5 Powerful Mindset Shifts for Self-Taught Artists
Have you ever felt like you couldn’t be an artist because art school was not in your path?
I am writing from the perspective of someone who *now* is a working artist pursuing an MFA in Visual Art, even though I built my creative practice (and career) by going to college as far away from art school as possible: Studying engineering at a military school. You can create authentically, and if you choose to, learn to sell your art online, work with galleries, and even pursue exhibition opportunities without a formal art degree. That doesn’t mean art school is not an amazing opportunity, it only means that there are ways to work around having a formal art degree if that was also not in your path.
Formal art school is not a qualifier for being an artist.
There, I said it. If you express yourself or an idea with an artistic language, you are already an artist. No degree is necessary to give you permission to create (and learn how to create) art. What art school does provide is formal education meant to develop skills, guidance as you explore influences and technique, opportunities to network and exhibit, and a concentrated structure create work within your artistic voice.
What art school doesn’t provide is all of the answers. The journey is still unique to you, and the beauty of modern technology is, with a little structure and direction, you can learn so much in the nooks and crannies of life.
In this post, I will address five mindset shifts that will change everything for the self taught artist.
Artmaking is a learned skill.
The practice of art is a lifelong journey.
Limitations make art making interesting.
Curiosity is a never ending source of inspiration.
You don’t have to quit your job to make art.
Five Mindset Shifts that Will Change everything
A healthy mindset about your creative practice is so imperative to the living a joyously authentic creative life.
Art making is a learned skiLl
In the book “Art and Fear” (a beautiful and short book worth your time!), the first assumption the author explains is that the practice of making art is something you can learn. There is certainly such a thing as innate genius, but there is a lot more great art in the world than there are geniuses.
You can learn technique. You can study the figure, you can practice value, you can read. You can learn how to draw (yes, you really can), how to start an oil painting, and how to make abstract art. You can also learn how to listen to your voice, how to recognize when resistance is keeping you from growing, and how to care for your creativity so it serves you for a lifetime… which brings me to….
Being an Artist is a Lifelong JourneY
If there’s one thing I want you to learn from me, it’s that this process is a lifelong journey. It’s not a list of things to master before the age of 30 (or 40, or 60…), as if being perfect was a prerequisite of saying something with art.
I think it’s far more interesting to make art that resonates with your curiosity, right where you are. Be brave. Make a mess. Embrace the accidents. Talk about your current understanding of the world, and of yourself. Take the time to learn skills as you realize you need them, then get back to the joyful making of art. If you want some encouragement, google Picasso’s work and savor the changes his art progressed throughout his entire life.
As your life and perspectives grow as shift, so will your art. That’s okay! I hope it does, and I hope you delight in the way you change.
Limitations make art interesting
We all have limitations. Time, money, resources, skill, energy… but working within them is freedom!
Are you a stay at home parent with no energy for extensive creative expression in between diapers and chauffeuring? Or a professional embracing a stable career path with a deep need to create as an outlet?
What if you used the easiest medium available to document the highs (or lows?) of this season? What if you ended a year with a collection of marker drawings on napkins? That’s art. That’s valid.
You can also create limitations. (My personal favorite) You can limit your palette to just a few colors. You can explore a limited palette for ages! You can explore an idea with just a ballpoint pen and sketchbook. You can paint for only 10 minutes a day and see what happens over time.
Curiosity is a never ending source of inspiration
In Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, “Big Magic,” she talks about the difference in creating from a place of curiosity instead of passion:
… Curiosity is accessible to everyone… Curiosity is a milder, quieter, more welcoming, and more democratic entity. The stakes of curiosity are also far lower than the stakes of passion. Passion makes you get divorced and sell all your possessions and shave your head and move to Nepal. Curiosity doesn’t ask nearly so much of you.
In fact, curiosity only ever asks one simple question: “Is there anything you’re interested in?” Anything? Even a tiny bit?
The answer need not set your life on fire, or make you quit your job… but in that moment, if you can pause and identify even one tiny speck of interest in something, then curiosity will ask you to turn your head a quarter of an inch and look at the thing a wee bit closer.
Do it.
… See where curiosity will lead you next. Then follow the next clue, and the next, and the next… It may even eventually lead you to your passion… Or it may lead you nowhere.
You might spend your whole life following your curiosity and have absolutely nothing to show for it at the end— except one thing. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you passed your entire existence in devotion to the noble human virture of inquisitiveness.
Art making is a pursuit of curiosity. Curiosity is what allows your voice to speak, it allows you to fail, it helps you to start again. It’s a great place to create from.
5. You don’t have to quit your job to make art
Just make art. Make art when you can. Making a living from your art does not qualify you as an artist. Say things, try things, find joy in the process of making. Show what you make to someone. Or a lot of people.
There are countless ways you can earn an income from art, but you don’t have to. You can simply make for the joy of it . Making an income with your art can be exhilarating, and if you enjoy it, go for it! There are many outlets for that, but if your creative practice is just for you, that is completely ok.
However, can I be honest? Sometimes making an income with your art can place a really high burden on your creativity. Creativity is a gift that has needs to be able to continue giving. It will quickly hide if it senses it is not safe or appreciated. Learning to nurture your creativity is a learned process, and being aware that it needs nurturing is half the battle.
You, my friend, are an artist.
Art school is an amazing opportunity to develop your skills and tap into your artistic voice, but going to art school is not the only way you get to be an artist.