Why Artists Are Never Happy

Let's talk about discontentment.

Host and Creator - Simon Cade

[WakoGriffin]

my art teacher to me "You're not shy on using that eraser are you?"

[gabby_]

"Art is the closest we can come to understanding how a stranger really feels.“

- Roger Ebert

[nilladrawsstuff]

As a digital artist, the undo button is my best friend. It's very hard for me to love something i draw, because I know there's someone out there who could've done it better. I struggle with self worth issues even outside of my art. I feel that everything I see wrong with my art is a reflection of myself. Artists project their feelings and experiences onto our work, whether we notice it or not. It's up to us to use that feeling to push ourselves forward.

[sortacasual]

Contentment is the enemy of progress
I need to clean my room now

[BirdyCz]

Writing - writhing
Painting - pain thing
Singing - sinking

[CaptiousClown]

One weird thing I noticed while looking back as a kid, is that I never really gave a care in the world while creating art. Even if it looked weird, I did it because it has encouraged creativity.

Seems like now a days it's hard to enjoy art, because of all of these "art rules" and our feelings of self doubt, stress, anger and resentment. It's just weird, but it is defiantly noticeable. I would probably assume that the exposure to the internet as a teen or a young adult has changed the way I think of my art, but that may not be the case.

[kyzwithay]

As a writer, I sometimes hesitate to actually work on my story because I'm so scared of feeling discontent with my work, I won't even re-read it because of how scared I am. I'm scared that I'll push aside this idea that I was told was great, this idea which I was happy on when I was working on the plot, characters, setting etc.

[JosiahofSilverton]

Beethoven said this about being an artist: "The true artist is not proud, he unfortunately sees that art has no limits; he feels darkly how far he is from the goal; and though he may be admired by others, he is sad not to have reached that point to which his better genius only appears as a distant, guiding sun." Same idea.

[Zephirite.]

I heard once that an artist is never satisfied, because we’re comparing our creation to the overwhelming, awe-inspiring we see in our heads.

But other people are impressed because they don’t have that fantasy to compare it to. To them, it looks like we made something out of nothing.

*And we did.* We collected bits of the art and world that inspires us, and channeled into something that didn’t exist—because the idea of forgetting it was worse than not getting it right.

Remember; no one was born able to hold a pencil, or even what a pencil was. When you see someone good at drawing faces, or hands, or composing—all you know is that they’re good at that one thing.
As far as you know they could be less ‘happy’ than you, not have close friends. Because the time spent towards mastery didn’t come from nothing—every choice to stay inside and draw required taking that time from other hobbies and interests.

We are standing on a collection of the works of engineers who built our drawing tablets, papers that were pulped from trees, crushed pigments—processes that only exist because someone had an idea and cared less about it being prefect than about what they could do if it existed.

All ideas change the world, just slightly.
Your ideas could end up inspiring others, make them smile—or at least, let you rest a bit easier knowing one piece of yourself will survive, no matter what.

We’re all just so obsessed with giving credit to ONE that we forget you can translate the genealogy of every ‘genius’ to a dozen of their mentors, family, culture, and coworkers.

The only way to guarantee you don’t improve is to never try.

[lollybirdy]

It’s that feeling of inadequacy when you see someone better. It makes you both want to get better and break down and cry at the same time.

[TwiSteDShOck]

For others our work might be magic..but for ourselves it will never be...' cause we always know we could do better..

[anastasiosmiaris]

As a musician i can completely relate, every song i do i feel like it insnt perfect so i always change everything bit by bit until im overall dissatisfied and scrap the project completely. i feel like knowing when your work is bad is good but you should never overdo it

[AllEnigmas]

I write, I draw, I sculpt, I create worlds and characters of my own. There’s something about art or writing or anything creative at all that is amazing. You see the mistakes and correct them, which leads to you getting better as you correct each tiny flaw. There’s also something that this video helped me realize. I’ve gone through many hardships, and just like the flaws in my works, I see what bits are wrong with me and fix each one and then the hardship is over.

[ellies-switch-blade]

the problem with making art is that you know that art is a reflection of yourself. Art is the essence of who you are. So when you see your art, and decide it’s not good enough, it’s the same as knowing that YOU are not good enough.

[Arinaretina]

That's me...
Me: I can take criticism!
Also me: *already breaking down before you even said a word*

[Hja]

Been a professional singer for 13 years. Singing paid most of my bills this year. Still convinced I can't sing. Thinking next year is when I put it all on the shelf and stop. I just never get as good as I want to be, where it's all just easy and smooth sailing. Bloody perfectionism. Gonna try constructive pessimism now. Thanks for this video.

[kingofbel]

That is LITERALLY me right now. Everyday when I draw something or think of a new story to write, I am never satisfied with what I come up with. I know its not because I am not creative, but because I am just not having the best ideas my brain can muster, or my art is not as good as I know I can make it be.
And honestly, I feel like I will never be satisfied, which frustrates me. I can only hope that one day I will reach a point of my ability that I can finally accept as my limit.

[dreamacatcher]

*Life is a drawing without an eraser.*

[deg]

Something my martial arts teacher once told me. "The line towards perfection exists, but it's impossible to reach the end."

[scharlachrot]

I am not an artist myself, but whenever I draw some people would say it would say its good, but there's always a feeling of mine that says '' it looks ugly '', I think it is because I can always see the flaw in the art itself, so much so that I can no longer see the beautiful part of the art that I made.