5 Things to do When Envy Hits you Hard!

LET’S TALK ABOUT ENVY

Getting over envy… Oh, envy! Let’s go down that path a little bit. So, when you look at another artist’s work and you are envious, remember these two things,

1. Envy is saying... You will never be that good!
2. Envy is saying...  You can’t do that. You can never do that!

These are two very negative statements that can really affect your drawing success! Don't be so hard on yourself!

You need to try really hard, not to be so negative with yourself! This will reinforce your lack of ability and lack of experience.

Ok, so what can we do to overcome this possible roadblock on your journey to success! First of all, you need to acknowledge that envy is real! You can't just say, I won't be envious, because we all do it! Envy is real. How you react to envy will help to shape your success or failure as an emerging artist.

So, make envy your friend!

It's ok to admit that you are envious, if you know how to react to it! It's either going to drive you to negativity about yourself or toward the person you are envious of. That's not good!

Five (5) Things to Help you Navigate your Way Through Envy

1. Admire/Respect the artist you envy  As soon as you feel you are becoming envious, turn it around! Quickly flip it around and admire and respect them! Yeah, exactly! Stand back and go, wow, look at that! Look at their work and think about how great that person must be! Think about the hours of practice and hard work that went into their artwork. The hours of dedication spent perfecting their style. Turn that envy to admiration, you can do it!
2. How Did They Do That?  Use envy to motivate yourself. Ask yourself how they did that? As you study it more you will find your brain kicking into gear and coming up with ideas of your own.
3.  How Did They Get There?  What steps did they take, in their drawing career, to get to this level? Did they go to school? Did they study from books? Did they practice every single day? Envy they path and follow them.
4. Iron Sharpens Iron!  What?! There's a theme in the New Testament that is called, Iron Sharpens Iron. If you have someone around who is very strong, that sharpening will help to sharpen you. So put yourself in that position-were all going to sharpen each other up here! And, just so you know, sharpening can be difficult! I mean, it's going to create heat! You know you're going to sharpen your blade. So, when you see another artist who is really good, use that to sharpen your skills.
5. I Can Do This! Tell yourself, I Can Do This! I Can Be This Person! You can! There is not some magic fairy tapping talent dust on all the other artists heads and forgetting about you! Remember, they did not go to bed one night, wishing they could be a great artist and wake up the next day as a magically accomplished artist. They put in tons and tons of hard work and Practice! Practice! Practice! You can do the same thing!

There is not an artist alive or dead, that you can't draw as well as! The only thing that separates you from them is the steady practice they have put in, and their perseverance! You know my motto is:

Talent is Common,Perseverance is Not!

This leads me into a story I like to share. This is a story about Norman Rockwell. Okay, as a little kid I really admired Norman Rockwell, I still do this day. I looked at his stuff and I was really negative towards myself- l never be able to draw or paint like this! A couple of years ago, I was able to go to an exhibit that showcased Norman Rockwell's original artwork and paintings. It was put on by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. When I went to the show, I saw Norman Rockwell's paintings and I thought, Wow they're kind of loose.

That was my moment, when reality hit me! I thought, Kurt, you can do this! Your skill is at this level! You can do this! It was a very enlightening moment for me. What an awesome feeling, to realize what I am actually capable of as an artist.

You will have that moment. You will see your potential and know what you can accomplish as an artist! 

So as envy hits you, remind yourself that you have great potential—

Use this link to sign up for my FREE beginners drawing class. I will teach you the five key objects, so you can draw almost anything.

You can do it!