Reassurance for Artists Lacking in Confidence

I've always struggled with self-confidence when it comes to my artwork - as someone said on a TV programme I watched last night, showing it makes me feel a little as though I'm standing naked on a podium and inviting comment.

However I recently came across this hugely reassuring blog article during my browsing.  Entitled 'How to Steal Like an Artist (and 9 other things nobody told me)' I found it hugely reassuring.  I suppose it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know or feel myself, but it feels so good to have those 'personal' feelings validated by someone else, even though I know that shouldn't be necessary!

The very first point he makes is that there is nothing new under the sun (I hadn't realised that this phrase, which I use quite a lot, is actually biblical - from Ecclesiastes apparently).  Even what appear to be the most original ideas are based (subconsiously or not) on someone else's work. You take what you want or need and assimilate and adapt, and make it your own. As he puts it 'the artist is a collector'.

I also appreciated his second point: 'Don't wait until you know who you are to make things' - his point is that the process of creation will help you to know who you are, and if you sit around waiting for it to happen, it won't happen.  This reminded me of another quote I came across recently (I think it was from Picasso) which said that inspiration will find you, but that it has to find you busy.

He also talks about something called 'imposter syndrome' - I hadn't come across this before, though apparently it's pretty common in educated people.  He describes it thus: 'It means you feel like a phony, like you're just winging it, that you really don't have any ideas what you're doing'.  His response to this is that none of us do - so you should just get on with it, do what you have to/want to, and 'fake it 'til you make it'.

There's lots more useful stuff in his article, but in the final point he states that 'you must embrace your limitations and keep moving' - and that 'devoting yourself to something means shutting out other things'.  I've always fought with this, so it's good to be reminded about it. Although that's not to say that single-minded devotion is required, as he also quick to point out.

As someone who has always struggled to see my personal work as worthwhile, or 'good enough', these are all things that I needed to read.  I thought I'd share them here in case someone else might find them useful, and also so I would have them here as a handy reminder to myself. Anyway, I can heartily reccommend the article if you want to check it out for yourself.