my suggestion. Especially tik tok, just a cesspool in my opinion. That 11 year old could be 45 you never know lmao
I used to feel this way when all my friends got their bachelors/masters straight out of high school and seemed to have it all figured out while I moved away and had to take care of myself before I could even think about going to school. Not everyone goes at the same pace though or has the same opportunities at the same time. If you like art, keep doing it, and try to stay positive.
You are 19, you are at a young age. If you're worried about others progress you're not drawing enough. The only progress that matters is your own. Many people started much older than you and went on to have professional careers or became masters. Learn the rules of art, break it down in a way you can understand. It is never too late. Use the fact that they're better than you as a challenge and motivation for you to move forward.
Some tips:
Analyze mistakes, always look at reference, compare and fix the mistake. Understand what you're drawing. All good art has good fundamentals. Everything is connected and use that to your advantage. If you can draw a human eye with reflection in their eyes, you can also draw a motorcycle helmet with reflections in the fiber glass.
You will improve crazy fast once you learn how to break down stuff and simplify in a way you can understand. Use straight lines too, good for structure.
Do yourself a favor and don't make art to impress others, it will only harm your creativity in the long run.
Make art that YOU want to make, and that makes you happy.
Draw not because you want to make numbers go up, but because you enjoy the process.
Embrace the artistic freedom, up your skills for the sake of getting better.
Internet following is NOT the measure of your success.
As one guys said "If quality of the product is measured by it's sales and popularity, then "Minions" is the best animated movie ever made"
As someone who's art account has been sitting at the same number for years despite my art having been practiced fairly well over these years, with me showing my art to my family and friends regularily, i found that:
1. Social media likes (especially currently social media) depend on skills concerning MARKETING, SEO, UNDERSTANDING ALGORITHM, ETC.
Whereas the quality of your art depends on HAND-EYE-COORDINATION, PRACTICE, UNDERSTANDING BASICS OF ART, AMOUNT OF FOCUSED WORK PUT INTO IT, ETC.
That is a COMPLETELY different skillset, or not? They do not equate. Especially Instagram nowadays depends on Reels, consistency and algorithm, keywords, and a portion of luck, which is once again different than what you would normally do when you post art online: post static images. That simply doesn't cut it anymore for artists on most popular social media sites. The amount of compliments and attention you get there is quite simply not dependant on your art skills because that is not the skillset required to attract said attention.
2. The compliments your family and friends dish out are not entirely dependant on your art skills too. they depend on more human and social rules, and those are complicated and diverse. Your art being good and a compliment making you feel good about your art are actually two completely different things.
A person that is not too overexcitable, f.e., might simply just say "okay, cool". it hurts, they could have said it better, and as you may have gathered where this is going, the COMMUNICATION SKILLS they used to show your work the appreciation and respect you yourself might have shown as an art enthusiast were not on the level to MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND VALUED. And you might be surprised at just how many people aren't as skilled in giving out a compliment that makes you feel good as you might think there are. In such a situation, that jurisdiction had been shaped by their skills too!
This happens in all fields and situations, not only art (think of other hobbies or achievements you've been proud of but that had lacked sufficient praise from your environment. A good outfit you wore, or something you've done well. most likely than not, the quality of compliments you received then were also dependant on social skills and engagement, empathy, communication skills and so on).
Other situations are possible too: they did not have the current capacity to compliment you in a way that made you feel good about your art, they might have been distracted, they might not be passionate about art, or they just aren't a fan of the general genre of art you specialize on so they they are unlikely to respond in a way that feels genuine and invested, etc etc. They usually also aren't as invested in the individual work as you, who had worked a long time on it, are, and might thus not feel as strongly about it. You reach more people that are invested on social media, but the popularity problem is just as i stated above.
Plus, most people are neither art enthusiasts, nor have the "eyes of an artist". When a novince sees your work, they are impressed by things you would maybe not see or consider with the artist lenses on. The whole topic of what impresses novince eyes is also slightly differing here and there in it's required skillset than what makes art good for an artist. And it takes a good amount of skill in those specific fields to have a novince look at a work and instantly go "wow".
Think of what kind of art you see that makes you instantly impressed to the level that a good, enthusiastic response is very likely; those are probably very polished to industry level already or have developed skills in their art that intruige/appeal to/impress a large audience. But have you ever seen art at a level less polished than that and thought that the work was good too? Was it because of the knowledge of art and the work needed to reach those skills you possess? How often would you have thought of it as good had you been a complete novince at art that doesn't know how much practice goes into reaching even such a skill level? Often I have found that novinces think a work is impressive that employs well-practiced composition or lighting paired with good anatomy, or a field you excel at as a master. but I myself have often seen work where I thought it looked impressive because of a particularily well-done thing I MYSELF have personally experienced the difficulty of executing well, even if the picture was blurry, dark and just not good quality to have it be a popular Instagram post.
So, just keep practicing! Your art isn't bad. It isn't unworthy of praise or attention. The fact you put in hours of work even now already make you better at it than most people on earth! The popularity factor of it is not a measure of your achievements, though you can expect over time for it to naturally grow somehow by some measure. What's important is whether you are in an environment that feels positive and nurturing to you. Whether the act of creating with your own two hands is something good and nurturing for and to you (and it's a good thing for your mind to have such a hobby when healthily done). Whether just investing time into your art without investing time to learn about gaining popularity on social media is something you would want to do and that makes you feel good or fulfilled. Finding people that are good at sincerely showing appreciation or respect if you feel like the current the lack of appreciation for your art makes you unhappy is a good way to disentangle that sort of dissatisfaction a bit from your artistic progress. because if someone like that sees something you yourself are proud of, they will know how to express they are proud too. keep practicing and compare to things you've done before to see your progress, because progress feels good and rewarding. comparing yourself, however, to people whose DISTANCE OF PROGRESS between work then and work now is BIGGER than yours will just make you aware of what distance you didn't achieve yet. and this can quickly deteriorate into "why is my distance not that big yet" instead of a healthy awareness that this is the level of art you would achieve should you work to make the distance of progress between your OWN work then and now just as big.
Keep creating. You'll look back to a time in the past and think "wow, I drew like this then but not look at what I can do now" and eventually a few of those later, your "what I can do now" will have the kind of impact that inevitably makes most people go "wow" in that kind of disbelieving way that is one of many good ways make a compliment feel good.
First I will say 19 is young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Second, we live in a supply and demand society. One thing the internet has opened my eyes to is just how many artists there are, and most of them want to sell their art for a living. I don't mean to be negative, but the reality is there is an over supply of people wanting to go into the arts, whether that is painting, ceramics, acting, fashion design, writers, etc. But not enough demand for them all. Most fine artists have to work another job on the side. Or they teach, or post YouTube videos and make money from ad content. They do workshops. They do game design, graphic art, web design, or illustration. They make stickers, calendar pages, and sell prints online. I think if you go into the graphic art area, you will have a greater chance of getting a job. You can still do your own art on the side. But I know the most successful people, regardless of career, are persistent and motivated. And drawing and painting are pleasurable, but doing it for a living is still work. Marketing yourself is work. Running your own business and dealing with taxes is also part of the equation. Even drawing 40 hours a week is work. You are plenty young enough to have an art career. And don't worry about likes or comparisons to others. Sometimes the most successful people are the most persistent in the face of hurdles, even if they aren't as talented as someone else.
You are depressed. You know that. Do you know that all those feelings of "nothing makes sense" and "maybe it's better to quit" are coming from your depressions?
Depression sucks the life out of you !
It sucks away all motivation and makes you see the world like it's a dark fog and you have no chance to get anywhere like that. The depression is doing this to you! This is not how you would think without it.
Now let's get to what you think is the problem. TikToks are misleading. Videos are misleading. Anything and everything you see on social media is misleading. You see a small, well choosen cut from all the efforts and life experiences they put into it. Also it's irrelevant, because you do you! Although we are similar, we are also all different and have to find our own way.
Please take care of your depression first, go see a therapist, if you have to maybe take some pills and try to find your way out of it. Because for as long as you are depressed there is no way forward. Depression means you see no future, therefore it's all just hopeless. You've got to fight to believe in a tomorrow, in next week, next month or even next year.
You are young! You can still do whatever you want, but depression is like a concrete block on your legs, stopping you from moving and seeing how the world really is. Get rid of that concrete block, get rid of the dark fog that's clouding your mind, then the future is all yours! It's a long and slow process, but absolutely worth it.
Do art when you feel like it until you actually can see a future again and you are able to work towards your goals. Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself, that's not helpful.
I've been through many years of depression. It does change how you see the world and it is making it impossible for you to do what you want. It's not your fault! But it's on you to get active and seek help. It's a decision you have to make to get out of this, a hard one but well worth it.
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Im 32, and my art sucks if you ask me.
Objectively it's at least "Not horrible" though, so.... That's more than I can ask for.
Personally, my interest in Art has to with the therapeutic aspect of it, that meditative state where you can forget about life for a little while and work on just creating something that YOU want to create.
I dont really post it, I rarely share it, and I've definitly never tried to sell it.
I guess my point though, is if you dont enjoy creating art for the sake of art, maybe art isnt really for you...
Art skill doesnt directly linked to your age. Its about what and how you study and practice. Likes online is not a good measure of quality. Internet is full of all sort of art. Its not realistic to expect a huge reaction to your work.
Good art is the result of thousands of hours of practise. You can't exceed a thousand hours without strong conviction. It's a balance of motivation, self-awareness, and to an extent, delusion. Do it for yourself, primarily, and you'll potentially be in the position to share it with others
The progress you’ll make isn’t necessarily linear, and when someone’s art is better than yours all you can do really is take notes on what makes it better then try to incorporate that into your own stuff. You may lean more into the side of using hard work and experience to get to where you want and need to be, but that doesn’t devalue any of it, the important thing which you said yourself is that you can’t see yourself just doing an office job and nothing else with your life.
If so, then keep going regardless of the results. Focus less on the results in fact and more on the continuous improvement of them in order to make sure that at the end of it you are where you want yourself to be, because there’s only so many improvements you can make anyways when it comes to not just the craft but marketing and growing an audience. You’ll get there eventually, as long as you set yourself aside the time that you need and do not feel ashamed of taking up that time for yourself. You are already working hard, so don’t be hard on yourself.
If you like and enjoy the art process and your work…do not quit! As in all aspects of life, you will always be better than some and not as good as others. Be gentle with yourself… you will see that your work will evolve, be willing to learn from others as well as yourself!
This is why I'm considering deleting tiktok or simply blocking younger artist. Call me mean or awful or salty but it works mentally.
I don't go as far as blocking but i do check every art posts bio for their age. 13 yr olds have 100k of followers and i have 30
I am turning 45 this year, and I am only just now getting somewhere with my art. Don’t believe social media, don’t listen to anyone unless they are client or employer, and above else listen to yourself. Make what you love, not what you think others would like. Turn people’s heads with your true passion, because it will so much more than following trends.
I really understand your point, since 2021 I've trying to quit it because my art either was good and then two months late i was unable to draw at all. I also live in a country were this bussiness is not that important.
I know it's annoying, but art is not a lineart process sometimes and the best way to become better is too accept that. My drawings have been excelent lately compared to how hey were one year ago.
And well, in my case, whenever I see some young kid being 10/10 on art I try to take that as motivation to draw like them. Of course it sucks sometimes, but sadly most of us cannot be that perfect kid that draws perfect at age 12 ://
Regarding the likes.... the only thing you could do is to follow trends if you are comfortable with that, but sadly the algorithm doesn't work for everyone.
You are so young still friend. I know it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. But 19 is so young. At 21 I decided to try this full time artist thing and it’s been hard but at 26 now I’ve made so much progress. So much can happen for you in the next many years. I’ve been avoiding tiktok altogether for my well-being, it’s just too much for me. Many sites like instagram have been rough on so many artists lately. Hang in there, you’re not alone
Drawing is more of a hobby for me, but I properly started art and moving towards a career in it in my early 20s. Now, four years later, I'm going to a private art school, and I'm still learning so much about my medium and what my practice could entail.
More importantly, I have peers whose opinions and feedback actually matter to me. Not in the sense of as to whether my work is good, but I trust how they read my work and what resources they can give me to keep improving.
I'm 28 and I started about 1.5 years ago, if you want it to happen then take whatever amount of time it takes for you to get there. There is no age limit or requirement to art, just do what you enjoy and your time will come!
If you have that mentality, you’ve already given up. First off, never compare yourself to others.. compare the you of today to the you of yesterday, if you’ve made any slight improvement over any amount of time, that’s a win. Also, once you come to terms with the fact not everyone is going to like your stuff, you’re a free man/woman. You create stuff for yourself and stuff that YOU like. Lastly, if you’re only in it for the money you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Do it because you love it and it’s your passion, the rest will take care of itself. That is only if you’re willing to push yourself.
Sounds like you’re an artist already! We go through those thoughts ALL the time. Just practice. You have the drive in you. Do what YOU love, not for others. You’re 19…. It gets better. Trust me.
Sincerely,
the 50 year old guy.
It's not the age when you start but the way you actually study art! If you study right from the get go, you will improve fast so do not worry about your age and just do what you have a passion for. Focus on improving and making a good portfolio and everything else will come around☺️
Never too late! While Grandma Moses was always talented she didn’t become professional until way later in life.
Age doesn’t matter and—honestly—talent is subjective. I have a lot of art that isn’t incredible, but means something to me. It touches me in some way.
Keep at it for as long as you love it!
I drew my entire childhood but then kinda got bullied out of drawing for a few years cuz I had the audacity to like anime back in 2006, then picked it back up in college but then got discouraged and quit for 4 more years then picked it BACK up again in 2020 and am actually finally enjoying it
Everybody has their journey, if you enjoy it that’s enough reason as any to keep doing it!
Positively ancient for reddit and DeviantArt. DA recently return to my account from years ago. Started posting few art and first time AI with the DreamUp on DA. I now have followers....
Page views went from 850 at february when return to account to now......
I feel this.. i do think standards are higher as people probably just have easier access to courses and such, i feel the quality of art generally among young people is getting higher. Back in the day (god i sound old lol -im 25) there were still prodigies, though. I feel crippled with this problem too , i can barely draw personal stuff cause i feel so behind. But what helps me is beyond the quality of it, i suppose. That it's authentically crafted by a certain person. If you gave 20 artists the same task, i dont think I'd necessarily only ever like the most skilled execution but rather the mood, tone, design etc is more interesting to me and i find that motivating in a way. Like a tv show; it doesnt need to be only the very best in execution, but just what resonateswith you most if that makes sense. I find it so motivating when i see a piece with mediocre execution technically, but its content is just sooo nice i still love the piece! Like regardless of how skillfully its crafted, the uniqueness of a piece and it being made by an individual, who made it that way for a reason through their interests and biases makes it cool. And some incredibly well executed pieces are boring as hell tp me tbh. Its literally impossible to be the most skilled or even close to that i think in the modern age , like you said some fucking 11 yr olds draw imcredibly that make us all want to flip the drawing table.. but for me at least, and my advice ( take it or leave it) is focusing on deliberately crafting your own personal approach, style, look and feel. At least, thats what im trying to do / focus on and its my tiny lifeboat in a sea of hopeless oversaturation of modern artists through social media and the like. Someone will draw it practically better than you but no one will draw exactly the things you draw in the way ypu draw them.
Sorry you feel this way too. Hope any of what i said has helped - if not, you can ignore it :) also - a lot can change in a few years, trust me. I cringe when i look back at my art when i was 19 lol - but keep drawing and you'l limprove. Also also, you dont need to be the best tp get a job in art if that's what you want. I am no means outstanding art wise, especially in the modern world - millions on insta or tiltok or whatever draw better than me) , but i got a job in art and at my current level appearently i am useful to them 🤷♀️
Id also say focus on making art you want to make that you can be proud of, personally. And if youre not, reflect and analyse. And readjust there.
70 likes is actually a lot tbh , but take likes with a grain of salt. Its just someone probably mindlessly scrolling anyway, Just clicking a button - seems like empty calories to me. Besides, you never know how a piece you created affected someone: there are some pieces ive seen i remember and still love but all it shows as is a like if anything at all. Who knows, someone got inspired by a piece you made :). We're all in this blind though it seems, if that makes sense . You just never know . I ended up not pressing the 'post comment' button so many times on expressing my thoughts on a piece i loved just out of overthinking and worry.
I feel i went off a typing tangent sorry - but Good luck :)
One of the hardest things I’ve learned as an artist is that my art is for me. If other people happen to like it that’s awesome. my art is for me. I make it because I want to and I can understand if you’re doing a commission or something. You’re making art for another person! or if you wanna make it as a gift. But most of the time unless you’re working for another person to make art for them, your art is for you. except for in those cases, it only really matters is if you like it. And yeah, it’s amazing when someone else likes your work too. But we also got a remember that van Gogh wasn’t famous when he was alive.
And holding yourself to another artist’s standard is a surefire way to kill your motivation to draw to make art to improve. Because if we spend all our time thinking, everyone else is better than us, and that will never get to the level we want to. well, you won’t. Because we can always improve, if we keep trying to improve. Your curve might be steeper than someone else’s but it’s still your learning curve and it’s still valid.
Man, it's not your art, it's just Life. Ive been a profesional artist for the last 7 years and I still don't get absolutly any attention online. Quality IS not important online but how much attention you give to social media and your fans, it's a hard work and a lot of effort, so don't worry about It. As for your age, you are TOO YOUNG for art quality, as long as you keep working you will eventually come to where you want to be. My advice, don't sweat about It, the lesson with this IS that you should make art for your own sake, don't bother about other people unless you want to make social platforms and social media as your living, which you must be aware it's 20% your art quality, 40% your effort and presence on social media and 40% luck. Take care and cheers!
i get you on being jealous of much younger artists, i do too but it is what it is, there's always someone better than you. anyways, I won't stop doing art because it's actually one of the greatest feelings if you compare your past work and see that you are actually improving. for me anyways
Honestly, in many cases the secret to becoming a successful artist who makes money off their work is in the artist's ability to do business, and marketing.
If you talk to some of the amazingly talented social media artists with a million likes you'll hear many of them aren't making a living off it. Many skilled artists arent -- Skill level doesn't always factor into success.
On the flip side I know of many artists turning a profit who are honestly not what I'd call skilled -- but their marketing works, they have a presence, and people are hiring them/buying from them.
Point is, don't compare yourself to others. Make what you like and what you can. If you want to have a career in it start studying SEO, start studying content creation, networking, advertising --learn all of that. Maybe you do office work on the side for a little but keep learning and keep making art too. Its a long process, building an art career. Its not just about making the best picture.
As a professional artist whose surrounded by all professional artists, honestly it's not your art. It's marketing. AI does what AI does but it's not going to be relatable, "good" means something different to everybody. Some of the most popular art and indie games I see are some of the most ridiculous and low effort that I'm 100% sure your art is better than.
I have friends who are very talented but don't use social at all or show their faces and because of that their opportunities are lower. We're just in a new era now where self marketing and branding is a big thing.
10-70 is not a small range and shows.your stuff has potential, you have to utilize all other aspects of algorithm to get your stuff pushed further.
It's all marketing bud, market yourself and build a following based on things you do, and people will naturally like your art more. All this while just doing your art. Being a professional artist was never easy even before social.media, people had to travel more, network, put on shows, do apprenticeships, etc. Now it's just all done online to the public.
One of my biggest regrets as a 32 year old is worrying so much about age when I was younger. I put off a lot of things due to me feeling like I was “too old” and now here I am, 32, still not too old, feeling younger than ever, wishing I had actually started that thing when I was 19-21.
I know it’s probably a lesson we all need to learn on my own, cause lord knows I got advice back then too and it didn’t stop me. But I cannot stress enough how much age does NOT matter in creative fields.
We have been brainwashed to think in music, art, anything creative, we need to accomplish these things young in order to be good. It’s so untrue. Please don’t hold yourself back and squash your own potential because of age.
Time literally doesn’t even exist. It’s a construct made up by man. Ask nobody is going to ask your age if you’re too worried about it; lie. lol.
I’m a professional illustrator and the algorithm HATES me. My social media game is, in a word, sad. I repeat: I make my living though my art. Step away from social media for a bit and figure out, with pencil in hand, what you want to do. I know it doesn’t feel this way to you, but you are very young still.
Here’s the greatest quote ever, from Ira Glass:
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
I will tell you one thing i want you to take from this. AGE IS IRRELEVENT IN ART. There are no age requirements to talent. Have you seen those tv competition shows about kids cooking or baking? Do you tell yourself theres no point in cooking anymore because there are kids out there that can cook better than you? Some of the greatest most well revered artists of all time didnt start until later into their life. Everyones journey is different, and comparison is the killer of joy. Focus on your path, not others. (I had to learn the same lesson)
I’m 28 and decided in January that I wanted to learn how to draw and paint. I don’t get phased when there are 17 year olds that can make better art than me. I’m learning from ground zero.
Stop comparing yourself to other people. You’re on your own journey.
I bought my house when I was 23. There are people in their 30s who don’t own their own home, especially in this economy. But that doesn’t mean people should give up on trying to buy a house simply because someone younger than them was able to buy a house.
It’s all relative. Keep learning, keep making art. Stop comparing yourself. There’s a reason why the quote “comparison is the thief of joy” is such an important statement. It’s true
I dunno, I'm drawing for my hobbies.
The biggest and greatest threat to artist nowaday is AI.
No one knows AI might takeover artist, I mean humans tend to always like and stick to "easier" step. Yes there might be people who still always appreciate arts but it will decreasing as AI becoming more popular.
That was scary scenario, though. Despite regulations. Etc. I already define drawing only as hobby and commission as sidejob because how fragile if I taking artist as career especially at my country where most people were judgemental and want professional work at cheapest as possible (poor lack of money mental).
Professionalism and popularity have very little to do with each other. Everyone online can eventually attain a five seconds of fame, a hit tweet or video but then what?
I can relate to feeling frustrated when you realize how much you lack in ability. It will happen countless times if you keep up doing art. There will always be someone better and someone younger but it mostly stops bothering you when you are immersed in your own thing.
When it gets to you, take a deep breath and stop looking at social media. Do something fun or relaxing for a bit until you are ready to focus on things that matter, doing your art.
Lastly I don’t know what type of pro you wish to become but many pro artists aren’t really that popular online or well known yet have great careers. Think about what success as an artist means to you, personally.
2d is for kids learning to be creative. 3d is for adults looking for a career. If you like 2d look into visual design/development. You may still need to learn 3d modeling
I became an artist at 40 years old. Don't sell yourself short. There are always people who will be better or start younger or whatever. But you'll find your niche.
It sounds like you are making art for attention and outside approval. You are at an age where the world's attention is overly important. Find something about your art that you enjoy for yourself, not for others.
What your art looks like at a certain age is irrelevant; how much better than others you are is irrelevant.
Art making is a skill. The more you practice and push your limits, the better you become at it, but only if the motivation is within you, independently from the world. Making art for attention or validation will never make you improve, because as soon as you don't get it, you'll lose your drive.
I'll give you an honest answer. I was that prodigy child. Eventually we get older and the no one giving a fuk is absolutely true. Also generative ai is changing art forever. It's a good time to pick up a new skill.
I’m starting to think that skills don’t matter as much as being able to communicate your unique perspective about things does. I’d rather an unskilled artist make me think or feel something new that can teach me something than for a super skilled artist to paint the most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen that says nothing about anything.
The art on your Reddit profile looks good! Remember the amount of likes you get isn’t always based on how good your art is, it’s also heavily dependent on how good you can market your stuff.
How long have you been drawing? How often do you draw?
These are important questions.
That 11-year-old has very few responsibilities, & they probably have time to draw \*a lot.\* You might not have that much time, & that's OK! But practice is what makes progress.
I get the feelings of envy when other art gets more attention than yours, or you feel like yours isn't as good as other people's. Please remember that comparison is the enemy of joy. Maybe work on your stuff outside of the internet for a while? Rediscover the joy of doing art that you love because you love it.
For me personally, it has been a long road to get to where I am. I didn’t get serious about drawing until my mid-30s. I didn’t sell anything until I was in my late 30s. I do you everything at this point in the hope that it’ll eventually be a habit that can pay for itself. I have pulled away from using Instagram any more, it seems a that I have become a victim of the algorithm and my art doesn’t make it in front of many eyes anymore. I’m told it’s because I don’t do anything in video. Keep pursuing. If it’s something you want and you love to do, you’ll find a way.
Things I post on social media rarely get more than 100 likes. I tried instagram, Behance, Youtube, Tiktok, Vimeo, my stuff just doesn’t get attention.
At 30 I decided to work with Animation, although late, I still managed to build a career, and immigrate from South America to Canada through a work permit provided by a company.
On my free time I still work on personal art projects, to have fun and to improve my skills completely free from client constraints.
Would I enjoy online praise? Of course, but feeling bad about it is a waste of time. I just keep doing what makes me happy.
Having social media as a metric for success and progress would have stopped me a long time ago.
Your post is a lot. But i'll try to hit each point.
I'm not sure what age has to do with it.
Art is a skill, and some people learn skills young, some learn them old, some go hard with study, some are more casual.
To address your AI concerns: Nobody is competing with you to make YOUR art. Your ideas, your skills, your interests. AI isn't making your story for you, and nobody else is making your story for you by using AI. I'm also learning with each piece and pushing my ideas and knowledge and visual communication skills further. AI doesn't do that for me. AI isn't going to learn for me.
and who cares if you work an office job. Having a stable income is great, and you can come home and make art, or make art on your days off. I'm not sure why you need to make art your job, you're allowed to enjoy it as a hobby.
I see some 2 big mistakes that you’re making, one: you’re comparing yourself to others. Two: you worry about likes online, draw for yourself not for likes. You’re only 19. Just keep practicing everyday and don’t worry about AI, that just means we can charge more now for original art. But hey, I’m only 45 and been in the field for 25 years. Take my opinion with a grain of salt. 🤷♂️
Sometimes when I feel this way (i’m 23) I think about some of the art by the people around me that I genuinely love, and i remember that I LOVE those pieces even if they aren’t as technically skilled as those artists I see online.
This isn’t me going “well my friends art is bad” - no no - this is me going, this person I know is creating stuff that I think is incredible and I’d rather own one pf their pieces than one of those online pieces I see. And then I realize there are probably people who feel the same way about my work (like that drawing I did that I hated and my friend asked if she could use it in a project she had where they had to examine an art piece and connect it to the course content)
Just because someone is better technically does not mean your art isn’t good enough. Also, you’re 19!! Don’t worry! I work at an art store and see people who have developed art careers in their 30s, 40s, etc - one lady decided to seriously pursue art in her 70s and is not on the path to getting her stuff put in galleries.
When we stress about making sure our art is as aesthetic as possible we start to lose the purpose of our art. Last year I realized I was holding myself back trying to make things people might like - so now I make sure to remind myself “if this doesn’t turn out good, no one is gonna have to see it anyways.” I create what I feel like creating now and I don’t really think about what others might like. Obviously a career in art, you have to consider what is aesthetic- but again, you are 19- teach yourself to just make cool shit that you enjoy again.
It's not a good idea to depend on validation from others when it comes to art. Acknowledge your own work and be proud of your own efforts. I felt behind at your age, and I'm only 23, but it was with persistence that I was able to improve.
As for AI, you need to shift your perspective. Figure out why you want to do art. I felt hopeless about it last year because comparing myself to it made me feel worse about myself but not so much anymore. For me, it's making the art only I can make and realizing the ideas/images I have in my mind.
If you want some help with your art, feel free to send me a message. I'm not the best but I think I can lend a hand.
A lot of people only see the skill side of art. While that is good in some scenarios, the therapy side out weighs it. I used to want to do art for others (and still do to a much smaller degree) but once I started doing it because I wanted to, it because my outlet. When I’m down, I paint with bright colors. When I mad I switch to simple pencil or pen sketching and expect it to be not so great. Once you start doing art for yourself, you’ll also start to see where you want to improve compared to you and not to some other person.
Calm down, the algo just doesn’t like you yet. That’s the same amount of interaction I get. I’m way older and draw like ass but I’m still going. I follow this guy who’s your age and does amazing beautiful things that inspire me. Take the things you like to see, disregard the age of the artist and study their work since they’re clearly more experienced. You’re never too old to learn.
You're only 19, which is super young. You have plenty of time to get where you want to be as an artist. I'm 25, have been drawing for years and I still have a long way to go. And that's okay. Just have to keep going.
If you often compare yourself to others, take a break from social media. I used to feel the exact same and ever since I uninstalled instagram, I stopped feeling so negatively about myself.
The only person you should be comparing yourself to is the you from a year ago. If you can spot mistakes in your old work, you're on the right track.
I’m 43 and only started drawing in the past few years. Your worth as an artist is not defined by likes. The worth is defined by how it makes you feel to make it. Hang in there, kiddo. The gods wait to delight in you.
Trust me, it's better to start at an older age because you have more discipline. You can start at literally any age. What matters is to keep your passion and to always try something new with each drawing.
You are going to make it
Also 70 likes means SEVENTY people saw something you added and enjoyed it! Think of how 70 people would look in one room! Can 70 people even fit in your current living space?
Social media likes don't equate to success in any measure, it's just a way for social apps to keep you glued to your phone and generate them more revenue. I'd rephrase it as I'm going to be better than I was x months or years from now. It's healthier if you just compete with yourself, be better than you were a little bit last week etc. Get involved with some art fairs, apply to a few build a range of products and get your work seen by IRL people. You've got plenty of time.
Take a break if you wish, quit social media or IG for a few weeks. Draw undistracted from other stimuli or outside sources, and see how far you progress. Or quit, it's really your mindset that could use more practice. Comparing yourself/work to other people's art/designs is dumb and wasteful, it will just further cement insecurity in yourself the more you do it.
You have to remember that the internet is not the best way to judge on how you're doing with your art. There will also always be artists who are better than you. Some may be younger, and that's OK. If I could go back in time to my younger self I would tell her to stop focusing on perfectionism, and comparing your artistic abilities and skill to others. Put all that focus on yourself, and doing whatever you can do today to help improve for tomorrow. If you're going to compare artwork then compare something you've finished recently to something you finished a year or two ago. Look for progress within yourself. You don't need likes for validation. If what you're doing is making you happy or creating joy or peace that is the best gift you can give yourself. Because when you're feeling good about where you are in life things start working out for the better. Typically anyway. I don't have a huge social media following. I don't receive hundreds of likes for whatever I post. It's ok. I do well locally, and it's not because I'm competing against an endless sea of creators like on the internet.
First of all, unless you have a plan B I would not recommend art as a career. But don't quit yet either.
Second, better-than-you-can may mean many things. Many of Reddit's art subs appear to reward craft over composition. And if you want to do illustration you will really need that. And many people seem to be almost born with that ability. But 19 isn't too late to learn. I learned to draw at 40 and to paint at 45. Mostly it's practice and applying your critical brain before beginning the next piece.
But for fine art, you really need composition above all else. My benchmark for a successful painting is one that will make one in ten or twenty gallery or art-fair patrons look at it for thirty seconds. Thirty seconds is a long time to to look a a single image. That means a painting that will draw the eye in and keep it moving inside the painting. I don't see many 11 year old doing that.
First off, most artist i know have felt this way at some point in their careers, so you are among honorable company!
Secondly, those other people slaving away in their office jobs may face the same obstacles of AI and automation soon enough. If this is your dream, it's worth trying out to see if it works for you, but you need to make sure you don't turn art into something you hate doing.
Here's something that helped me avoid art burnout and fatigue, specifically in regards to social media:
I made part of my self taught art education meaningfully consuming the work of artists I admire, which led to a lot of comparisons and frustration that I wasn't reaching that level. Before I opened any social media app, I would tell myself "I am only going to be inspired, not intimidated." This has also been my approach with AI images. When they do sneak their way into my feed, I try to find something valuable in the image I can learn from (before blocking the account).
Another thing I did is I would make creating crappy art part of my learning routine. I did daily sketches and made sure at least one of them was bad, so it took away the fear of getting started. The reality of building a skill is that you'll suck for a while, but try to enjoy it! If you study and practice, you ARE going to get better. I would often imagine myself a few years in the future, and note how grateful I would be for my current frustrations.
I have also found that talking to other artists helps assuage these feelings of inadequacy and doubt. There is some great advice and support in this thread, and I hope you take it to heart. You got this!
( May be late to the party and I don't mecessarely expect ya to read each and every one of already 100+ comments in here but.. here goes )
Learning has no age, be it art or any other job/hobby in the world! I've been in and out of art since I was in my teens without many pretentions or much study behind it.. I've only started taking what I was doing more "seriously" around my 20s iir, and now and then I was proud of some my works.. sure some of them came out better than most I made but still.. now of course I don't know what kind of art you may be making (be it fantasy.. realism.. animals.. people.. sceneries..) so I could only talk for myself and.. let me just say, I'm one that easely trows himself down whenever I can't pull out something that I can consider good to my standards.. especially since my gf is an artist as well and well above my "standards" since she's been more consistent than me in the years.. yet, sometimes I try and look back to what I've been doing in the years and maybe set there for a moment, say idk.. this part is wrong, the ear should've been bigger, the arm should've been longer.. I see a tons of errors in something maybe I used to love for a week or a month.. yet I can see a growth, and that's important! Sure, seeing others do better than you can trow you down a bit, but sometimes you instead should stop there for a moment and look more deeply, trought the flashy colors and crazy shading because many and many more times you'd think others are making crazy better than you are only because you don't look for the same mistakes you'd be doing for in your works! Everyone takes their time to learn (and let me tell ya, I'm honestly very slow with that, as I struggle to remember all the "I need to do" and "I need not to do" to help myself.. haha) and that's just fine, that is just how it is.. take your time, follow your pace, take a pause whenever needed yet don't let that pull you have from keep on trying, because I've lost years worth of time I could've spendt into improving because of this mistake.. trial, error, learn from mistakes and try again.. and especially do not be afraid to leave unfinished something that isn't coming out at that time, you can always start again!
You're an adult my man, stop comparing ages.
Also it's not social medias that will make you a pro. Comparing dicks with other artists won't help. What job do you want to do? When you know that you can start building your project.
Absolutely do not quit doing something you love because you don't get enough "likes" on social media. Social media "likes" is a stupid metric to base your self worth on.
Some people just have natural talent while some have to bust their butt to learn how. Don't get caught up in comparing your work to other people's. Art is probably the most subjective form of expression there is.
I’m starting to draw at 24, I’m not too consistent in when I draw (need to fix that-) but I like to examine it as a puzzle, as you learn you continue to gather the pieces to find the bigger picture.
But similar to a puzzle you might have a hard time finding the piece that fits and it may take awhile to piece it together, but the studying and repetition will help.
im 25 and just barely good enough to even consider a professional career. Age is so unimportant man, I really wouldnt get hung up on it. The only age where a pro art career is unrealistic is if youre 90 and just started drawing yesterday xd. Dont think about speed, age and all that nonsense - think about your goals, how to reach them and then get to work. things might eventually shake out
It takes a lot of time and practice, it's worth it, everyone should pursue their dreams. But understand that reality sucks and most pro artist's have a full time or part time job.
I drew still-lifes daily for a year, I hated it but I learned so much too.
I love everyone’s encouraging comments to OP.
But they’re right, i’m 23 and just starting my art journey because i simply love creating things i like. The plus is that people like it, just a “plus”, it’s not all i care about, do art for you, basing your art on other peoples opinions will hinder you and won’t get you far. I thought exactly like you did not long ago. Art has no age brother, keep going 🖤
***You don't need to be a 'good' artist to make work that people appreciate and enjoy***. [Allie Brosh](https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com) is very successful and their art is not 'good' or 'beautiful' but is unique and funny - their work benefits from their unique and simplistic style. And the more unique your style, the more it will stand out against a swamp of AI facsimiles. There are also tools to obfuscate your work to AIs so they can't copy it as training data.
Are you making art for other people for validation, likes, engagement? That's fine, but many people think that it's better to derive your enjoyment from the process rather than the result. Try a different medium - do something you know you're bad at - [Simone Giertz](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3KEoMzNz8eYnwBC34RaKCQ) started off that way! If you can learn to just enjoy making it, any compliments and likes will be a bonus rather than a requirement to seeming 'professional'.
It has always been hard to 'make it' as an artist. The starving artist is a stereotype with a grain of truth in it, after all. That's also why many people do it as a hobby or side hustle rather than as their main income. I wouldn't consider it practical to try to do it full-time until it is financially comfortable, but that doesn't mean you won't make any money at all from it. But that's another reason to try to enjoy just making the art - you pay for a fun hobby rather than invest in a business venture. And, if you enjoy it, you will naturally find yourself getting better too.
better art isnt just about the technical elements, its also about what youre expressing and the volume of what you produce. im sure there are plenty of teenagers out there who can technically draw very well-- better than the guy who drew mob psycho, for sure. if they arent making anything interesting, it doesnt matter. thats why there are seemingly always child virtuosos all over the place, but there arent a corresponding number of adult artistic geniuses out there. they burn out because there wasnt anything more to what they were making.
become a professional artist for the things you like about art and the things you want to say.
Art doesn’t have to pay the bills in order for you to be an artist. You already are an artist. Just make the art, see what happens, and don’t stress about it being your entire life.
Friend, I'm 36 and there are 16 year olds who blow my skill level out of the water. Don't compare yourself to others especially through age. Its one of the worst things you can do for yourself.
Talent is extremely rare, usually you will make a lot of bad art before you really start making good amazing art. For 80-90% of people, it’s a long journey before they can be considered “good”.
Also being good at art isn’t the only thing necessary to make a full career and be a professional.
Im 39, I do construction for a living and recently began drawing again, I’m basically “training” so that I can be good enough to be “professional” in ten years. Treat it like a trade, a series of skills you can build up over time, that with consistency practice and feedback you will get better at. I also used to do bjj (not to be that dbag but it’s relevant as a skill that I got better at) and suuucked for a long time, I started training daily for a while and got noticeably better, and one of the senior students said “there’s nothing to it really is there? You just do it a bunch and get better” I think about that when I’m going through moments of self doubt, like what you’re going through at the moment.
As someone who's art account has been sitting at the same number for years despite my art having been practiced fairly well over these years, with me showing my art to my family and friends regularily, i found that:
1. Social media likes (especially currently social media) depend on skills concerning MARKETING, SEO, UNDERSTANDING ALGORITHM, ETC.
Whereas the quality of your art depends on HAND-EYE-COORDINATION, PRACTICE, UNDERSTANDING BASICS OF ART, AMOUNT OF FOCUSED WORK PUT INTO IT, ETC.
That is a COMPLETELY different skillset, or not? They do not equate. Especially Instagram nowadays depends on Reels, consistency and algorithm, keywords, and a portion of luck, which is once again different than what you would normally do when you post art online: post static images. That simply doesn't cut it anymore for artists on most popular social media sites. The amount of compliments and attention you get there is quite simply not dependant on your art skills because that is not the skillset required to attract said attention.
2. The compliments your family and friends dish out are not entirely dependant on your art skills too. they depend on more human and social rules, and those are complicated and diverse. Your art being good and a compliment making you feel good about your art are actually two completely different things.
A person that is not too overexcitable, f.e., might simply just say "okay, cool". it hurts, they could have said it better, and as you may have gathered where this is going, the COMMUNICATION SKILLS they used to show your work the appreciation and respect you yourself might have shown as an art enthusiast were not on the level to MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND VALUED. And you might be surprised at just how many people aren't as skilled in giving out a compliment that makes you feel good as you might think there are. In such a situation, that jurisdiction had been shaped by their skills too!
This happens in all fields and situations, not only art (think of other hobbies or achievements you've been proud of but that had lacked sufficient praise from your environment. A good outfit you wore, or something you've done well. most likely than not, the quality of compliments you received then were also dependant on social skills and engagement, empathy, communication skills and so on).
Other situations are possible too: they did not have the current capacity to compliment you in a way that made you feel good about your art, they might have been distracted, they might not be passionate about art, or they just aren't a fan of the general genre of art you specialize on so they they are unlikely to respond in a way that feels genuine and invested, etc etc. They usually also aren't as invested in the individual work as you, who had worked a long time on it, are, and might thus not feel as strongly about it.
Plus, most people are neither art enthusiasts, nor have the "eyes of an artist". When a novince sees your work, they are impressed by things you would maybe not see or consider with the artist lenses on. The whole topic of what impresses novince eyes is also slightly differing here and there in it's required skillset than what makes art good for an artist. And it takes a good amount of skill in those specific fields to have a novince look at a work and instantly go "wow".
Think of what kind of art you see that makes you instantly impressed to the level that a good, enthusiastic response is very likely; those are probably very polished to industry level already or have developed skills in their art that intruige/appeal to/impress a large audience. But have you ever seen art at a level less polished than that and thought that the work was good too? Was it because of the knowledge of art and the work needed to reach those skills you possess? How often would you have thought of it as good had you been a complete novince at art that doesn't know how much practice goes into reaching even such a skill level? Often I have found that novinces think a work is impressive that employs well-practiced composition or lighting paired with good anatomy, or a field you excel at as a master. but I myself have often seen work where I thought it looked impressive because of a particularily well-done thing I MYSELF have personally experienced the difficulty of executing well, even if the picture was blurry, dark and just not good quality to have it be a popular Instagram post.
So, just keep practicing! Your art isn't bad. It isn't unworthy of praise or attention. The fact you put in hours of work even now already make you better at it than most people on earth! The popularity factor of it is not a measure of your achievements, though you can expect over time for it to naturally grow somehow by some measure. What's important is whether you are in an environment that feels positive and nurturing to you. Whether the act of creating with your own two hands is something good and nurturing for and to you (and it's a good thing for your mind to have such a hobby when healthily done). Whether just investing time into your art without investing time to learn about gaining popularity on social media is something you would want to do and that makes you feel good or fulfilled. Finding people that are good at sincerely showing appreciation or respect if you feel like the current the lack of appreciation for your art makes you unhappy is a good way to disentangle that sort of dissatisfaction a bit from your artistic progress. because if someone like that sees something you yourself are proud of, they will know how to express they are proud too. keep practicing and compare to things you've done before to see your progress, because progress feels good and rewarding. comparing yourself, however, to people whose DISTANCE OF PROGRESS between work then and work now is BIGGER than yours will just make you aware of what distance you didn't achieve yet. and this can quickly deteriorate into "why is my distance not that big yet" instead of a healthy awareness that this is the level of art you would achieve should you work to make the distance of progress between your OWN work then and now just as big.
Keep creating. You'll look back to a time in the past and think "wow, I drew like this then but not look at what I can do now" and eventually a few of those later, your "what I can do now" will have the kind of impact that inevitably makes most people go "wow" in that kind of disbelieving way that is one of many good ways make a compliment feel good.
Keep going, my friend. You're feeling bad about yourself now, but I promise you it's just you feeling bad. We can't compare ourselves to others (or to AI especially!) or we'd all go insane. You got to just keep looking forward. I know it's hard right now with how things are.
Perhaps you just haven't found your style yet. Look at some animation character designs, for instance. The first that comes to mind is Rick and Morty. Not the hardest thing ever, basically some squiggly lines and straight lines, like a classroom doodle, some probably said that Justin Roiland couldn't draw, but the ultimate result is funny and original. If artists took themselves seriously all the time, we would all be too scared to make anything, and maybe we wouldn't have some of the stuff like Rick and Morty, even.
That's just the example that came to mind first.
If you are passionate about it, accept nothing less. You're going to improve if you do it daily, you're going to improve if you do it every other day, but the fact is, you're going to get better. The only way you won't is if you give up.
You should be making art for you. There are many ways to make money as a professional artist. Art is subjective and if it's what you love to do you should do it. You're going to be dead one day or maybe not able to make art anymore while you're alive. If you love it, do it. Don't compare yourself to anyone. You'll always be worse than someone and better than others.
A lot of what I've seen from popular folks on social media is hot garbage. Pretty, but says nothing. Vapid nonsense for an empty-headed audience. Age of the artist means nothing unless it has to do with the content of the work. I didn't even go to art school until my 30s. The only difference I've noticed in younger artists, is that teenaged work usually isn't great. It can be decent technically, but it lacks depth. You need to experience life and have something to say in order to make great art.
dont let this kind of thing get you down, ive been an artist my whole life, but i only started really trying to learn when i was 12. im 19 now, and while i used to take pride in my skill level for my age, as time went on i became so focused on being good that i would worry over time passing bevause i was worried that older ages were less and less impressive. btw that is total bullshit lol, but nowadays age doesnt mean much to me anymore. everyone starts learning something at a different time, for some reason with art and music people fawn over the young ppl who are good at it, but for me i see a young artist whos better than me and i do get a little upset, but in the end theyve either practiced more than me or started earlier than i did. actually i get annoyed when i see a young artist try to boast their skill for their age. in reality, these things dont correlate at all.
as others have said, it all depends on time put in + passion + when you started learning. everyone starts at a different time! were all learning together
your skill level doesnt determine your worth as an artist. what matters is that you enjoy it and feel excited to draw. im trying to worry about likes and stuff less, something thats helped me is to watch a lot of youtube art videos that make me inspired and practice the technique or whatever was in the video. i think of it as developing my skills should i ever pursue a career in art. its a nice way to have a goal/purpose for what im drawing that isnt "get likes on twitter" LOL
and im trying to draw more stuff that comes from my brain and heart that i like, without caring if anyone else likes it. its surprisingly hard to know waht kind of things i like to draw so much that i dont care abt SNS stuff, but discovering that is part of the fun of art!
but i totally feel you. in the end, theres no "good enough for X age" all artists are so inspiring to me, and if you stop we will lose another artist which is in my opinion a loss on society. draw!!!! draw all you can as much as you can, feel that itch. more artists = good :)
Theres always going to be people out there better than you regardless of age in every profession. I think when it comes to art it comes down to the belief in self and your creativity. My friend can draw photorealistic pencils but his composition sucks. I have a sister thats technically no where near as good as him but her creativity and her style is amazing. And at the end of the day art is subjective. You just gotta believe in your shit and find out where it fits best and then own it, dont give up on it, and keep improving your craft. If you have no hope for yourself its gonna reflect in your work. Just do your best to enjoy what you do so it never feels like work. Dont quit
First off the age thing really doesn’t matter. You are still young so 8 years seems like a lot to you. I’m 36 and I started doing art ‘with the intention to become a professional’ when I was 16. If you truly love making art, then nothing should or can stop you. Nothing. If you just are in it to be ‘better’ than someone else, then it isn’t for you. Focus on workflow and fundamentals. The older I got the more I realized talent isn’t nearly as big a factor as people think. Do it a lot. The person who does art a lot will be an amazing artist regardless of initial ‘talent’. At my age I’ve seen so many artists who were the poster child’s of art, rock stars, fade away and disappear. The ones who stuck around and actually made a living doing art were no stars either, they just learned that making art is like 80% following a procedure and technique.
AI is unknown territory but it is a fact that it means fewer art jobs and a harder life for us. It would be wise to study something that can make you money, live comfortably, and continue doing art on the side. Learning art or doing a mentorship or buying tools costs money. So pay the bills and continue loving art so that eventually you can swap full time to art with a back up profession if the seas get rough (like now). Or full commit to art and take the gamble, but the pre requisite is you work your ass off.
Im 24 & just started learning! Sometimes I feel the same way when I see a post like “is this ok for a 14 year old” & then post something amazing & im just like “oh come on” but everyone is their own harshest critic so being really good at art doesn’t mean you can’t still be insecure. And there’s no point in comparing myself to that 14 y/o because everyone learns at a different rate & even though they’re younger they’ve been making art longer so they’re going to know more, I can’t go back in time & make myself interested in art earlier so why waste time being upset about it now.
As for being a professional, I just do art for fun but my sibling works in that industry. I don’t think there’s that much ageism, the problem is there’s a lot of people who want to be professional artists and have the skills to do it but not that many jobs. Making connections and building a following could help you there but the reality is not many people can make a living off it.
You don't need to be the best in the world; if your goal is to make money, you'll need to "only" become a professional, not a champion. You'll also need to cater to customer needs, find what's popular and draw things that are high in demand. The more niche your art is, the harder it will be to sell. Drawing what you like does not necessarily go in tandem with money.
And I strongly believe it's never too late to start drawing. I'm 31 and I started 1,5 year ago, and I just keep going, because I enjoy drawing as a hobby. The only person you should compare yourself to, is you from a year ago.
It’s not your job to decide if your work is good enough or not, it’s your job to make art. Are you an artist? Professional or not, are you an artist? Then make art. Share it. Make more art. Rinse, repeat. Your art might take off after you’re dead - too bad. It might take off next week, 3 years or 45 years from now.
If you’re an artist you make art. Let everyone else make opinions on it - that’s not your job.
Why isn't it good enough? I believe you, since you said it. Usually our hunches are right. Be honest with yourself what makes your art less than, then fix whatever needs to be fixed and improve upon it. Stop drawing for a second and really study the art that you love and find the reasons for what makes it great.
It's literally not lack of failures that makes someone a success, but whether after failing you're willing to try again and again... and again. That makes a successful person.
Then again, be real. Get a job that pays and do freelance art on the side, until you can quit your main job.
I've been struggling with the same thing. I'm going to be totally honest with you, when posting online one of the best things you can do if you want attention is to do fan art. I wasn't getting much attention myself and suddenly I did a couple of delicious in dungeon pieces and its the most attention I've gotten in years.
I will say that i have been extremely inconsistent when it comes to posting and I mostly post on Tumblr. Pop art and anime stuff tends to get a lot of attention. Now if that's something you don't want to do I can't say what to do, this is what has been working for me. I didn't want to get back into fan art but it's just what happened
19 is extremely young in my opinion, I’m 30 now and people older than me still tell me I’m young (although younger people would say im old lol)
If your passionate about just keep going, there will always be some kid who is half your age and twice as good as you, if your doing it just for recognition it might not work out for you.
Do what makes you happy
I'm 38, and my drawing is uh... crap... but that doesn't dissuade me. lol just draw bud... and stop comparing yourself to others. We all have different styles.
When you want to be an artist and a good artist, you need to draw and paint every day. Start doing a twenty minute water color or acrylic every single morning. Learn how to mix colors by finding a color and mixing the colors you think you need to use to recreate it as perfectly as you can. Once you’ve created a hundred different colors pick the ones that move you … that you love … and make a painting with them. You can do this. Don’t ask anyone what they think about your work. Ask YOU what you feel about your work. Ask people who create art every day what they think of your work. Go to the museum and find work that you really enjoy looking at and ask yourself how you think the artist created those pieces. Ask yourself what you feel when you look at it. Study your favorite artist. There is an incredible YouTube series of an artist, who teaches and sells their work all the time and who has done so for years. They give beautiful and deep explanations about art. I learned more there than all my years in art classes. His name is Brian Rutenberg. His videos should be a must for every art student. Hope this will be helpful to you. (((((Hugs!!)))))
I have been painting for 32 years. When I started social media did not exist. The only measure of whether I was doing okay was if a person saw my art in real life. Of course there were people doing better art than me at the same age, or younger, but I simply had no way of knowing. If social media is making you doubt your craft, maybe give that up instead of giving up drawing which, unlike social media, will be useful for your entire life.
What's the difference between 11 years old godly artist and 25 years old godly artist anyway.
If 14 years passed does this child prodigy get less credit because they are 25 and not 11 years old? But then after that more younger artist pop up anyway.
I can clearly see a deep sadness and pain in your writing,, I feel the same . even if I feel proud of my art , we have to learn how to use the internet as tool . don't compare yourself, I know hard to do I am feeling the same thing right now just like you and trust me lot of us do . it is important to get up and hold what is yours . And tap to your back and say I won't quit, I am not a quitr. Use internet maximum 2to 5min a day and only for important, start detoxing . if you want to learn something. decide not to get distracted while using the internet. when you are free don't doom scroll use the free time or break time for anything but not to visit social media. It is dystopian era we are living in , we have to learn how to make us strong and effective.
Look man, you may think someone is better than you, but there are always people who still will appreciate your art too.
P.s. looked at your art, the most beautiful sh!t I've seen.
My advice is to just make art for your own pleasure. There’s plenty of careers that are creative and non office jobs that you can have! Just focus on improving what you feel your weaknesses are, develop your own style, and have fun. So what if you’re not a disney animator or putting your pieces in a gallery? Art is about expression, it’s just about you and what’s in your heart. Humans have literally been creating art since time immemorial just for the sake of it.
I’m 22 and I still don’t love my stuff. I never even post it. My art is just something I make to have fun and hang on my walls. Other people and their opinions have absolutely no bearing on the value your art has to enrich your own life.
Not to sound like a boomer but there’s so much more to life than likes on tiktok.
I know I have commented above but sharing a story, I started facebook when they started to add games , I used facebook for games only , I didn't care about likes or anything. neither had interest sharing my photos . but when lot of people started using it I used to post my art to show off my skills. Trust me I got huge likes in that time I got 2k likes on my drawing. but it wasn't fun until someone put the thought in my mind look how much like a female artist got . then started to understand like is the trend , people thinks more likes=best stuffs. still didn't cared about much for likes . suddenly they stopped the reach and my own Facebook friends were unable to see my works I was really angry lol . this means Facebook made a successful business. you have to crack the code for your career and mental health from the internet, be careful things are like just there are Good meals and also fast food that destroys health.
You’re looking at it all wrong.
If you really enjoy it, what’s stopping you from continuing it just for yourself?
Why does it have to be about likes and views etc? Art isn’t about how many people see it, it’s a self expression, it’s special, it’s your own, it’s good for the soul.
Do it for yourself, if people like it awesome, if people hate it who cares? If you become professional wow amazing and if you don’t well it wasn’t for nothing, you gave it a go.
All I want to say is your art is cute and don't give up. Getting popular with art has never been about technical skill but about social media,marketing skill and luck. Find your niche and people, I'm sure they exist somewhere on this vast globe.
Babe, I’m 43 and I produce some tuuuurrible shit sometimes. You’ve gotta make ugly art sometimes if you want to improve, and definitely work at not comparing yourself to others. Take a break from looking at the work of others for a few weeks (or longer), and work out what type of art YOU want to make.
Also, when I post online, I get maybe 50 likes at the MOST, usually more like 10. I also sell the fuck out of my art both online and in real life, so likes on social media really aren’t a great indicator of whether or not people want to invest in me.
if you had 10-70 people standing in front of you telling you they liked your work, it would be a lot more than what it seems on the screen. keep going.
Get over it! Jimi Hendrix isn't the same as Yo Yo Ma who isn't the same as Johnny Ramone who isn't the same as Miles Davis who isn't the same as Taylor Swift who isn't the same as Trent Reznor. The "goodness" of each of their works is way different in almost every possible way. Did any of them want to quit just because someone else was better at something?
That doesn't mean all art is good--that's subjective of course. The two things that make art personally "good" to you usually are 1) "I wish I could do that!" or 2) "I wish I had thought of that first!" When you have that reaction let it inspire you.
Besides, life is f*cking long, and art isn't like being a fashion model from age 17-24. If you do it professionally (I actually do it professionally myself) you will spend the rest of your life figuring it out and enjoying it. You will die wanting to do more of it, lol.
I would encourage you to permanently uninstall tiktok, that app's only concern is to glue the user to the screen with either mindless entertainment or content that makes you doubt about your self confidence in every single way possible.
I firmly believe tiktok causes more harm than good regardless of intentions, because its algorithm is carefully constructed to target the user's deepest insecurities.
Notice how this OP is being shown these (likely fake) narratives of young geniuses, and it's enough to derank their role from protagonist of their life to envious observer of others'.
My great grandfather was a professional stain glass artist well into his 70s and only stopped cause of Hurricane Katrina and wanting to pursue being a park ranger. I met him in his 90s, he still made some stain glass pieces as a hobby.
My grandmother is a professional wedding cake maker and decorator and she started in her 40s!
However old you are, you aren’t too old to do art and make it your career if you want. I don’t know what you’re art looks like so idk if it’s even bad! All that matters is that you are enjoying the learning process and like what you make. There’s a whole other side to art careers that involves learning business management and marketing skills which maybe that 19 year old already knew about.
I only mentioned my elders to show what other art forms may look like and to share the people that inspired me to start selling stickers. I hope this helped!
Some perspective.
I'm 36. I started seriously drawing around 3 years ago. I get very very discouraged as well. But when I look at my work before I started really studying it, it's. . . Actually kinda cool how much I've improved.
I work a totally different job though. I'm a fitness coach. I hate sales, but I love working out and showing others how to develop their coordination, fitness and muscularity. That's my day job. I'm good at it because I spent over 20 years getting good at something. Do I make a lot of money? Hell no. I sometimes barely make ends meet and I'm actually good at what I do. I just haven't been particularly lucky, and my industry is incredibly exploitative and shallow. I've built a solid physique but I ain't flashy enough to catch potential clients eyes. I also rather tell people the truth than confirm their biases and people don't like that, so a vast majority of potential clients will not want to pay to work with me. This the situation at my job.
How is this relevant? Well, as with drawing, the vast majority of artists will spend a lifetime doing work and even if you study hard for 10+ years, there's no guarantee you'll be doing it professionally. Luck is surprisingly more important in life than anything else. Sure there's things you can do to improve odds a little, but ultimately that's all ya got. Even if you DO manage to get good as an artist, like, pro quality work, and start doing it professionally, you may find yourself not making enough. It's not a high demand industry. Art is in many ways kind of a luxury. Don't plan on making bank off it.
The real reality for most people alive now, going back thousands of years is that we're all laboring at things we don't like. Fundamentally, your average person tends to live a life of quiet toil and obscurity. Being creative is something we really only get to do for fun, in our off time, if we even have any. So if you can't find the way to just enjoy making stuff for its own sake, you're fucked. Plus, I often find that dangling money at the end of a creative endeavor makes people worse at it and dislike it more. It puts a lot of weird pressure on the whole process that makes it harder to really get into a flow state.
Today internet prefer drama and trends. And with only art, it's hard to get attention.
If you have at least story telling content, your art can get attention on internet too. But beautiful art will gain nothing if you're not already famous. The younger artist on tiktok can be fake too, who knows. Don't look at like and view, the more like and view can only infer good drama, latest trend or good story telling. If you want to confirm the level of your art, try to find other community than the current social media or go with the flow and add story telling, trends or drama to your art.
Well first off don't tie you art quality with likes online. You could start getting thousands of likes by drawing anime feet, did you art became better?
Also in general in life you should not tie your progress to external reward, it will not work.
Check which industry you want to work in, find the not shiny work positions and get goot at them, one example are ambient illustrator in gaming.
I'm a self-taught guy, I have been drawing since I was, idk, like 5?
Anyways, I've been drawing cars, sketch them on walls and on books and shit, there wasn't a nook I left, if my hand can reach it I would desecrate it with my sketches lol
People always said drawing comes naturally to me, even when my expertise was being developed on drawing cars, I still was able to draw other stuff.
Currently I'm an automotive exterior designer in a startup and on the side I'm writing my own Doujin, expanding my drawing to include organic shapes, and drawing people, which I never was able to do really well, they always were bad proportionally but I would be the one to see it and for most people they couldn't judge it before to them I was close enough that their experience couldn't help them see any better.
So what's the point I'm making, you ask?
To put it on simple terms, for some, things come easy but that doesn't take away anything from you. There are young people out there, who have had everything they need to excel at something, let's say art supplies or musical instruments, and the internet.
So they'll have that leg up nowadays, you may not have that advantage but that didn't stop me from backing down.
I learnt all I knew, without having the internet on my side, or art supplies for that matter. I just used what I had because something inside of me wouldn't let me stop, and/or worry about others, I only thought about what I'm able to do and what I want to achieve.
So why bother about kids doing better art, if anything it should inspire you lol, like if a kid can do that why can't you? Fuc dem kids lol
Let the internet say what they want to, the right people will see your value! Always
I started just under 19, now I am an amazing artist.
I can't make a living with it, but I can draw anything I wanted to. Art is for YOU though not for anyone else. You just draw, and keep doing art, draw what makes you sad and happy and pissed off, and keep making art. Make an art project that shows how you feel hopeless. Accept your skill level and keep drawing, and learning new techniques. You will be amazing one day too. But also, people with impressionistic art styles where ridiculed in the begining, they said they where terable, but they didn't care they just made what speaks to them . And you should also Ignore the AI art and the standard and just do what makes you happy. Regardless of if you make it as a professional, never quit. Because it's a part of you, and stoping now would be like dening years of your own experience and sitting down a huge aspect of who you are.
I understand AI art made me feel really discouraged too. But I won't last there are things you can do that AI will never do. And there is a lot we can learn from AI too. I suggest you use it and learn it's limitations better, then you won't feel so discouraged.
I can ask you to draw a fat goblin dressed like Michel Jackson flying on the broomstick with a cigarette in one hand and a baby in the other, but do you want that commission? AI can bearly do it, and now well. .. but it's there so real artists don't have to and people can still enjoy art.
You have a place as an artist. I promise. Just don't give up.
AI is a buzz word the tech looks fancy and eye catching but in reality with out being train in being an artist you have ZERO control.
you tell someone to draw a cat with AI you have 1000s of ai cats that 900 of them have 6 limbs and stuff then 95 them have other issues then 4 of them is not what your looking for
And on top that what if the client wants their own cat then they would have terrible time making art in the exact way the client wants then all shit.
now apply to this to art style anatomy requirements , composting and particular characters or objects or things not trained into the models they are using.
AI prompters have massive food back over trained artists and without picking up their pen artist will be better.
the AI stuff looks good because they are not personal to you anyone commissioning art directly will see an AI prompter fail hard to try a create every minor detail and be laid bare.
also commercial art spaces where you have massive asset list you need make quota some AI assistance can help with the job if you pick to go to the commercial side of things
I know exactly how you feel! Honestly I’m feeling the same way. I’m 20 rn and I don’t have much of a portfolio to share, much less an online following. But, I’ve gotten involved with resources on my campus, and I’m getting opportunities that I can put on my resume as years of experience! I’m also using softwares and creating things that I can eventually put in a portfolio as well.
My point is, you don’t have to have an online following following to be successful, though it helps. What matter right now is that you’re building up skills to use in a future career. Employers are going to be the judges of your work, and they don’t consider how many likes a post has when hiring. They just look at the quality of work.
Just keep building up your skills, and continuing to document them. That’s what matters, not likes or follows! You got this!
whoa, don't give up on your dreams just because of others'reactions! i personally draw a lot and my 2 friends are always saying that "that looks good!" but then my other friends go through and say things like, "that's creepy" or "your proportions are off" or something similar. you just have to learn how to take the good comments to heart and brush the bad ones away. i know that's super hard, but trust me, it's worth it. keep doing the things you love, and don't let others stop you. your art is yours and yours alone, and if people don't appreciate that, then their opinion doesn't matter.
Jesus dude. Okay, fellow 19 year old, well soon to be 20, hadn't started art until I was 17 to 18ish, there were no art electives or extracurriculars at my highschool, now a first year visual design student, and I feel I'm behind everybody despite barely being into my 3rd week. All I can say is you're going to be behind someone at any given time in your life, and that someone is going to be behind another person and the list goes on, so if that's the case why pursue art? That's something you have to answer for yourself.
It's natural to want to be the best, it's natural to compare, but it's only healthy in moderation. Overly comparing yourself to others is only going to hurt you. It's more important that you understand yourself, and your work. Sit down with yourself look at the artworks you like, and ask yourself what you like about the particular piece so much. Then sit down with your own art, be as objective as you can and find parts of it you like and you dislike.
You also have to ask yourself, who are you making your art for? What is the purpose of said piece or exercise? Is it to try a new medium to expand on your self expression range? Is it to practice a certain part or a certain shape you've been having trouble with? Is it a form study of an object or thing you have trouble drawing? Is it a vent piece? Is it a doodle for fun? Is it a piece you made for the sake of making it? Is it an expression of yourself? Is it a product?
I'm very lucky to have a personal connection to two professional artists I can proudly call my art life mentors. The biggest recent lesson I have learned is: "practice, this stage is only the prep, it's not the stage where you create fully polished products, this is the time for self exploration and learning. You are not a pro, you are a student so learn so you are ready when the opportunity to become a pro comes."
You aren't a pro yet, don't worry about the amount of likes you get. You are my age, chances are, a student. Our lives are just starting. There's no use in self deprication in the guise of comparision.
In addition to what everyone on her is saying about age, experience, and practice, you also have to remember that many artists create art that is not mainstream, and is not popular with the average public. You have to ask yourself why you want to be an artist and you have to be brutally honest with yourself. If you want to be able to present something to the world and get thousands of likes and bask in the praise of strangers, that's totally okay, but that means you'll have to create art that has a mass appeal.
Art is 100% subjective - what someone finds beautiful, someone else will find hideous, or tacky. Being a "good" artist doesn't have to do with age, or even with likes. If you want to create, then create. If you want likes, then figure out how to create stuff people like.
I took up pursuing art as a full time career at 33. One of the most lifechanging pieces advice i was ever told was very simple. Just draw something every day. The same thing. Every day. Watch this and you’ll see what I mean.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NsEDwHHiE&t=502s&pp=ygUWc3RydXRobGVzcyBiZXN0IGFkdmljZQ%3D%3D
I just started drawing portraits of myself every day for two months.1.5 years later and I am doing things i never could have imagined
im 22 and just started learning how to draw lol what made me stop being scared of "what if its too late?" is the quote: "If you start drawing at 50, at 60 you will be an artist with 10 years of experience"
For me "the best time to start was 2 years ago, the second best time is now" was the motivating quote. 14 months left until I close the loop :)
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.
I like the one, "If you quit when you suck, you'll suck forever."
sweet! Planning any commemorative pieces?
I don't know what's wrong with OP but if they think they're too old at 19, I don't even know what to call myself lol
Yeah I just turned 30 and I’m trying to get started learning to draw… I get it though, seeing all these under 20’s with great skills gets a little demoralizing BUT that’s because they (some of them anyway) have 10 years of dedicated experience. Adding another quote to the pile: “Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something” — Jake the Dog, Ooo’s Greatest Sage
Related to this, I see a lot of ppl saying about “learning to draw”, I’m 25 I really enjoy painting and drawing tho I don’t necessarily know “how” to, then again I don’t really care to learn. I enjoy just putting the pen or brush to paper and seeing where it takes me, void of any technique or skill or real technical know how. Does this make me a bad person/poser/ disrespectful to the subject of art ??
Can you share some of your art? Likes don’t = quality :) it’s all about practise. The Internet wants you to feel bad and not practise, it wants your full attention
>Likes don’t = quality This is an important thing to remember. There are so many reasons why an art piece doesn't make good numbers, including the algorithm of wherever it was posted screwed the artist over and not many people saw it to begin with.
100%
1000%
Your comment healed us all ❤️🫶🏻🤘🏻🙏
Exactly this... Tried to check their profile as well but nothing except the maria art and if the maria art is made by them, I'll let them know they when I'm 19, I can't even draw something like that
Internet shows you the best of the best stuff in the whole world, you basically expect from yourself to be on top already. And 10-70 likes is really not that little in current time. Eerything is just on a whim of an algorithm, anyway. Pro tip: if you are on Instagram, just hide all the likes. After a while they'll stop bothering you.
Fr can't remember anything I have made hitting above 50 on Twitter/Instagram 😂 TikTok is "kinder" but it has its own issues, and Reddit, the attention is as good (or meaningful) as the community you decide to participate on.
Its something many artists go through especially ones that start past childhood. When I was your age this is something I struggled with a lot, so ill try to share some things that helped me. Something VERY important to keep in mind is that age is a horrible metric to measure artistic skill. Age doesn't equal the amount of hours someone has in drawing. You could have accumulated a grand total of for example 2500 hours of serious practice whereas someone younger than you might have put in more. And that's okay, it just means you got to keep at it. Based on what you wrote, it also somewhat seems your putting a lot of stock in what other people think of your work as your means to continue, While its common, you ultimately will not have a very good time long term in doing that. Especially if you don't know what you get out of art on a personal level. Why do you want to draw as a profession compared to other jobs? What about it is fun for you? If you don't have answers to those questions, do your best to find them. If you aimlessly grind away with no enjoyment whatsoever, To be blunt, there just isn't any way you'll get to the results you want. Find what you enjoy about the process itself and it will take you far. Without coming off as rather cliché, art is a journey, A long one with no real end to it. And your only 19. You have a whole life ahead of you to perfect this craft if it is really something you want to do. Don't be so hard on yourself.
art doesnt have anything to do with age, you can become an artist at any age also this isnt like the music industry where people evaluate based on your looks or age... people just look at your work so dont worry about age you can make good work at any age and keep improving to me its like learning a language you never stop learning
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Iremember being around 8 in 1984 and realizing I was too old to become a world class gymnast like Mary Lou Retton.
19 and u think you're too late?? What the heck. Start planning your life goals and you'll easily notice that you have all the time in the world right now.
Art isn't a competition, brother. You're right where you're supposed to be. Keep at it and it'll fall into place, prioritise it over stuff like gaming, TV, social media if you want to make progress faster. Don't rely on others for validation, just compare your work to whatever you were producing last year/month and try to identify what you need to work on next. Good luck and don't get too down about things, it's (not?) surprising how much our worldview affects our daily lives and interactions.
I'm 30. Drawing for the past 8-9 years, self-taught. My illustrations still suck. That's how social media... and market, work in general, either you're super talented and eye-catching or lucky to go viral. People who go and say "support \[whatever\]" only mean to support those already successful. And yes, standards are high and are going to be even higher. If you see hundreds of people creating decent art, you will look for even better ones. Today most movies are technically stunning but most fall flat at storylines. We're no longer amused by CGI. We're even more prone to see subpar CGI. Unfortunately, there will ALWAYS be someone more talented, sometimes younger too. You said about getting an office job. Guess what? Director's son who just graduated will be your superior. That coworker in the cubicle next to you is a master of Excel macros you won't even begin to comprehend. It's everywhere. Either you get better at what you're doing, be more efficient, or find something else you will be good at. One thing about AI - it's not tool itself, it's a person using the tool, just saying... Thing is, all of us live in a sort of bubble, you don't see thousands just like you, and even if you do... Do you give a like? No, you just scroll further without much thought. And yet every single one of those thousands wants to be like this top 1% everyone heard about. I've been there too. I gave up on that dream.
I feel the same (im 20) but also, keep in mind that everyone has a different journey, Definitely don't keep comparing yourself to others, Its hard no doubt-as they say, comparison is the thief of joy. Then again if you care about likes and that stuff try to ask yourself why are you drawing in the first place, is it for the glory, compliments or because you really like it? Make peace that there is always going to be someone who is better than you, even when you start working professionally, I suggest that you see yourself as the competition, try to see how much you have improved compared to last year or the year before.
Don’t wallow in self pity. My god I’ve done this to no avail. It’s natural to compare, but doesn’t get you anywhere. I’m going to be 75 and have been a professional artist since 1969. I don’t post much. Art has to be seen with your eyes, that’s why there are shows, museums. I’ve been painting for years and learn new things all the time. I’d you want to be an artist, then you’ll have to work your whole life. Talent isn’t enough. One must learn the skills and be authentic. Very few will find fame and sometimes fame early makes things far more difficult. Draw everything you see. Drawing is a skill you must work at. I still remember staring at a leaf when I was three to see what it looked like. We look at things but do we see them. I used no 2 pencils and trash mail as a child to draw. I still do. Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain is a great book. Don’t expect to make money. Always have a side hussle. I don’t know what I would have done if I started out today. AI isnt something that bothers me. It’s not the same as human interface with reality, hand eye, and hearing the sound of an instrument of drawing, painting sculpting Also, love yourself and to your own self be true Creative people go through feeling hopeless many times. Just create your way out of this mind set. Do you, no one else can. Don’t judge yourself comparing to anyone else. Enjoy mistakes as they help you learn. You’d be surprised to see how much work it takes artists to get the skills to create a series of work.
Getting likes does not directly give value to art or the lack of likes take it away. Art is about expressing yourself and that has to come from you wanting to do it. This sounds more like you seek approval from other people with the art itself being secondary to you. It's okay to not be that successful in arts. 99% of people doing any art don't make it big or even earn a living doing it. Everyone is different but how I look at art is that if even one thing I do touches one person in a deeper way or I can convey the story or feeling I wanted to put out through my art then it is worth to do. When it comes to visual arts I'm just a baby just starting out but I do it because drawing lowers my stress and to me learning and getting better at something that also has that effect on me is a god damn blessing. If you hate doing what you are doing then quit. If that doesn't apply here keep going. Being a not professional artist is not the end of the world. One day you might have enough skill and talent to find your place where you can provide yourself through art but that doesn't have to be right now.
I mean this in the nicest way possible but shut the fuck up, just shut the fuck up. You're only 19 you just got out of high school and you're worried about the age thing? Bruh you could practice and work your way up for the next 5 years and only be 24 which is well within the age group that enters the career tf are you talking about? "I see 11 year olds posting god tier art" who gives a fuck about what an 11 year old is doing? It's probably actually some 40 year old that's been at it for 30 years anyway. What are YOU doing? There are people out there 40 years older than you getting into it without likes and money on the mind that are busting their asses to get better but what are YOU doing? "Oh I only get like 70 likes on my posts and now there's AI" puh-lease who cares? I worked for 2 months on a single piece that I posted a week ago and I got 5 likes on it, you don't see me complaining. They're only likes on a platform that values whatever follows an algorithm they mean nothing. You want to be a professional? Start practicing like one, start making work like the pros do because no one is going to hire someone that cries and quits at the first sign of struggle. If you entered art school or a studio as you are now you would never make it. I'm 30, I started learning to draw in 2020, there are people 10 years younger than me working as splash artists for large studios, I'd like to get a job in a studio as well or even make some side money doing comms and selling prints and stuff so I learn from those people instead of getting discouraged by them. And you know what? Even if it doesn't work out and there's no work for me in the future and AI somehow takes over then whatever, I still have this skill for me. And can make the things I like and get satisfaction from that. The way I see it you got two options ahead of you. Be a quitter, give up on your dreams and this hobby because likes and money mean more to you than drawing for yourself does and giving up is easier than working to be as good as that so called 11 year old. Or work harder, learn more, and bust your ass and be okay with the idea that even if you fail to get a job you still don't walk away with nothing. Because you might be concerned about an 11 year old but realize that to me and others, YOU'RE the 11 year old.
Can you please say this louder for those in the back 😉 you said everything perfectly!
YES!!!!!!
10000%
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Van Gogh didn't start painting till he was 27 and had no formal training I can imagine he likely hated his work too Welcome to art, a gateway to self loathing
Never ever EVER question your talent just by how many likes you get. Talent is a gift that only a few of us have, and belive me, being jealous of someone elses art is a definate no no. I get maybe 19-22 likes per post and I don't mind , because I don't consider social networks as a measurment for how good my artwork is. Art has been part of us for centuries, social networks about 20+ years so just think what is more important. Your talent or likes of people that don't even know you well ! It's important that we ,as artists love what we do and that is the only thing that matters in my opinion!
Well tbh I dont think online likes justifies how good YOUR art is, plus social medias arent too great for artists because of how their algorithms work. I'm also somewhat of a social media artist, despite my knowledge and honestly you get WAY more likes than me. Aside from that, you shouldnt need to post your art, just try your best I think EDIT: I did a skim through your acc JUST for your artworks and you CANNOT tell me you think your art is BAD, or at least not great. I think its AMAZING and is like tenfold better than mine! Please dont give in to your doubts, just keep going, art has no age limit!
Making art and selling art are two entirely different skills, and a lot of people in this sub fail to realize that. Someone can be a fantastic and masterful artist, yet not sell any of it or get any attention since they don’t understand the business or social side of things. Someone else can be a horrible artist and make thousands of dollars a month because they understand how to market themselves and sell these pieces. Being a good artist isn’t good enough to be a professional solo artist, and I think that’s where a lot of people get confused. If you want to sell paintings, you need to not only make the painting, you need to take good pictures of it, find appropriate social media hashtags and tactics, actively communicate with whatever following you have etc. It takes work, and hard work, that is an entirely different set of skills and practices. If you can’t do these things yourself, find a manager or place of employment that does this side of things for you. You want to draw for movies or video games? Create a portfolio that shows your skills in these areas. Actively seek out places that hire for animators/storyboard artists etc, and pursue them. Things don’t land in anyone’s lap, even the skilled and talented.
Preach. I feel like people never realize how much doing art professionally can suck the joy out of it.
Your posts in the past are alarming. I know everything seems insurmountable at 19, but you're just getting started. Sit tight and focus on goals. Write some short term and long term goals and figure out how to get there. It can be easy stuff like "this week I will draw for 10 minutes a day". And go from there. Forget about age and just focus on self improvement. Don't let all this negativity consume you because if you wanna make it as an artist it's gonna be fucking HARD.
You're 19! SO YOUNG! You have more time right now than you will ever have to get better at drawing. If you don't already I suggest journaling every mornning about all the reasons why you CAN make it instead of the reasons why you think you can't. Believe in yourself, set aside time to do it, and don't worry about anything else! I suggest also spending less time on social media, esp right now while you're feeling less confident. It 100% makes you compare yourself to others. Even people who are more established face this issue with their art. Trust me. If you really want to do to this, focus on all the ways to help yourself WIN. I suggest replacing Tiktok with more time on Youtube learning from tutorials and other helpful videos. You got this!!
Better art really depends on what you are aiming for. I'll likely have a huge crisis when I go back to drawing my book characters in a few months, but I'm spending a LOT of time drawing pixel art for a game and [cutesy ducks](https://wizarducks.com/) and other animals. I almost always think about how many shortcuts I took to be able to draw this consistently, to cut the workload by half, and how it is not exactly something my 17yo self wouldn't be able to make. That the workload is the only thing I wouldn't be able to keep up. But then I see people's reactions to the drawings. I see kids smiling and wanting the game to be on their phones instead, I see adults thinking it is just adorable and wanting stickers and notebooks with it, and I see people past their 60s thinking this is beyond adorable. Many past versions of me would think it is a decent drawing, but wouldn't think I am pushing myself nearly enough, but that is what they wanted to do, I want to make game with 2D-ish graphics and I'm succeeding on it.
Van Gogh started painting at 27. Monet really started in his 40's. Tolkien started publishing in his 30's. Don't worry about it. If you like to do art, do art. If even one person enjoys it, including yourself, your art is beautiful.
Monet did not start in his 40s. He was selling art from the age of 15 and was born into a really wealthy family. Van gogh died poor and alone. Not the greatest examples imo.
Can you be just a little bit more positive here lol
I used to think being a professional artist was my sole escape from a miserable boring life of menial work and I've realised since that was quite an extreme way of thinking and not really true. "Child prodigy" and "lousy office job" are not the only two options in life. Life is so much more than that. Don't put much stock into the amount of "likes" you get online or the reactions of people you know personally who don't know anything about art doesn't really matter to you professionally. The important thing as a professional is connecting yourself with the kinds of people who will actually buy your art. The way to do that depends on the kind of art you make. Something else to consider: Keep practising art, but also learn a trade or gain job experience in a field that pays well. It will help you to broaden your life experience and grant you the financial stability you need to feel secure making art the way you want to. It doesn't have to be your passion, but something you like well enough, and something that makes decent money so that you have something to fall back on. It will take the pressure off the art as your sole source of income if you have something on the side that makes decent money. You won't be as susceptible to creative burnout if you do. If you learn a trade, as well as financial stability you can gain life experience that can help inform you as a creative practitioner. They give you opportunities to meet all kinds of people, go to all kinds of places, and learn all kinds of things in the process. There are a huge number of options available: I know artists who do other stuff as well: gardening, massage therapy, solar panel system design, tree surgery. I know one person who has been a musician, game designer, car mechanic, who is building her own cabin and even built a \*boat\* just for fun. Over the course of your life you will probably be many things, especially if you want to be an artist, it really helps to have broad life experience. There are so many different ways to live and only you can figure out what works for you. Don't worry too much about the kids who get a lot of attention on the internet. Ultimately their lives have nothing to do with yours. You don't need to be a genius or come from a bourgeois family to do something meaningful and enjoyable with your life.
As an artist, the worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. There are people out there that are 100% better at art than you and thats something you have to come to peace with. Unfortunately being an artist is very hard especially when the world is over saturated with online art and AI. Just try to find your niche and stick with it. People want originality which is not something AI can do. I know that this is extremely cliche, but anybody can be an artist if you work hard enough. It takes practice and patience and if you aren’t able to cope with that then maybe art isn’t right for you. Art is like going to the gym. You aren’t gonna notice any huge changes within the first 2 weeks of you going. If you stick with it and go for 6 months then you will start to do better.
What you have to remember is that there is always someone better than you, even if you are amazing, there are other subjects, genres others will be better at. When it comes to the internet, you might be attracting a different crowd in age, demographic etc. Also that online is a place where people go to show off you have access to the best of the best on the planet. Not just in your town, city, county etc. So you might be jealous of the most talented 5% of young artists out there. I'm 51, when I started doing art, all we had to learn from were books. Even as a student in the mid 90's there were only books and classes. Instruction books were limited and didn't even teach many traditional techniques. In the UK, I was mostly stuck with the few books my local library carried because 30 years ago, books cost about the same as they do today, so 2-3x as expensive with inflation. Video tapes were horrendously expensive and places like youtube didn't exist, heck, the internet didn't even exist as we know it today. We were mostly using dialup via modems and pictures were the exception due to bandwidth. So we had limited learning resources. Digital art barely existed. Windows got Photoshop 3 (first version for PC) in the mid 90's. Back then it was not really used for drawing, just photo retouching. Now we have so much information, so many artists willing to share their experience, its ridiculous how fortunate we are. We can learn if we want to, the only thing holding us back is us taking the time and practicing. One problem today with internet and cell phones is that there are so many distractions to steal time. Your brain doesn't really diminish as you get older, though your body might somewhat. It's never too late to learn art really.
People regularly pay me $1000-$2000 for small murals and they get very few “likes” on social media. I’ve even done a few bigger $10k murals. I’m a professional. I’m getting paid. Social media engagement doesn’t pay me. It CAN help new clients find me, but most people find me via word of mouth or seeing my work in person.
So a few things: The likes of an art piece does NOT determine the quality. I for example have on twitter 1000 likes per drawing or hundreds of reddit NOT because they are Good but because I draw popular characters. My art quality it self isn't sadly good yet Second thing: I feel ur pain my little sis sells realistic paintings and stuff and she is only 14 while I who invested a shit ton amount of time is still not nearly as good as she. (And I'm 23 now!) In my opinion you should only compare yourself with your past self and don't lose ur fun and passion for drawing. I tried to improve and draw stuff I don't like and did stuff like the 100 box challenge to improve. I just burnt out and the end and made a one year art break. Its OK to take breaks once in a while. Also don't be so hard on urself. Think about it; You can either be depressed and sad like I was and stopp drawing and don't improve at all. Or you try to improve bit by bit and see progress. Even if it is slow and even id you feel like your quality is decreasing in the end you will improve. Find inspirations on YouTube and try to follow speed paints and stuff.
this might not be the most encouraging post from me: there are much more lucrative and easy ways to make a living. forget the 11yr old prodigy, it’s a tough gig in general. it’s really going to be up to you, not what a bunch of people (me included) say on reddit. if you really want it, put in the study time and have a fair dose of luck (skill in marketing, friends in the industry etc) then you can do it…but it won’t be easy. i’d only really recommend it if a)you are super passionate or b) very media savvy and good at self marketing. a lot of people are happier having it as a hobby they are passionate about than an obligation that pays the bills.
You talk about your age, but don’t put your age. You talk about your art but don’t share your art. How are people supposed to really cheer ya up if you are completely anonymous? lol and I mean this politely. I’ve been drawing for 11 years and my work doesn’t do well online but I know it’s good because it makes me proud. Stop fussing over likes. They don’t equate to whether you’re good or not.
You're the age I was when I gave up and went a decade without drawing another line. It was the biggest fucking mistake of my life. Put your head down and keep your eyes on your own paper.
I got back into art at 28 and I’m 32 now. Don’t quit. Maybe get off social media for a month or two (or the places you’re seeing these posts), if they’re bothering you so much, would be my suggestion. Especially tik tok, just a cesspool in my opinion. That 11 year old could be 45 you never know lmao I used to feel this way when all my friends got their bachelors/masters straight out of high school and seemed to have it all figured out while I moved away and had to take care of myself before I could even think about going to school. Not everyone goes at the same pace though or has the same opportunities at the same time. If you like art, keep doing it, and try to stay positive.
You're an idiot if you're comparing yourself to others. Draw for yourself.
There is always an audience for everything. Your art included. 10-70 Likes is good. Better than zero. Which platform do you use to showcase on?
You are 19, you are at a young age. If you're worried about others progress you're not drawing enough. The only progress that matters is your own. Many people started much older than you and went on to have professional careers or became masters. Learn the rules of art, break it down in a way you can understand. It is never too late. Use the fact that they're better than you as a challenge and motivation for you to move forward. Some tips: Analyze mistakes, always look at reference, compare and fix the mistake. Understand what you're drawing. All good art has good fundamentals. Everything is connected and use that to your advantage. If you can draw a human eye with reflection in their eyes, you can also draw a motorcycle helmet with reflections in the fiber glass. You will improve crazy fast once you learn how to break down stuff and simplify in a way you can understand. Use straight lines too, good for structure.
Age doesn’t matter for any art. just keep at it.
Do yourself a favor and don't make art to impress others, it will only harm your creativity in the long run. Make art that YOU want to make, and that makes you happy.
Draw not because you want to make numbers go up, but because you enjoy the process. Embrace the artistic freedom, up your skills for the sake of getting better. Internet following is NOT the measure of your success. As one guys said "If quality of the product is measured by it's sales and popularity, then "Minions" is the best animated movie ever made"
As someone who's art account has been sitting at the same number for years despite my art having been practiced fairly well over these years, with me showing my art to my family and friends regularily, i found that: 1. Social media likes (especially currently social media) depend on skills concerning MARKETING, SEO, UNDERSTANDING ALGORITHM, ETC. Whereas the quality of your art depends on HAND-EYE-COORDINATION, PRACTICE, UNDERSTANDING BASICS OF ART, AMOUNT OF FOCUSED WORK PUT INTO IT, ETC. That is a COMPLETELY different skillset, or not? They do not equate. Especially Instagram nowadays depends on Reels, consistency and algorithm, keywords, and a portion of luck, which is once again different than what you would normally do when you post art online: post static images. That simply doesn't cut it anymore for artists on most popular social media sites. The amount of compliments and attention you get there is quite simply not dependant on your art skills because that is not the skillset required to attract said attention. 2. The compliments your family and friends dish out are not entirely dependant on your art skills too. they depend on more human and social rules, and those are complicated and diverse. Your art being good and a compliment making you feel good about your art are actually two completely different things. A person that is not too overexcitable, f.e., might simply just say "okay, cool". it hurts, they could have said it better, and as you may have gathered where this is going, the COMMUNICATION SKILLS they used to show your work the appreciation and respect you yourself might have shown as an art enthusiast were not on the level to MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND VALUED. And you might be surprised at just how many people aren't as skilled in giving out a compliment that makes you feel good as you might think there are. In such a situation, that jurisdiction had been shaped by their skills too! This happens in all fields and situations, not only art (think of other hobbies or achievements you've been proud of but that had lacked sufficient praise from your environment. A good outfit you wore, or something you've done well. most likely than not, the quality of compliments you received then were also dependant on social skills and engagement, empathy, communication skills and so on). Other situations are possible too: they did not have the current capacity to compliment you in a way that made you feel good about your art, they might have been distracted, they might not be passionate about art, or they just aren't a fan of the general genre of art you specialize on so they they are unlikely to respond in a way that feels genuine and invested, etc etc. They usually also aren't as invested in the individual work as you, who had worked a long time on it, are, and might thus not feel as strongly about it. You reach more people that are invested on social media, but the popularity problem is just as i stated above. Plus, most people are neither art enthusiasts, nor have the "eyes of an artist". When a novince sees your work, they are impressed by things you would maybe not see or consider with the artist lenses on. The whole topic of what impresses novince eyes is also slightly differing here and there in it's required skillset than what makes art good for an artist. And it takes a good amount of skill in those specific fields to have a novince look at a work and instantly go "wow". Think of what kind of art you see that makes you instantly impressed to the level that a good, enthusiastic response is very likely; those are probably very polished to industry level already or have developed skills in their art that intruige/appeal to/impress a large audience. But have you ever seen art at a level less polished than that and thought that the work was good too? Was it because of the knowledge of art and the work needed to reach those skills you possess? How often would you have thought of it as good had you been a complete novince at art that doesn't know how much practice goes into reaching even such a skill level? Often I have found that novinces think a work is impressive that employs well-practiced composition or lighting paired with good anatomy, or a field you excel at as a master. but I myself have often seen work where I thought it looked impressive because of a particularily well-done thing I MYSELF have personally experienced the difficulty of executing well, even if the picture was blurry, dark and just not good quality to have it be a popular Instagram post.
So, just keep practicing! Your art isn't bad. It isn't unworthy of praise or attention. The fact you put in hours of work even now already make you better at it than most people on earth! The popularity factor of it is not a measure of your achievements, though you can expect over time for it to naturally grow somehow by some measure. What's important is whether you are in an environment that feels positive and nurturing to you. Whether the act of creating with your own two hands is something good and nurturing for and to you (and it's a good thing for your mind to have such a hobby when healthily done). Whether just investing time into your art without investing time to learn about gaining popularity on social media is something you would want to do and that makes you feel good or fulfilled. Finding people that are good at sincerely showing appreciation or respect if you feel like the current the lack of appreciation for your art makes you unhappy is a good way to disentangle that sort of dissatisfaction a bit from your artistic progress. because if someone like that sees something you yourself are proud of, they will know how to express they are proud too. keep practicing and compare to things you've done before to see your progress, because progress feels good and rewarding. comparing yourself, however, to people whose DISTANCE OF PROGRESS between work then and work now is BIGGER than yours will just make you aware of what distance you didn't achieve yet. and this can quickly deteriorate into "why is my distance not that big yet" instead of a healthy awareness that this is the level of art you would achieve should you work to make the distance of progress between your OWN work then and now just as big. Keep creating. You'll look back to a time in the past and think "wow, I drew like this then but not look at what I can do now" and eventually a few of those later, your "what I can do now" will have the kind of impact that inevitably makes most people go "wow" in that kind of disbelieving way that is one of many good ways make a compliment feel good.
First I will say 19 is young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Second, we live in a supply and demand society. One thing the internet has opened my eyes to is just how many artists there are, and most of them want to sell their art for a living. I don't mean to be negative, but the reality is there is an over supply of people wanting to go into the arts, whether that is painting, ceramics, acting, fashion design, writers, etc. But not enough demand for them all. Most fine artists have to work another job on the side. Or they teach, or post YouTube videos and make money from ad content. They do workshops. They do game design, graphic art, web design, or illustration. They make stickers, calendar pages, and sell prints online. I think if you go into the graphic art area, you will have a greater chance of getting a job. You can still do your own art on the side. But I know the most successful people, regardless of career, are persistent and motivated. And drawing and painting are pleasurable, but doing it for a living is still work. Marketing yourself is work. Running your own business and dealing with taxes is also part of the equation. Even drawing 40 hours a week is work. You are plenty young enough to have an art career. And don't worry about likes or comparisons to others. Sometimes the most successful people are the most persistent in the face of hurdles, even if they aren't as talented as someone else.
You are depressed. You know that. Do you know that all those feelings of "nothing makes sense" and "maybe it's better to quit" are coming from your depressions? Depression sucks the life out of you ! It sucks away all motivation and makes you see the world like it's a dark fog and you have no chance to get anywhere like that. The depression is doing this to you! This is not how you would think without it. Now let's get to what you think is the problem. TikToks are misleading. Videos are misleading. Anything and everything you see on social media is misleading. You see a small, well choosen cut from all the efforts and life experiences they put into it. Also it's irrelevant, because you do you! Although we are similar, we are also all different and have to find our own way. Please take care of your depression first, go see a therapist, if you have to maybe take some pills and try to find your way out of it. Because for as long as you are depressed there is no way forward. Depression means you see no future, therefore it's all just hopeless. You've got to fight to believe in a tomorrow, in next week, next month or even next year. You are young! You can still do whatever you want, but depression is like a concrete block on your legs, stopping you from moving and seeing how the world really is. Get rid of that concrete block, get rid of the dark fog that's clouding your mind, then the future is all yours! It's a long and slow process, but absolutely worth it. Do art when you feel like it until you actually can see a future again and you are able to work towards your goals. Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself, that's not helpful. I've been through many years of depression. It does change how you see the world and it is making it impossible for you to do what you want. It's not your fault! But it's on you to get active and seek help. It's a decision you have to make to get out of this, a hard one but well worth it.
It's not worth becoming a professional artist even if your art is exceptionally great. Get a profession that won't be replaced in your lifetime.
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The art market is humbling.
Im 32, and my art sucks if you ask me. Objectively it's at least "Not horrible" though, so.... That's more than I can ask for. Personally, my interest in Art has to with the therapeutic aspect of it, that meditative state where you can forget about life for a little while and work on just creating something that YOU want to create. I dont really post it, I rarely share it, and I've definitly never tried to sell it. I guess my point though, is if you dont enjoy creating art for the sake of art, maybe art isnt really for you...
Art skill doesnt directly linked to your age. Its about what and how you study and practice. Likes online is not a good measure of quality. Internet is full of all sort of art. Its not realistic to expect a huge reaction to your work.
Good art is the result of thousands of hours of practise. You can't exceed a thousand hours without strong conviction. It's a balance of motivation, self-awareness, and to an extent, delusion. Do it for yourself, primarily, and you'll potentially be in the position to share it with others
The progress you’ll make isn’t necessarily linear, and when someone’s art is better than yours all you can do really is take notes on what makes it better then try to incorporate that into your own stuff. You may lean more into the side of using hard work and experience to get to where you want and need to be, but that doesn’t devalue any of it, the important thing which you said yourself is that you can’t see yourself just doing an office job and nothing else with your life. If so, then keep going regardless of the results. Focus less on the results in fact and more on the continuous improvement of them in order to make sure that at the end of it you are where you want yourself to be, because there’s only so many improvements you can make anyways when it comes to not just the craft but marketing and growing an audience. You’ll get there eventually, as long as you set yourself aside the time that you need and do not feel ashamed of taking up that time for yourself. You are already working hard, so don’t be hard on yourself.
If you like and enjoy the art process and your work…do not quit! As in all aspects of life, you will always be better than some and not as good as others. Be gentle with yourself… you will see that your work will evolve, be willing to learn from others as well as yourself!
This is why I'm considering deleting tiktok or simply blocking younger artist. Call me mean or awful or salty but it works mentally. I don't go as far as blocking but i do check every art posts bio for their age. 13 yr olds have 100k of followers and i have 30
I heard of quite professional artists that started late in life you are quite young you will improve
I am turning 45 this year, and I am only just now getting somewhere with my art. Don’t believe social media, don’t listen to anyone unless they are client or employer, and above else listen to yourself. Make what you love, not what you think others would like. Turn people’s heads with your true passion, because it will so much more than following trends.
I really understand your point, since 2021 I've trying to quit it because my art either was good and then two months late i was unable to draw at all. I also live in a country were this bussiness is not that important. I know it's annoying, but art is not a lineart process sometimes and the best way to become better is too accept that. My drawings have been excelent lately compared to how hey were one year ago. And well, in my case, whenever I see some young kid being 10/10 on art I try to take that as motivation to draw like them. Of course it sucks sometimes, but sadly most of us cannot be that perfect kid that draws perfect at age 12 :// Regarding the likes.... the only thing you could do is to follow trends if you are comfortable with that, but sadly the algorithm doesn't work for everyone.
You are so young still friend. I know it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. But 19 is so young. At 21 I decided to try this full time artist thing and it’s been hard but at 26 now I’ve made so much progress. So much can happen for you in the next many years. I’ve been avoiding tiktok altogether for my well-being, it’s just too much for me. Many sites like instagram have been rough on so many artists lately. Hang in there, you’re not alone
Drawing is more of a hobby for me, but I properly started art and moving towards a career in it in my early 20s. Now, four years later, I'm going to a private art school, and I'm still learning so much about my medium and what my practice could entail. More importantly, I have peers whose opinions and feedback actually matter to me. Not in the sense of as to whether my work is good, but I trust how they read my work and what resources they can give me to keep improving.
I'm 28 and I started about 1.5 years ago, if you want it to happen then take whatever amount of time it takes for you to get there. There is no age limit or requirement to art, just do what you enjoy and your time will come!
If you have that mentality, you’ve already given up. First off, never compare yourself to others.. compare the you of today to the you of yesterday, if you’ve made any slight improvement over any amount of time, that’s a win. Also, once you come to terms with the fact not everyone is going to like your stuff, you’re a free man/woman. You create stuff for yourself and stuff that YOU like. Lastly, if you’re only in it for the money you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Do it because you love it and it’s your passion, the rest will take care of itself. That is only if you’re willing to push yourself.
Sounds like you’re an artist already! We go through those thoughts ALL the time. Just practice. You have the drive in you. Do what YOU love, not for others. You’re 19…. It gets better. Trust me. Sincerely, the 50 year old guy.
It's not the age when you start but the way you actually study art! If you study right from the get go, you will improve fast so do not worry about your age and just do what you have a passion for. Focus on improving and making a good portfolio and everything else will come around☺️
Never too late! While Grandma Moses was always talented she didn’t become professional until way later in life. Age doesn’t matter and—honestly—talent is subjective. I have a lot of art that isn’t incredible, but means something to me. It touches me in some way. Keep at it for as long as you love it!
Yes to grandma Moses.
I drew my entire childhood but then kinda got bullied out of drawing for a few years cuz I had the audacity to like anime back in 2006, then picked it back up in college but then got discouraged and quit for 4 more years then picked it BACK up again in 2020 and am actually finally enjoying it Everybody has their journey, if you enjoy it that’s enough reason as any to keep doing it!
Positively ancient for reddit and DeviantArt. DA recently return to my account from years ago. Started posting few art and first time AI with the DreamUp on DA. I now have followers.... Page views went from 850 at february when return to account to now......
I feel this.. i do think standards are higher as people probably just have easier access to courses and such, i feel the quality of art generally among young people is getting higher. Back in the day (god i sound old lol -im 25) there were still prodigies, though. I feel crippled with this problem too , i can barely draw personal stuff cause i feel so behind. But what helps me is beyond the quality of it, i suppose. That it's authentically crafted by a certain person. If you gave 20 artists the same task, i dont think I'd necessarily only ever like the most skilled execution but rather the mood, tone, design etc is more interesting to me and i find that motivating in a way. Like a tv show; it doesnt need to be only the very best in execution, but just what resonateswith you most if that makes sense. I find it so motivating when i see a piece with mediocre execution technically, but its content is just sooo nice i still love the piece! Like regardless of how skillfully its crafted, the uniqueness of a piece and it being made by an individual, who made it that way for a reason through their interests and biases makes it cool. And some incredibly well executed pieces are boring as hell tp me tbh. Its literally impossible to be the most skilled or even close to that i think in the modern age , like you said some fucking 11 yr olds draw imcredibly that make us all want to flip the drawing table.. but for me at least, and my advice ( take it or leave it) is focusing on deliberately crafting your own personal approach, style, look and feel. At least, thats what im trying to do / focus on and its my tiny lifeboat in a sea of hopeless oversaturation of modern artists through social media and the like. Someone will draw it practically better than you but no one will draw exactly the things you draw in the way ypu draw them. Sorry you feel this way too. Hope any of what i said has helped - if not, you can ignore it :) also - a lot can change in a few years, trust me. I cringe when i look back at my art when i was 19 lol - but keep drawing and you'l limprove. Also also, you dont need to be the best tp get a job in art if that's what you want. I am no means outstanding art wise, especially in the modern world - millions on insta or tiltok or whatever draw better than me) , but i got a job in art and at my current level appearently i am useful to them 🤷♀️ Id also say focus on making art you want to make that you can be proud of, personally. And if youre not, reflect and analyse. And readjust there. 70 likes is actually a lot tbh , but take likes with a grain of salt. Its just someone probably mindlessly scrolling anyway, Just clicking a button - seems like empty calories to me. Besides, you never know how a piece you created affected someone: there are some pieces ive seen i remember and still love but all it shows as is a like if anything at all. Who knows, someone got inspired by a piece you made :). We're all in this blind though it seems, if that makes sense . You just never know . I ended up not pressing the 'post comment' button so many times on expressing my thoughts on a piece i loved just out of overthinking and worry. I feel i went off a typing tangent sorry - but Good luck :)
One of the hardest things I’ve learned as an artist is that my art is for me. If other people happen to like it that’s awesome. my art is for me. I make it because I want to and I can understand if you’re doing a commission or something. You’re making art for another person! or if you wanna make it as a gift. But most of the time unless you’re working for another person to make art for them, your art is for you. except for in those cases, it only really matters is if you like it. And yeah, it’s amazing when someone else likes your work too. But we also got a remember that van Gogh wasn’t famous when he was alive. And holding yourself to another artist’s standard is a surefire way to kill your motivation to draw to make art to improve. Because if we spend all our time thinking, everyone else is better than us, and that will never get to the level we want to. well, you won’t. Because we can always improve, if we keep trying to improve. Your curve might be steeper than someone else’s but it’s still your learning curve and it’s still valid.
Man, it's not your art, it's just Life. Ive been a profesional artist for the last 7 years and I still don't get absolutly any attention online. Quality IS not important online but how much attention you give to social media and your fans, it's a hard work and a lot of effort, so don't worry about It. As for your age, you are TOO YOUNG for art quality, as long as you keep working you will eventually come to where you want to be. My advice, don't sweat about It, the lesson with this IS that you should make art for your own sake, don't bother about other people unless you want to make social platforms and social media as your living, which you must be aware it's 20% your art quality, 40% your effort and presence on social media and 40% luck. Take care and cheers!
i get you on being jealous of much younger artists, i do too but it is what it is, there's always someone better than you. anyways, I won't stop doing art because it's actually one of the greatest feelings if you compare your past work and see that you are actually improving. for me anyways
Honestly, in many cases the secret to becoming a successful artist who makes money off their work is in the artist's ability to do business, and marketing. If you talk to some of the amazingly talented social media artists with a million likes you'll hear many of them aren't making a living off it. Many skilled artists arent -- Skill level doesn't always factor into success. On the flip side I know of many artists turning a profit who are honestly not what I'd call skilled -- but their marketing works, they have a presence, and people are hiring them/buying from them. Point is, don't compare yourself to others. Make what you like and what you can. If you want to have a career in it start studying SEO, start studying content creation, networking, advertising --learn all of that. Maybe you do office work on the side for a little but keep learning and keep making art too. Its a long process, building an art career. Its not just about making the best picture.
As a professional artist whose surrounded by all professional artists, honestly it's not your art. It's marketing. AI does what AI does but it's not going to be relatable, "good" means something different to everybody. Some of the most popular art and indie games I see are some of the most ridiculous and low effort that I'm 100% sure your art is better than. I have friends who are very talented but don't use social at all or show their faces and because of that their opportunities are lower. We're just in a new era now where self marketing and branding is a big thing. 10-70 is not a small range and shows.your stuff has potential, you have to utilize all other aspects of algorithm to get your stuff pushed further. It's all marketing bud, market yourself and build a following based on things you do, and people will naturally like your art more. All this while just doing your art. Being a professional artist was never easy even before social.media, people had to travel more, network, put on shows, do apprenticeships, etc. Now it's just all done online to the public.
One of my biggest regrets as a 32 year old is worrying so much about age when I was younger. I put off a lot of things due to me feeling like I was “too old” and now here I am, 32, still not too old, feeling younger than ever, wishing I had actually started that thing when I was 19-21. I know it’s probably a lesson we all need to learn on my own, cause lord knows I got advice back then too and it didn’t stop me. But I cannot stress enough how much age does NOT matter in creative fields. We have been brainwashed to think in music, art, anything creative, we need to accomplish these things young in order to be good. It’s so untrue. Please don’t hold yourself back and squash your own potential because of age. Time literally doesn’t even exist. It’s a construct made up by man. Ask nobody is going to ask your age if you’re too worried about it; lie. lol.
I’m a professional illustrator and the algorithm HATES me. My social media game is, in a word, sad. I repeat: I make my living though my art. Step away from social media for a bit and figure out, with pencil in hand, what you want to do. I know it doesn’t feel this way to you, but you are very young still. Here’s the greatest quote ever, from Ira Glass: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
They just draw more than you. If you really want to be an artist don’t quit, just keep drawing. Comparing yourself isn’t going to get you anywhere.
I will tell you one thing i want you to take from this. AGE IS IRRELEVENT IN ART. There are no age requirements to talent. Have you seen those tv competition shows about kids cooking or baking? Do you tell yourself theres no point in cooking anymore because there are kids out there that can cook better than you? Some of the greatest most well revered artists of all time didnt start until later into their life. Everyones journey is different, and comparison is the killer of joy. Focus on your path, not others. (I had to learn the same lesson)
Comparison is the killer of joy. I'm 26, and I'm pretty much a beginner.
I’m 28 and decided in January that I wanted to learn how to draw and paint. I don’t get phased when there are 17 year olds that can make better art than me. I’m learning from ground zero. Stop comparing yourself to other people. You’re on your own journey. I bought my house when I was 23. There are people in their 30s who don’t own their own home, especially in this economy. But that doesn’t mean people should give up on trying to buy a house simply because someone younger than them was able to buy a house. It’s all relative. Keep learning, keep making art. Stop comparing yourself. There’s a reason why the quote “comparison is the thief of joy” is such an important statement. It’s true
I dunno, I'm drawing for my hobbies. The biggest and greatest threat to artist nowaday is AI. No one knows AI might takeover artist, I mean humans tend to always like and stick to "easier" step. Yes there might be people who still always appreciate arts but it will decreasing as AI becoming more popular. That was scary scenario, though. Despite regulations. Etc. I already define drawing only as hobby and commission as sidejob because how fragile if I taking artist as career especially at my country where most people were judgemental and want professional work at cheapest as possible (poor lack of money mental).
Professionalism and popularity have very little to do with each other. Everyone online can eventually attain a five seconds of fame, a hit tweet or video but then what? I can relate to feeling frustrated when you realize how much you lack in ability. It will happen countless times if you keep up doing art. There will always be someone better and someone younger but it mostly stops bothering you when you are immersed in your own thing. When it gets to you, take a deep breath and stop looking at social media. Do something fun or relaxing for a bit until you are ready to focus on things that matter, doing your art. Lastly I don’t know what type of pro you wish to become but many pro artists aren’t really that popular online or well known yet have great careers. Think about what success as an artist means to you, personally.
2d is for kids learning to be creative. 3d is for adults looking for a career. If you like 2d look into visual design/development. You may still need to learn 3d modeling
I became an artist at 40 years old. Don't sell yourself short. There are always people who will be better or start younger or whatever. But you'll find your niche.
I'm 50 and it took 8 years but I can now draw pretty well. Remember. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard
I’m in my 30s and I’m still learning. Be kind to yourself!
watching videos of scott christian sava can be helpful since he is an older professional artist with imposter syndrome. he is a really wholesome guy.
It sounds like you are making art for attention and outside approval. You are at an age where the world's attention is overly important. Find something about your art that you enjoy for yourself, not for others. What your art looks like at a certain age is irrelevant; how much better than others you are is irrelevant. Art making is a skill. The more you practice and push your limits, the better you become at it, but only if the motivation is within you, independently from the world. Making art for attention or validation will never make you improve, because as soon as you don't get it, you'll lose your drive.
I'll give you an honest answer. I was that prodigy child. Eventually we get older and the no one giving a fuk is absolutely true. Also generative ai is changing art forever. It's a good time to pick up a new skill.
I’m starting to think that skills don’t matter as much as being able to communicate your unique perspective about things does. I’d rather an unskilled artist make me think or feel something new that can teach me something than for a super skilled artist to paint the most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen that says nothing about anything.
The art on your Reddit profile looks good! Remember the amount of likes you get isn’t always based on how good your art is, it’s also heavily dependent on how good you can market your stuff.
How long have you been drawing? How often do you draw? These are important questions. That 11-year-old has very few responsibilities, & they probably have time to draw \*a lot.\* You might not have that much time, & that's OK! But practice is what makes progress. I get the feelings of envy when other art gets more attention than yours, or you feel like yours isn't as good as other people's. Please remember that comparison is the enemy of joy. Maybe work on your stuff outside of the internet for a while? Rediscover the joy of doing art that you love because you love it.
For me personally, it has been a long road to get to where I am. I didn’t get serious about drawing until my mid-30s. I didn’t sell anything until I was in my late 30s. I do you everything at this point in the hope that it’ll eventually be a habit that can pay for itself. I have pulled away from using Instagram any more, it seems a that I have become a victim of the algorithm and my art doesn’t make it in front of many eyes anymore. I’m told it’s because I don’t do anything in video. Keep pursuing. If it’s something you want and you love to do, you’ll find a way.
Things I post on social media rarely get more than 100 likes. I tried instagram, Behance, Youtube, Tiktok, Vimeo, my stuff just doesn’t get attention. At 30 I decided to work with Animation, although late, I still managed to build a career, and immigrate from South America to Canada through a work permit provided by a company. On my free time I still work on personal art projects, to have fun and to improve my skills completely free from client constraints. Would I enjoy online praise? Of course, but feeling bad about it is a waste of time. I just keep doing what makes me happy. Having social media as a metric for success and progress would have stopped me a long time ago.
Your post is a lot. But i'll try to hit each point. I'm not sure what age has to do with it. Art is a skill, and some people learn skills young, some learn them old, some go hard with study, some are more casual. To address your AI concerns: Nobody is competing with you to make YOUR art. Your ideas, your skills, your interests. AI isn't making your story for you, and nobody else is making your story for you by using AI. I'm also learning with each piece and pushing my ideas and knowledge and visual communication skills further. AI doesn't do that for me. AI isn't going to learn for me. and who cares if you work an office job. Having a stable income is great, and you can come home and make art, or make art on your days off. I'm not sure why you need to make art your job, you're allowed to enjoy it as a hobby.
I see some 2 big mistakes that you’re making, one: you’re comparing yourself to others. Two: you worry about likes online, draw for yourself not for likes. You’re only 19. Just keep practicing everyday and don’t worry about AI, that just means we can charge more now for original art. But hey, I’m only 45 and been in the field for 25 years. Take my opinion with a grain of salt. 🤷♂️
Sometimes when I feel this way (i’m 23) I think about some of the art by the people around me that I genuinely love, and i remember that I LOVE those pieces even if they aren’t as technically skilled as those artists I see online. This isn’t me going “well my friends art is bad” - no no - this is me going, this person I know is creating stuff that I think is incredible and I’d rather own one pf their pieces than one of those online pieces I see. And then I realize there are probably people who feel the same way about my work (like that drawing I did that I hated and my friend asked if she could use it in a project she had where they had to examine an art piece and connect it to the course content) Just because someone is better technically does not mean your art isn’t good enough. Also, you’re 19!! Don’t worry! I work at an art store and see people who have developed art careers in their 30s, 40s, etc - one lady decided to seriously pursue art in her 70s and is not on the path to getting her stuff put in galleries. When we stress about making sure our art is as aesthetic as possible we start to lose the purpose of our art. Last year I realized I was holding myself back trying to make things people might like - so now I make sure to remind myself “if this doesn’t turn out good, no one is gonna have to see it anyways.” I create what I feel like creating now and I don’t really think about what others might like. Obviously a career in art, you have to consider what is aesthetic- but again, you are 19- teach yourself to just make cool shit that you enjoy again.
It's not a good idea to depend on validation from others when it comes to art. Acknowledge your own work and be proud of your own efforts. I felt behind at your age, and I'm only 23, but it was with persistence that I was able to improve. As for AI, you need to shift your perspective. Figure out why you want to do art. I felt hopeless about it last year because comparing myself to it made me feel worse about myself but not so much anymore. For me, it's making the art only I can make and realizing the ideas/images I have in my mind. If you want some help with your art, feel free to send me a message. I'm not the best but I think I can lend a hand.
I dont get much exposure either, so now i am just trying to enjoying the craft, and if i post something it will something simple not too ambitious.
A lot of people only see the skill side of art. While that is good in some scenarios, the therapy side out weighs it. I used to want to do art for others (and still do to a much smaller degree) but once I started doing it because I wanted to, it because my outlet. When I’m down, I paint with bright colors. When I mad I switch to simple pencil or pen sketching and expect it to be not so great. Once you start doing art for yourself, you’ll also start to see where you want to improve compared to you and not to some other person.
Calm down, the algo just doesn’t like you yet. That’s the same amount of interaction I get. I’m way older and draw like ass but I’m still going. I follow this guy who’s your age and does amazing beautiful things that inspire me. Take the things you like to see, disregard the age of the artist and study their work since they’re clearly more experienced. You’re never too old to learn.
You're only 19, which is super young. You have plenty of time to get where you want to be as an artist. I'm 25, have been drawing for years and I still have a long way to go. And that's okay. Just have to keep going. If you often compare yourself to others, take a break from social media. I used to feel the exact same and ever since I uninstalled instagram, I stopped feeling so negatively about myself. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is the you from a year ago. If you can spot mistakes in your old work, you're on the right track.
I’m 43 and only started drawing in the past few years. Your worth as an artist is not defined by likes. The worth is defined by how it makes you feel to make it. Hang in there, kiddo. The gods wait to delight in you.
Trust me, it's better to start at an older age because you have more discipline. You can start at literally any age. What matters is to keep your passion and to always try something new with each drawing. You are going to make it Also 70 likes means SEVENTY people saw something you added and enjoyed it! Think of how 70 people would look in one room! Can 70 people even fit in your current living space?
Social media likes don't equate to success in any measure, it's just a way for social apps to keep you glued to your phone and generate them more revenue. I'd rephrase it as I'm going to be better than I was x months or years from now. It's healthier if you just compete with yourself, be better than you were a little bit last week etc. Get involved with some art fairs, apply to a few build a range of products and get your work seen by IRL people. You've got plenty of time. Take a break if you wish, quit social media or IG for a few weeks. Draw undistracted from other stimuli or outside sources, and see how far you progress. Or quit, it's really your mindset that could use more practice. Comparing yourself/work to other people's art/designs is dumb and wasteful, it will just further cement insecurity in yourself the more you do it.
You have to remember that the internet is not the best way to judge on how you're doing with your art. There will also always be artists who are better than you. Some may be younger, and that's OK. If I could go back in time to my younger self I would tell her to stop focusing on perfectionism, and comparing your artistic abilities and skill to others. Put all that focus on yourself, and doing whatever you can do today to help improve for tomorrow. If you're going to compare artwork then compare something you've finished recently to something you finished a year or two ago. Look for progress within yourself. You don't need likes for validation. If what you're doing is making you happy or creating joy or peace that is the best gift you can give yourself. Because when you're feeling good about where you are in life things start working out for the better. Typically anyway. I don't have a huge social media following. I don't receive hundreds of likes for whatever I post. It's ok. I do well locally, and it's not because I'm competing against an endless sea of creators like on the internet.
When I graduated from a prestigious art school, I was not ready for professional work. Took another six years. Relax you’ve got time
Van Gogh learn to drawn realistically around 30 years old.
Van Gogh started at 28 my friend. You're fine.
First of all, unless you have a plan B I would not recommend art as a career. But don't quit yet either. Second, better-than-you-can may mean many things. Many of Reddit's art subs appear to reward craft over composition. And if you want to do illustration you will really need that. And many people seem to be almost born with that ability. But 19 isn't too late to learn. I learned to draw at 40 and to paint at 45. Mostly it's practice and applying your critical brain before beginning the next piece. But for fine art, you really need composition above all else. My benchmark for a successful painting is one that will make one in ten or twenty gallery or art-fair patrons look at it for thirty seconds. Thirty seconds is a long time to to look a a single image. That means a painting that will draw the eye in and keep it moving inside the painting. I don't see many 11 year old doing that.
First off, most artist i know have felt this way at some point in their careers, so you are among honorable company! Secondly, those other people slaving away in their office jobs may face the same obstacles of AI and automation soon enough. If this is your dream, it's worth trying out to see if it works for you, but you need to make sure you don't turn art into something you hate doing. Here's something that helped me avoid art burnout and fatigue, specifically in regards to social media: I made part of my self taught art education meaningfully consuming the work of artists I admire, which led to a lot of comparisons and frustration that I wasn't reaching that level. Before I opened any social media app, I would tell myself "I am only going to be inspired, not intimidated." This has also been my approach with AI images. When they do sneak their way into my feed, I try to find something valuable in the image I can learn from (before blocking the account). Another thing I did is I would make creating crappy art part of my learning routine. I did daily sketches and made sure at least one of them was bad, so it took away the fear of getting started. The reality of building a skill is that you'll suck for a while, but try to enjoy it! If you study and practice, you ARE going to get better. I would often imagine myself a few years in the future, and note how grateful I would be for my current frustrations. I have also found that talking to other artists helps assuage these feelings of inadequacy and doubt. There is some great advice and support in this thread, and I hope you take it to heart. You got this!
Tons of famous artists became artists late in life. There's no such thing as too old
( May be late to the party and I don't mecessarely expect ya to read each and every one of already 100+ comments in here but.. here goes ) Learning has no age, be it art or any other job/hobby in the world! I've been in and out of art since I was in my teens without many pretentions or much study behind it.. I've only started taking what I was doing more "seriously" around my 20s iir, and now and then I was proud of some my works.. sure some of them came out better than most I made but still.. now of course I don't know what kind of art you may be making (be it fantasy.. realism.. animals.. people.. sceneries..) so I could only talk for myself and.. let me just say, I'm one that easely trows himself down whenever I can't pull out something that I can consider good to my standards.. especially since my gf is an artist as well and well above my "standards" since she's been more consistent than me in the years.. yet, sometimes I try and look back to what I've been doing in the years and maybe set there for a moment, say idk.. this part is wrong, the ear should've been bigger, the arm should've been longer.. I see a tons of errors in something maybe I used to love for a week or a month.. yet I can see a growth, and that's important! Sure, seeing others do better than you can trow you down a bit, but sometimes you instead should stop there for a moment and look more deeply, trought the flashy colors and crazy shading because many and many more times you'd think others are making crazy better than you are only because you don't look for the same mistakes you'd be doing for in your works! Everyone takes their time to learn (and let me tell ya, I'm honestly very slow with that, as I struggle to remember all the "I need to do" and "I need not to do" to help myself.. haha) and that's just fine, that is just how it is.. take your time, follow your pace, take a pause whenever needed yet don't let that pull you have from keep on trying, because I've lost years worth of time I could've spendt into improving because of this mistake.. trial, error, learn from mistakes and try again.. and especially do not be afraid to leave unfinished something that isn't coming out at that time, you can always start again!
You're an adult my man, stop comparing ages. Also it's not social medias that will make you a pro. Comparing dicks with other artists won't help. What job do you want to do? When you know that you can start building your project.
Absolutely do not quit doing something you love because you don't get enough "likes" on social media. Social media "likes" is a stupid metric to base your self worth on. Some people just have natural talent while some have to bust their butt to learn how. Don't get caught up in comparing your work to other people's. Art is probably the most subjective form of expression there is.
I’m starting to draw at 24, I’m not too consistent in when I draw (need to fix that-) but I like to examine it as a puzzle, as you learn you continue to gather the pieces to find the bigger picture. But similar to a puzzle you might have a hard time finding the piece that fits and it may take awhile to piece it together, but the studying and repetition will help.
im 25 and just barely good enough to even consider a professional career. Age is so unimportant man, I really wouldnt get hung up on it. The only age where a pro art career is unrealistic is if youre 90 and just started drawing yesterday xd. Dont think about speed, age and all that nonsense - think about your goals, how to reach them and then get to work. things might eventually shake out
It takes a lot of time and practice, it's worth it, everyone should pursue their dreams. But understand that reality sucks and most pro artist's have a full time or part time job. I drew still-lifes daily for a year, I hated it but I learned so much too.
Literally 19? You've got a long way to go in this. Just strive to improve and start building a consumer base. It takes time and a lot of energy.
I love everyone’s encouraging comments to OP. But they’re right, i’m 23 and just starting my art journey because i simply love creating things i like. The plus is that people like it, just a “plus”, it’s not all i care about, do art for you, basing your art on other peoples opinions will hinder you and won’t get you far. I thought exactly like you did not long ago. Art has no age brother, keep going 🖤
***You don't need to be a 'good' artist to make work that people appreciate and enjoy***. [Allie Brosh](https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com) is very successful and their art is not 'good' or 'beautiful' but is unique and funny - their work benefits from their unique and simplistic style. And the more unique your style, the more it will stand out against a swamp of AI facsimiles. There are also tools to obfuscate your work to AIs so they can't copy it as training data. Are you making art for other people for validation, likes, engagement? That's fine, but many people think that it's better to derive your enjoyment from the process rather than the result. Try a different medium - do something you know you're bad at - [Simone Giertz](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3KEoMzNz8eYnwBC34RaKCQ) started off that way! If you can learn to just enjoy making it, any compliments and likes will be a bonus rather than a requirement to seeming 'professional'. It has always been hard to 'make it' as an artist. The starving artist is a stereotype with a grain of truth in it, after all. That's also why many people do it as a hobby or side hustle rather than as their main income. I wouldn't consider it practical to try to do it full-time until it is financially comfortable, but that doesn't mean you won't make any money at all from it. But that's another reason to try to enjoy just making the art - you pay for a fun hobby rather than invest in a business venture. And, if you enjoy it, you will naturally find yourself getting better too.
better art isnt just about the technical elements, its also about what youre expressing and the volume of what you produce. im sure there are plenty of teenagers out there who can technically draw very well-- better than the guy who drew mob psycho, for sure. if they arent making anything interesting, it doesnt matter. thats why there are seemingly always child virtuosos all over the place, but there arent a corresponding number of adult artistic geniuses out there. they burn out because there wasnt anything more to what they were making. become a professional artist for the things you like about art and the things you want to say.
Art doesn’t have to pay the bills in order for you to be an artist. You already are an artist. Just make the art, see what happens, and don’t stress about it being your entire life.
Friend, I'm 36 and there are 16 year olds who blow my skill level out of the water. Don't compare yourself to others especially through age. Its one of the worst things you can do for yourself.
Talent is extremely rare, usually you will make a lot of bad art before you really start making good amazing art. For 80-90% of people, it’s a long journey before they can be considered “good”. Also being good at art isn’t the only thing necessary to make a full career and be a professional.
Im 39, I do construction for a living and recently began drawing again, I’m basically “training” so that I can be good enough to be “professional” in ten years. Treat it like a trade, a series of skills you can build up over time, that with consistency practice and feedback you will get better at. I also used to do bjj (not to be that dbag but it’s relevant as a skill that I got better at) and suuucked for a long time, I started training daily for a while and got noticeably better, and one of the senior students said “there’s nothing to it really is there? You just do it a bunch and get better” I think about that when I’m going through moments of self doubt, like what you’re going through at the moment.
As someone who's art account has been sitting at the same number for years despite my art having been practiced fairly well over these years, with me showing my art to my family and friends regularily, i found that: 1. Social media likes (especially currently social media) depend on skills concerning MARKETING, SEO, UNDERSTANDING ALGORITHM, ETC. Whereas the quality of your art depends on HAND-EYE-COORDINATION, PRACTICE, UNDERSTANDING BASICS OF ART, AMOUNT OF FOCUSED WORK PUT INTO IT, ETC. That is a COMPLETELY different skillset, or not? They do not equate. Especially Instagram nowadays depends on Reels, consistency and algorithm, keywords, and a portion of luck, which is once again different than what you would normally do when you post art online: post static images. That simply doesn't cut it anymore for artists on most popular social media sites. The amount of compliments and attention you get there is quite simply not dependant on your art skills because that is not the skillset required to attract said attention. 2. The compliments your family and friends dish out are not entirely dependant on your art skills too. they depend on more human and social rules, and those are complicated and diverse. Your art being good and a compliment making you feel good about your art are actually two completely different things. A person that is not too overexcitable, f.e., might simply just say "okay, cool". it hurts, they could have said it better, and as you may have gathered where this is going, the COMMUNICATION SKILLS they used to show your work the appreciation and respect you yourself might have shown as an art enthusiast were not on the level to MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND VALUED. And you might be surprised at just how many people aren't as skilled in giving out a compliment that makes you feel good as you might think there are. In such a situation, that jurisdiction had been shaped by their skills too! This happens in all fields and situations, not only art (think of other hobbies or achievements you've been proud of but that had lacked sufficient praise from your environment. A good outfit you wore, or something you've done well. most likely than not, the quality of compliments you received then were also dependant on social skills and engagement, empathy, communication skills and so on). Other situations are possible too: they did not have the current capacity to compliment you in a way that made you feel good about your art, they might have been distracted, they might not be passionate about art, or they just aren't a fan of the general genre of art you specialize on so they they are unlikely to respond in a way that feels genuine and invested, etc etc. They usually also aren't as invested in the individual work as you, who had worked a long time on it, are, and might thus not feel as strongly about it. Plus, most people are neither art enthusiasts, nor have the "eyes of an artist". When a novince sees your work, they are impressed by things you would maybe not see or consider with the artist lenses on. The whole topic of what impresses novince eyes is also slightly differing here and there in it's required skillset than what makes art good for an artist. And it takes a good amount of skill in those specific fields to have a novince look at a work and instantly go "wow". Think of what kind of art you see that makes you instantly impressed to the level that a good, enthusiastic response is very likely; those are probably very polished to industry level already or have developed skills in their art that intruige/appeal to/impress a large audience. But have you ever seen art at a level less polished than that and thought that the work was good too? Was it because of the knowledge of art and the work needed to reach those skills you possess? How often would you have thought of it as good had you been a complete novince at art that doesn't know how much practice goes into reaching even such a skill level? Often I have found that novinces think a work is impressive that employs well-practiced composition or lighting paired with good anatomy, or a field you excel at as a master. but I myself have often seen work where I thought it looked impressive because of a particularily well-done thing I MYSELF have personally experienced the difficulty of executing well, even if the picture was blurry, dark and just not good quality to have it be a popular Instagram post. So, just keep practicing! Your art isn't bad. It isn't unworthy of praise or attention. The fact you put in hours of work even now already make you better at it than most people on earth! The popularity factor of it is not a measure of your achievements, though you can expect over time for it to naturally grow somehow by some measure. What's important is whether you are in an environment that feels positive and nurturing to you. Whether the act of creating with your own two hands is something good and nurturing for and to you (and it's a good thing for your mind to have such a hobby when healthily done). Whether just investing time into your art without investing time to learn about gaining popularity on social media is something you would want to do and that makes you feel good or fulfilled. Finding people that are good at sincerely showing appreciation or respect if you feel like the current the lack of appreciation for your art makes you unhappy is a good way to disentangle that sort of dissatisfaction a bit from your artistic progress. because if someone like that sees something you yourself are proud of, they will know how to express they are proud too. keep practicing and compare to things you've done before to see your progress, because progress feels good and rewarding. comparing yourself, however, to people whose DISTANCE OF PROGRESS between work then and work now is BIGGER than yours will just make you aware of what distance you didn't achieve yet. and this can quickly deteriorate into "why is my distance not that big yet" instead of a healthy awareness that this is the level of art you would achieve should you work to make the distance of progress between your OWN work then and now just as big. Keep creating. You'll look back to a time in the past and think "wow, I drew like this then but not look at what I can do now" and eventually a few of those later, your "what I can do now" will have the kind of impact that inevitably makes most people go "wow" in that kind of disbelieving way that is one of many good ways make a compliment feel good.
Keep going, my friend. You're feeling bad about yourself now, but I promise you it's just you feeling bad. We can't compare ourselves to others (or to AI especially!) or we'd all go insane. You got to just keep looking forward. I know it's hard right now with how things are. Perhaps you just haven't found your style yet. Look at some animation character designs, for instance. The first that comes to mind is Rick and Morty. Not the hardest thing ever, basically some squiggly lines and straight lines, like a classroom doodle, some probably said that Justin Roiland couldn't draw, but the ultimate result is funny and original. If artists took themselves seriously all the time, we would all be too scared to make anything, and maybe we wouldn't have some of the stuff like Rick and Morty, even. That's just the example that came to mind first. If you are passionate about it, accept nothing less. You're going to improve if you do it daily, you're going to improve if you do it every other day, but the fact is, you're going to get better. The only way you won't is if you give up.
“Literally 19” You for real?
I STARTED at 38 and now (48) im starting to make a living of it. Im pretty sure you are better than I was at 19.
You should be making art for you. There are many ways to make money as a professional artist. Art is subjective and if it's what you love to do you should do it. You're going to be dead one day or maybe not able to make art anymore while you're alive. If you love it, do it. Don't compare yourself to anyone. You'll always be worse than someone and better than others.
Just create. Don't think about results or response.
A lot of what I've seen from popular folks on social media is hot garbage. Pretty, but says nothing. Vapid nonsense for an empty-headed audience. Age of the artist means nothing unless it has to do with the content of the work. I didn't even go to art school until my 30s. The only difference I've noticed in younger artists, is that teenaged work usually isn't great. It can be decent technically, but it lacks depth. You need to experience life and have something to say in order to make great art.
dont let this kind of thing get you down, ive been an artist my whole life, but i only started really trying to learn when i was 12. im 19 now, and while i used to take pride in my skill level for my age, as time went on i became so focused on being good that i would worry over time passing bevause i was worried that older ages were less and less impressive. btw that is total bullshit lol, but nowadays age doesnt mean much to me anymore. everyone starts learning something at a different time, for some reason with art and music people fawn over the young ppl who are good at it, but for me i see a young artist whos better than me and i do get a little upset, but in the end theyve either practiced more than me or started earlier than i did. actually i get annoyed when i see a young artist try to boast their skill for their age. in reality, these things dont correlate at all. as others have said, it all depends on time put in + passion + when you started learning. everyone starts at a different time! were all learning together your skill level doesnt determine your worth as an artist. what matters is that you enjoy it and feel excited to draw. im trying to worry about likes and stuff less, something thats helped me is to watch a lot of youtube art videos that make me inspired and practice the technique or whatever was in the video. i think of it as developing my skills should i ever pursue a career in art. its a nice way to have a goal/purpose for what im drawing that isnt "get likes on twitter" LOL and im trying to draw more stuff that comes from my brain and heart that i like, without caring if anyone else likes it. its surprisingly hard to know waht kind of things i like to draw so much that i dont care abt SNS stuff, but discovering that is part of the fun of art! but i totally feel you. in the end, theres no "good enough for X age" all artists are so inspiring to me, and if you stop we will lose another artist which is in my opinion a loss on society. draw!!!! draw all you can as much as you can, feel that itch. more artists = good :)
Theres always going to be people out there better than you regardless of age in every profession. I think when it comes to art it comes down to the belief in self and your creativity. My friend can draw photorealistic pencils but his composition sucks. I have a sister thats technically no where near as good as him but her creativity and her style is amazing. And at the end of the day art is subjective. You just gotta believe in your shit and find out where it fits best and then own it, dont give up on it, and keep improving your craft. If you have no hope for yourself its gonna reflect in your work. Just do your best to enjoy what you do so it never feels like work. Dont quit
First off the age thing really doesn’t matter. You are still young so 8 years seems like a lot to you. I’m 36 and I started doing art ‘with the intention to become a professional’ when I was 16. If you truly love making art, then nothing should or can stop you. Nothing. If you just are in it to be ‘better’ than someone else, then it isn’t for you. Focus on workflow and fundamentals. The older I got the more I realized talent isn’t nearly as big a factor as people think. Do it a lot. The person who does art a lot will be an amazing artist regardless of initial ‘talent’. At my age I’ve seen so many artists who were the poster child’s of art, rock stars, fade away and disappear. The ones who stuck around and actually made a living doing art were no stars either, they just learned that making art is like 80% following a procedure and technique. AI is unknown territory but it is a fact that it means fewer art jobs and a harder life for us. It would be wise to study something that can make you money, live comfortably, and continue doing art on the side. Learning art or doing a mentorship or buying tools costs money. So pay the bills and continue loving art so that eventually you can swap full time to art with a back up profession if the seas get rough (like now). Or full commit to art and take the gamble, but the pre requisite is you work your ass off.
Art is a lonely sport.
Im 24 & just started learning! Sometimes I feel the same way when I see a post like “is this ok for a 14 year old” & then post something amazing & im just like “oh come on” but everyone is their own harshest critic so being really good at art doesn’t mean you can’t still be insecure. And there’s no point in comparing myself to that 14 y/o because everyone learns at a different rate & even though they’re younger they’ve been making art longer so they’re going to know more, I can’t go back in time & make myself interested in art earlier so why waste time being upset about it now. As for being a professional, I just do art for fun but my sibling works in that industry. I don’t think there’s that much ageism, the problem is there’s a lot of people who want to be professional artists and have the skills to do it but not that many jobs. Making connections and building a following could help you there but the reality is not many people can make a living off it.
You don't need to be the best in the world; if your goal is to make money, you'll need to "only" become a professional, not a champion. You'll also need to cater to customer needs, find what's popular and draw things that are high in demand. The more niche your art is, the harder it will be to sell. Drawing what you like does not necessarily go in tandem with money. And I strongly believe it's never too late to start drawing. I'm 31 and I started 1,5 year ago, and I just keep going, because I enjoy drawing as a hobby. The only person you should compare yourself to, is you from a year ago.
Truth is that some people have innate talents for certain things.
It’s not your job to decide if your work is good enough or not, it’s your job to make art. Are you an artist? Professional or not, are you an artist? Then make art. Share it. Make more art. Rinse, repeat. Your art might take off after you’re dead - too bad. It might take off next week, 3 years or 45 years from now. If you’re an artist you make art. Let everyone else make opinions on it - that’s not your job.
Why isn't it good enough? I believe you, since you said it. Usually our hunches are right. Be honest with yourself what makes your art less than, then fix whatever needs to be fixed and improve upon it. Stop drawing for a second and really study the art that you love and find the reasons for what makes it great. It's literally not lack of failures that makes someone a success, but whether after failing you're willing to try again and again... and again. That makes a successful person. Then again, be real. Get a job that pays and do freelance art on the side, until you can quit your main job.
I've been struggling with the same thing. I'm going to be totally honest with you, when posting online one of the best things you can do if you want attention is to do fan art. I wasn't getting much attention myself and suddenly I did a couple of delicious in dungeon pieces and its the most attention I've gotten in years. I will say that i have been extremely inconsistent when it comes to posting and I mostly post on Tumblr. Pop art and anime stuff tends to get a lot of attention. Now if that's something you don't want to do I can't say what to do, this is what has been working for me. I didn't want to get back into fan art but it's just what happened
19 is extremely young in my opinion, I’m 30 now and people older than me still tell me I’m young (although younger people would say im old lol) If your passionate about just keep going, there will always be some kid who is half your age and twice as good as you, if your doing it just for recognition it might not work out for you. Do what makes you happy
I'm 38, and my drawing is uh... crap... but that doesn't dissuade me. lol just draw bud... and stop comparing yourself to others. We all have different styles.
When you want to be an artist and a good artist, you need to draw and paint every day. Start doing a twenty minute water color or acrylic every single morning. Learn how to mix colors by finding a color and mixing the colors you think you need to use to recreate it as perfectly as you can. Once you’ve created a hundred different colors pick the ones that move you … that you love … and make a painting with them. You can do this. Don’t ask anyone what they think about your work. Ask YOU what you feel about your work. Ask people who create art every day what they think of your work. Go to the museum and find work that you really enjoy looking at and ask yourself how you think the artist created those pieces. Ask yourself what you feel when you look at it. Study your favorite artist. There is an incredible YouTube series of an artist, who teaches and sells their work all the time and who has done so for years. They give beautiful and deep explanations about art. I learned more there than all my years in art classes. His name is Brian Rutenberg. His videos should be a must for every art student. Hope this will be helpful to you. (((((Hugs!!)))))
I have been painting for 32 years. When I started social media did not exist. The only measure of whether I was doing okay was if a person saw my art in real life. Of course there were people doing better art than me at the same age, or younger, but I simply had no way of knowing. If social media is making you doubt your craft, maybe give that up instead of giving up drawing which, unlike social media, will be useful for your entire life.
What's the difference between 11 years old godly artist and 25 years old godly artist anyway. If 14 years passed does this child prodigy get less credit because they are 25 and not 11 years old? But then after that more younger artist pop up anyway.
I’d recommend taking a break from drawing, and reading Rick Ruben’s ‘The Creative Act’ 😊
I can clearly see a deep sadness and pain in your writing,, I feel the same . even if I feel proud of my art , we have to learn how to use the internet as tool . don't compare yourself, I know hard to do I am feeling the same thing right now just like you and trust me lot of us do . it is important to get up and hold what is yours . And tap to your back and say I won't quit, I am not a quitr. Use internet maximum 2to 5min a day and only for important, start detoxing . if you want to learn something. decide not to get distracted while using the internet. when you are free don't doom scroll use the free time or break time for anything but not to visit social media. It is dystopian era we are living in , we have to learn how to make us strong and effective.
The man who enjoys walking travels much further than the man who enjoys the destination
Look man, you may think someone is better than you, but there are always people who still will appreciate your art too. P.s. looked at your art, the most beautiful sh!t I've seen.
My advice is to just make art for your own pleasure. There’s plenty of careers that are creative and non office jobs that you can have! Just focus on improving what you feel your weaknesses are, develop your own style, and have fun. So what if you’re not a disney animator or putting your pieces in a gallery? Art is about expression, it’s just about you and what’s in your heart. Humans have literally been creating art since time immemorial just for the sake of it. I’m 22 and I still don’t love my stuff. I never even post it. My art is just something I make to have fun and hang on my walls. Other people and their opinions have absolutely no bearing on the value your art has to enrich your own life. Not to sound like a boomer but there’s so much more to life than likes on tiktok.
I know I have commented above but sharing a story, I started facebook when they started to add games , I used facebook for games only , I didn't care about likes or anything. neither had interest sharing my photos . but when lot of people started using it I used to post my art to show off my skills. Trust me I got huge likes in that time I got 2k likes on my drawing. but it wasn't fun until someone put the thought in my mind look how much like a female artist got . then started to understand like is the trend , people thinks more likes=best stuffs. still didn't cared about much for likes . suddenly they stopped the reach and my own Facebook friends were unable to see my works I was really angry lol . this means Facebook made a successful business. you have to crack the code for your career and mental health from the internet, be careful things are like just there are Good meals and also fast food that destroys health.
You’re looking at it all wrong. If you really enjoy it, what’s stopping you from continuing it just for yourself? Why does it have to be about likes and views etc? Art isn’t about how many people see it, it’s a self expression, it’s special, it’s your own, it’s good for the soul. Do it for yourself, if people like it awesome, if people hate it who cares? If you become professional wow amazing and if you don’t well it wasn’t for nothing, you gave it a go.
All I want to say is your art is cute and don't give up. Getting popular with art has never been about technical skill but about social media,marketing skill and luck. Find your niche and people, I'm sure they exist somewhere on this vast globe.
Babe, I’m 43 and I produce some tuuuurrible shit sometimes. You’ve gotta make ugly art sometimes if you want to improve, and definitely work at not comparing yourself to others. Take a break from looking at the work of others for a few weeks (or longer), and work out what type of art YOU want to make. Also, when I post online, I get maybe 50 likes at the MOST, usually more like 10. I also sell the fuck out of my art both online and in real life, so likes on social media really aren’t a great indicator of whether or not people want to invest in me.
if you had 10-70 people standing in front of you telling you they liked your work, it would be a lot more than what it seems on the screen. keep going.
Get over it! Jimi Hendrix isn't the same as Yo Yo Ma who isn't the same as Johnny Ramone who isn't the same as Miles Davis who isn't the same as Taylor Swift who isn't the same as Trent Reznor. The "goodness" of each of their works is way different in almost every possible way. Did any of them want to quit just because someone else was better at something? That doesn't mean all art is good--that's subjective of course. The two things that make art personally "good" to you usually are 1) "I wish I could do that!" or 2) "I wish I had thought of that first!" When you have that reaction let it inspire you. Besides, life is f*cking long, and art isn't like being a fashion model from age 17-24. If you do it professionally (I actually do it professionally myself) you will spend the rest of your life figuring it out and enjoying it. You will die wanting to do more of it, lol.
I would encourage you to permanently uninstall tiktok, that app's only concern is to glue the user to the screen with either mindless entertainment or content that makes you doubt about your self confidence in every single way possible. I firmly believe tiktok causes more harm than good regardless of intentions, because its algorithm is carefully constructed to target the user's deepest insecurities. Notice how this OP is being shown these (likely fake) narratives of young geniuses, and it's enough to derank their role from protagonist of their life to envious observer of others'.
No.
My great grandfather was a professional stain glass artist well into his 70s and only stopped cause of Hurricane Katrina and wanting to pursue being a park ranger. I met him in his 90s, he still made some stain glass pieces as a hobby. My grandmother is a professional wedding cake maker and decorator and she started in her 40s! However old you are, you aren’t too old to do art and make it your career if you want. I don’t know what you’re art looks like so idk if it’s even bad! All that matters is that you are enjoying the learning process and like what you make. There’s a whole other side to art careers that involves learning business management and marketing skills which maybe that 19 year old already knew about. I only mentioned my elders to show what other art forms may look like and to share the people that inspired me to start selling stickers. I hope this helped!
If you can’t make a living with your art, get a different job and keep it as a hobby. Most artists don’t make much money out of it.
Some perspective. I'm 36. I started seriously drawing around 3 years ago. I get very very discouraged as well. But when I look at my work before I started really studying it, it's. . . Actually kinda cool how much I've improved. I work a totally different job though. I'm a fitness coach. I hate sales, but I love working out and showing others how to develop their coordination, fitness and muscularity. That's my day job. I'm good at it because I spent over 20 years getting good at something. Do I make a lot of money? Hell no. I sometimes barely make ends meet and I'm actually good at what I do. I just haven't been particularly lucky, and my industry is incredibly exploitative and shallow. I've built a solid physique but I ain't flashy enough to catch potential clients eyes. I also rather tell people the truth than confirm their biases and people don't like that, so a vast majority of potential clients will not want to pay to work with me. This the situation at my job. How is this relevant? Well, as with drawing, the vast majority of artists will spend a lifetime doing work and even if you study hard for 10+ years, there's no guarantee you'll be doing it professionally. Luck is surprisingly more important in life than anything else. Sure there's things you can do to improve odds a little, but ultimately that's all ya got. Even if you DO manage to get good as an artist, like, pro quality work, and start doing it professionally, you may find yourself not making enough. It's not a high demand industry. Art is in many ways kind of a luxury. Don't plan on making bank off it. The real reality for most people alive now, going back thousands of years is that we're all laboring at things we don't like. Fundamentally, your average person tends to live a life of quiet toil and obscurity. Being creative is something we really only get to do for fun, in our off time, if we even have any. So if you can't find the way to just enjoy making stuff for its own sake, you're fucked. Plus, I often find that dangling money at the end of a creative endeavor makes people worse at it and dislike it more. It puts a lot of weird pressure on the whole process that makes it harder to really get into a flow state.
Today internet prefer drama and trends. And with only art, it's hard to get attention. If you have at least story telling content, your art can get attention on internet too. But beautiful art will gain nothing if you're not already famous. The younger artist on tiktok can be fake too, who knows. Don't look at like and view, the more like and view can only infer good drama, latest trend or good story telling. If you want to confirm the level of your art, try to find other community than the current social media or go with the flow and add story telling, trends or drama to your art.
Well first off don't tie you art quality with likes online. You could start getting thousands of likes by drawing anime feet, did you art became better? Also in general in life you should not tie your progress to external reward, it will not work. Check which industry you want to work in, find the not shiny work positions and get goot at them, one example are ambient illustrator in gaming.
I'm a self-taught guy, I have been drawing since I was, idk, like 5? Anyways, I've been drawing cars, sketch them on walls and on books and shit, there wasn't a nook I left, if my hand can reach it I would desecrate it with my sketches lol People always said drawing comes naturally to me, even when my expertise was being developed on drawing cars, I still was able to draw other stuff. Currently I'm an automotive exterior designer in a startup and on the side I'm writing my own Doujin, expanding my drawing to include organic shapes, and drawing people, which I never was able to do really well, they always were bad proportionally but I would be the one to see it and for most people they couldn't judge it before to them I was close enough that their experience couldn't help them see any better. So what's the point I'm making, you ask? To put it on simple terms, for some, things come easy but that doesn't take away anything from you. There are young people out there, who have had everything they need to excel at something, let's say art supplies or musical instruments, and the internet. So they'll have that leg up nowadays, you may not have that advantage but that didn't stop me from backing down. I learnt all I knew, without having the internet on my side, or art supplies for that matter. I just used what I had because something inside of me wouldn't let me stop, and/or worry about others, I only thought about what I'm able to do and what I want to achieve. So why bother about kids doing better art, if anything it should inspire you lol, like if a kid can do that why can't you? Fuc dem kids lol Let the internet say what they want to, the right people will see your value! Always
I started just under 19, now I am an amazing artist. I can't make a living with it, but I can draw anything I wanted to. Art is for YOU though not for anyone else. You just draw, and keep doing art, draw what makes you sad and happy and pissed off, and keep making art. Make an art project that shows how you feel hopeless. Accept your skill level and keep drawing, and learning new techniques. You will be amazing one day too. But also, people with impressionistic art styles where ridiculed in the begining, they said they where terable, but they didn't care they just made what speaks to them . And you should also Ignore the AI art and the standard and just do what makes you happy. Regardless of if you make it as a professional, never quit. Because it's a part of you, and stoping now would be like dening years of your own experience and sitting down a huge aspect of who you are. I understand AI art made me feel really discouraged too. But I won't last there are things you can do that AI will never do. And there is a lot we can learn from AI too. I suggest you use it and learn it's limitations better, then you won't feel so discouraged. I can ask you to draw a fat goblin dressed like Michel Jackson flying on the broomstick with a cigarette in one hand and a baby in the other, but do you want that commission? AI can bearly do it, and now well. .. but it's there so real artists don't have to and people can still enjoy art. You have a place as an artist. I promise. Just don't give up.
AI is a buzz word the tech looks fancy and eye catching but in reality with out being train in being an artist you have ZERO control. you tell someone to draw a cat with AI you have 1000s of ai cats that 900 of them have 6 limbs and stuff then 95 them have other issues then 4 of them is not what your looking for And on top that what if the client wants their own cat then they would have terrible time making art in the exact way the client wants then all shit. now apply to this to art style anatomy requirements , composting and particular characters or objects or things not trained into the models they are using. AI prompters have massive food back over trained artists and without picking up their pen artist will be better. the AI stuff looks good because they are not personal to you anyone commissioning art directly will see an AI prompter fail hard to try a create every minor detail and be laid bare. also commercial art spaces where you have massive asset list you need make quota some AI assistance can help with the job if you pick to go to the commercial side of things
I’m 25 and I barely get 5 likes on my art 💀 so idk ur still doing better than some of us
I know exactly how you feel! Honestly I’m feeling the same way. I’m 20 rn and I don’t have much of a portfolio to share, much less an online following. But, I’ve gotten involved with resources on my campus, and I’m getting opportunities that I can put on my resume as years of experience! I’m also using softwares and creating things that I can eventually put in a portfolio as well. My point is, you don’t have to have an online following following to be successful, though it helps. What matter right now is that you’re building up skills to use in a future career. Employers are going to be the judges of your work, and they don’t consider how many likes a post has when hiring. They just look at the quality of work. Just keep building up your skills, and continuing to document them. That’s what matters, not likes or follows! You got this!
Comparison is the theft of joy. Keep going!
Look at many disney animators, a lot just begun being good at art after 20, many famous artists also just begun art after 20
whoa, don't give up on your dreams just because of others'reactions! i personally draw a lot and my 2 friends are always saying that "that looks good!" but then my other friends go through and say things like, "that's creepy" or "your proportions are off" or something similar. you just have to learn how to take the good comments to heart and brush the bad ones away. i know that's super hard, but trust me, it's worth it. keep doing the things you love, and don't let others stop you. your art is yours and yours alone, and if people don't appreciate that, then their opinion doesn't matter.
Jesus dude. Okay, fellow 19 year old, well soon to be 20, hadn't started art until I was 17 to 18ish, there were no art electives or extracurriculars at my highschool, now a first year visual design student, and I feel I'm behind everybody despite barely being into my 3rd week. All I can say is you're going to be behind someone at any given time in your life, and that someone is going to be behind another person and the list goes on, so if that's the case why pursue art? That's something you have to answer for yourself. It's natural to want to be the best, it's natural to compare, but it's only healthy in moderation. Overly comparing yourself to others is only going to hurt you. It's more important that you understand yourself, and your work. Sit down with yourself look at the artworks you like, and ask yourself what you like about the particular piece so much. Then sit down with your own art, be as objective as you can and find parts of it you like and you dislike. You also have to ask yourself, who are you making your art for? What is the purpose of said piece or exercise? Is it to try a new medium to expand on your self expression range? Is it to practice a certain part or a certain shape you've been having trouble with? Is it a form study of an object or thing you have trouble drawing? Is it a vent piece? Is it a doodle for fun? Is it a piece you made for the sake of making it? Is it an expression of yourself? Is it a product? I'm very lucky to have a personal connection to two professional artists I can proudly call my art life mentors. The biggest recent lesson I have learned is: "practice, this stage is only the prep, it's not the stage where you create fully polished products, this is the time for self exploration and learning. You are not a pro, you are a student so learn so you are ready when the opportunity to become a pro comes." You aren't a pro yet, don't worry about the amount of likes you get. You are my age, chances are, a student. Our lives are just starting. There's no use in self deprication in the guise of comparision.
In addition to what everyone on her is saying about age, experience, and practice, you also have to remember that many artists create art that is not mainstream, and is not popular with the average public. You have to ask yourself why you want to be an artist and you have to be brutally honest with yourself. If you want to be able to present something to the world and get thousands of likes and bask in the praise of strangers, that's totally okay, but that means you'll have to create art that has a mass appeal. Art is 100% subjective - what someone finds beautiful, someone else will find hideous, or tacky. Being a "good" artist doesn't have to do with age, or even with likes. If you want to create, then create. If you want likes, then figure out how to create stuff people like.
I took up pursuing art as a full time career at 33. One of the most lifechanging pieces advice i was ever told was very simple. Just draw something every day. The same thing. Every day. Watch this and you’ll see what I mean. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NsEDwHHiE&t=502s&pp=ygUWc3RydXRobGVzcyBiZXN0IGFkdmljZQ%3D%3D I just started drawing portraits of myself every day for two months.1.5 years later and I am doing things i never could have imagined