{"id":41473,"date":"2017-03-02T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T20:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=41473"},"modified":"2017-03-01T20:27:40","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T04:27:40","slug":"how-to-conquer-your-fears-in-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/02\/how-to-conquer-your-fears-in-art\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conquer Your Fears in Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"eric<\/p>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

I want to write you a letter on how to conquer your fears in art.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. What is an \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcartist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122?<\/h2>\n

\"Achilles-wallpaper<\/p>\n

First of all, I think to be an artist is to just have belief in your ideas. There are no \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgood\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 ideas\u00e2\u20ac\u201d only ideas that are true to you.<\/p>\n

As photographers, painters, poets, whatever\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we are all artists. I think you can be an artist in any sense of the form. You can be an artist through sculpture, through music, through dance, through writing, or just living.<\/p>\n

I am inspired by Bruce Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u201d he called himself an \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcartist of life.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

2. Realize your creative potential<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

I think many of us have creative potential that lies on the ground; unrealized. All matter in the world has potential\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but we need an outside force to apply it\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to achieve what it is capable of.<\/p>\n

In your heart and soul, you have creative potential. Yet, a lot of it is unrealized. Why? Maybe from fear. Maybe when you were a kid, you had the creativity beaten out of you by your parents or your teachers. People criticized your ideas, and you became afraid. Afraid of sharing what was really on your mind. Afraid of creation\u00e2\u20ac\u201d afraid of being judged.<\/p>\n

I think in todays world, we are a passive, observer\/spectator society. How many of us aspire to be art curators and art critics\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than creating our own art? It is easy to be a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfoodie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and critique the cooking of others\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but how few of us actually know how to cook? Think of the food critic from Ratatouille \u00e2\u20ac\u201d he had no skin in the game.<\/p>\n

3. Learn to love risk<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

Your first step as an artist is to shed the past; and learn how to take risk.<\/p>\n

The greatest artists in history have taken risks. Some bigger than others. Regardless, if you try anything innovative and revolutionary \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get backlash.<\/p>\n

Think about the cubists. Think about the surrealists. Think of the impressionists. They all had back-lash against their art; because they went against the grain. Those in power want to stay in power. And nobody likes it when people ruffle their feathers, or the traditional ways things were done.<\/p>\n

You take a risk as an artist\u00e2\u20ac\u201d creating art, and sharing it with others. Most likely you will be ignored. Many great artists have died never having achieved fame or success in their lifetimes. Think of Vivian Maier, or other artists who get \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdiscovered\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 after they die.<\/p>\n

And there are no guarantees in art. There is no guarantee that if you spend your entire life, pursuing your art, that one day someone will appreciate your art.<\/p>\n

However, there is no nobler life than living a life full of passion \u00e2\u20ac\u201d believing in your ideas, your dreams, and your art\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and pursuing it with 100% of your effort, attention, and love.<\/p>\n

4. How to have more confidence in your art<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe in your art\u00e2\u20ac\u201d who will?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You need to be your #1 patron; your #1 believer in yourself.<\/p>\n

But how do we have more confidence in ourselves as artists?<\/p>\n

First step: know that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re already an artist and you have nothing to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153prove\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (to nobody)<\/strong>. As children, we are all born artists (Picasso) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the secret is staying an artist as we get older.<\/p>\n

Children are the most pure. They have no concepts of right or wrong. They follow their heart, their soul, and their bliss. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t censor themselves. I think it is that pure state of creativity that many of us are trying to achieve.<\/p>\n

Or think of when you were a beginner in painting, photography, or any form of art\u00e2\u20ac\u201d how much more excited, enthusiastic, and uncensored you were. You made art that made your heart and soul sing \u00e2\u20ac\u201d without caring what others thought.<\/p>\n

Another way to think \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we are all born liking to dance to music. We wiggle our butts, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care whether we look \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccool\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or not. As we get older, we become more self-conscious. Where do we learn that? Probably from society.<\/p>\n

Theres that cliche \u00e2\u20ac\u201d dance like nobody is watching. I believe it. Make art like nobody is watching. Make art like nobody would ever see it. Make art to first please yourself; then later on, you can try to find an audience. But the audience is superfluous \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you create truly great art that brings you joy, what else do you need, or expect?<\/p>\n

5. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy with a few, with one, and none.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

There is a story from Seneca (or another Stoic) about an ancient artist. The artist made beautiful art, but didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a lot of fame. There was a person who asked the artist: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do you feel that your art is so beautiful, but barely anybody knows you or your artwork?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The artist then replied something like:<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy with a few<\/em> liking my work, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy with one<\/em> liking my work, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also happy with none<\/em> liking my work.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What a bold thing to say.<\/p>\n

I feel we should treat ourselves the same. If we make great art\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the masses won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand. Unfortunately, the masses don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have good taste. Otherwise we would just be eating McDonalds all day, watching Transformers, and drinking gas station coffee.<\/p>\n

Be happy to create art that pleases a few people \u00e2\u20ac\u201d your inner-circle of friends, your few colleagues, or whether your art just pleases 1 other person, or even none at all.<\/p>\n

6. Just please 1 other person<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

I know for myself, I often lose enthusiasm to create art. But I know that as long as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m creating art that pleases just 1 other person, it is worth it.<\/p>\n

I think art is worthless if it existed in a vacuum \u00e2\u20ac\u201d with no other humans to share with. To be human is to share. To be human is to create things that bring us joy, and share it with others\u00e2\u20ac\u201d hoping that it will also bring them joy.<\/p>\n

Any artist who says that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I only create art for myself\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not 100% truthful. We (mostly) create art for ourselves. But at the end of the day, what kind of artist would want to create a beautiful piece of art, and hide it in their closet? Like Jesus said\u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you have a light, share it with the rest of the world. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put your light under a bucket.<\/p>\n

7. Fulfill your duty as an artist to society<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

A good way to motivate yourself to have more confidence in yourself and your art is to think of the duty you have towards others; and society.<\/p>\n

It is your duty (if you have a gift in art) to create that art, and to share it with others. Otherwise, you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t driving the human race forward.<\/p>\n

I know for me, it is my duty to blog, write, think, teach, and share. It is what gets me up in the morning, and gets me to drink 5-6 espressos a day, to fast, and to stay focused. My creative duty is what makes me care (less) about money, fame, fortune, and other material things.<\/p>\n

Many of us realize we have a duty to our families, to our local communities\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but realize, you also have a duty to all of mankind. As an artist, you uplift the spirits of your viewers. You stir their hearts, souls, and remind them what it means to be a loving human being.<\/p>\n

It is your duty to create art, and share it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Keep the ball rolling<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe rolling stone gathers no moss.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – Publilius Syrus\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Objects that are in motion, stay in motion. But the hardest thing is to start rolling the ball. Once the ball is in motion, it won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gather moss. It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t rust.<\/p>\n

Aristotle once said we are our habits. I agree. We are what we do, what we think, what we eat, and what we create on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

The hardest is getting started. For me, there is nothing more frightening than a blank sheet of paper. To write, the hardest thing to do is just to start. That is why I often start off my writing like a letter to a friend\u00e2\u20ac\u201d (Dear friend,) which gets the creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n

In photography, taking the first photo is the hardest. So I allow myself to take bad photos, just to get my trigger-finger warmed up.<\/p>\n

I think to get the ball rolling, having a trigger is helpful. For me, that trigger is coffee. I drink coffee, I feel the caffeine, and I feel my heart beat harder. That is my brain telling me: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay Eric, time to do creative work.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (whether that be writing, reading, making videos, or photographing).<\/p>\n

So what can that trigger be for you? Maybe some \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpump it up\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 music, maybe your beverage of choice, or perhaps a morning work-out routine. Start off your morning right, and the rest of the day will flow smoothly. And please please please, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t start off the day checking email, or checking social media. It is like eating Cheetos for breakfast.<\/p>\n

9. Share imperfect work<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

I think all of life is a work in progress. Our art is never 100% finished or complete. It will never be perfect.<\/p>\n

If you aim for perfection in your art, you will never finish it.<\/p>\n

My philosophy: get your art about 80% done, and publish it.<\/strong> Share it. Above all, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect any of your creative work to go \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcviral.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> Have no expectations. Therefore you will never be disappointed.<\/p>\n

I know for myself personally, when I write something that I feel is phenomenal and I set up all these expectations for myself, I end up disappointing myself if it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get shared a lot on social media. The same goes for my photos, when I get fewer likes than that I think I \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcshould have\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 gotten.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of things outside of our control as artists. We cannot control the social media algorithms which dictate what is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcoptimal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 time to share something, what kind of hashtags to add, or what kind of title to use. We have no control whether we have a million followers or not. A lot of it is dictated by lady luck. But the more we dance with lady luck, the more lucky we get. Or a better analogy: the more you swing the bat, and the more you strike out, the more likely you are to hit a home run.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you need to strike out 1,000 times to hit just 1 home run.<\/p>\n

10. Find inspiration everywhere<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

As a blogger, I have no idea which of my blog posts will be popular. Therefore I follow my gut, write what I<\/em> am passionate or interested in, and just hit publish. I then let it float into the digital ether\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and whether it picks up steam or not is beyond my control.<\/p>\n

In photography, I make photos which make my soul sing. Then I share it. Whether it gets a lot of likes or not is beyond my control.<\/p>\n

Therefore I feel being an artist is to become detached<\/em> from your art.<\/p>\n

In ancient times, each person was appointed his\/her own personal \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgenius.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 A person wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a genius. That meant, each person had their own inner-genius, kind of like how we all have \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcguardian angels.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

We couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dictate whether we would always be inspired or not. That was for our inner-genius to determine. They also call it a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmuse\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a spirit that dwells within you, which gives you all your creative ideas.<\/p>\n

My personal muse is Cindy. I also get inspired from my mom, my friends, from random conversations I overhear on the streets. I get inspiration from my favorite philosophers (all dead), or from my more contemporary hip hop artists. I gain inspiration when I am doing physical activities which get my blood flowing (deadlifts in the gym, or going for a pleasant walk). I get inspiration from nature\u00e2\u20ac\u201d from trees, when I go hiking, or when I go camping. To be an artist is to gain inspiration from everything, anywhere, and everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

11. But what if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not original?<\/h2>\n

\"Cindy<\/p>\n

Nothing is original. A tree doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have low self-esteem because it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an original tree.<\/p>\n

All life follows patterns. And honestly, being original is overrated. I think it is better to be good than original.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather be a tree that bears a lot of fruit, instead of a tree that looks different. That fruit is your art. We all praise productive trees and plants, which bear juicy, delicious, and nutritious fruit. We despise plants that are weeds\u00e2\u20ac\u201d just sucking nutrients, without giving anything back.<\/p>\n

I read that creativity is like being a bee\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you wander from one flower to another, collecting pollen and nectar, and eventually the honey you make is a unique blend of all the different sources. And no matter what, your honey will always be unique.<\/p>\n

As artists, we all have people from the past to be grateful towards. I am grateful to Henri Cartier-Bresson for his innovations in photography. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful to Matisse, who inspired Henri Cartier-Bresson. Going further back, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for the innovations of Leonardo da Vinci. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also grateful for the Medicis for sponsoring all the great artists from the Renaissance. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for all the dead philosophers who also helped me gain the wisdom that I now possess. Thank you to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Epicurus, Publilius Syrus, Lao Tzu, and of course Jesus.<\/p>\n

12. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fear death, you fear nothing<\/h2>\n

\"istanbul<\/p>\n

As human beings we are born \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcrisk averse.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Meaning, we hate taking risks. Because in the past, taking risks meant that we might die.<\/p>\n

But in todays world, the chance of us dying is slim to none. If we try to do something revolutionary or innovative in art, the worst that will happen is that we will either be ignored, or be judged. Nobody will kill you for creating art you believe in. Actually, perhaps in some countries unfortunately.<\/p>\n

But going back to the point at hand, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re creating art\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you need to learn to become a martyr for the art you believe in. Most of us don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t create politically sensitive art. But those who do, I have great respect and admiration for you.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, most of us are just going to share our photos on social media, maybe print and share them, or have an exhibition. Nobody is going to nail us to the cross for creating art we believe in. So what do we fear?<\/p>\n

13. Imagine the worst-case scenario<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

What is the worst-case scenario you are afraid of in your art? Most of us don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t consider the absolute worst. Here is a (realistic) list of what is the worst that can happen:<\/p>\n