Feeling Like Everyone Else Has It Figured Out
Have you ever felt that everyone around you knew what they were doing except you? I have. I look around and everyone my age — and even those 10 or 20 years younger — seem to have found what they want, what they love, narrowed it all down, and are pursuing it with laser focus. Except me.
Of course, I’m also old enough to know that appearances, especially in the world of social media, can be very misleading. And while social presence has shifted from curated feeds to an emphasis on authenticity, it is still far from truly authentic.
What Does This Have to Do with Art?
You might be wondering why I’m talking about the illusions of social media on a cosy art blog. And you’re right—I promised cosy, positive, and comforting. I swear this all has a point.
The truth is, this applies to art even more than anything else. Artists with a narrow discipline, refined style, and laser focus on a limited subject matter often seem to succeed more than those of us who can barely hold onto a handful of mediums.
Discovering Traditional Art After Years of Digital
Personally, I’m just discovering traditional art after years of working only in digital.
I still love digital art. I also enjoy 3D, animation, sculpting, and now playing with watercolour, gouache, and pencils. I don’t know what my subject matter is. Right now, I’m into landscapes and anything related to nature. Not so long ago, I could have sworn that all I ever wanted to do was character art.
And every time I gained momentum with one thing, I abandoned it for a new shiny idea—as if picking one thing I love might cause me to miss out on a million other things I might love even more.
It was exhausting.
The Turning Point: Following My Curiosity
Then I realised that constantly denying my curiosity and forcing myself to follow a single path was even more exhausting.
So what then?
My Six-Week Art Experiment Method
A few months ago, I promised myself two things:
- I’ll never beat myself up for wanting to chase a new shiny interest when it comes to art.
- I’ll give every little interest enough time and attention to evaluate whether or not I want to pursue it further.
The idea was simple: I would pick a single art method or interest and pursue it consistently for six weeks. Each week, I’d evaluate how I felt about it. Six weeks is enough to see results and improvement, and it also gives me time to understand how it feels to do it consistently.
If something new and exciting comes up, I don’t stop my current experiment — I just add the new idea to my list. When I complete one experiment, I’m free to pick whichever excites me most.
Instead of forcing myself to choose, I decided to embrace my multiple interests and let my curiosity take me wherever it wanted to.
The Results (and the Reality of Social Media)
And it worked. Maybe an experimental approach to art won’t help my social media numbers — in fact, I’m consistently losing followers, especially when I start experimenting with something new. But I’m not making art for my social media following. I make art because I love it. Because I want to create and try new things.
Would it be nice to find other people who happily follow me down whatever rabbit hole my inquisitive mind takes me? Absolutely. Art can feel lonely sometimes if there’s no one to share it with. But there are plenty of people who are just like me. Maybe you are one of them, and we haven’t even met yet.
Hi, I’m Ivy. Welcome. I hope we can keep creating and experimenting together.
If this resonated with you, leave a comment below, or reach out to me on Instagram.