The Paradox of "Bad" Art

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     As with anything else in life, making art is an up and down ordeal. Very rarely will someone's art consistently get better and better without getting worse at any point. A common misconception though, is that improvement will be linear, but, improvement often looks more like a rollercoaster than an elevator. If you come into making art with the idea that you will see quick, steady improvement, you will only be disappointed. Instead, it's much more productive if you just enjoy making art and see the improvement as a bonus. I am not suggesting that you should be content with never improving, but what I am saying is that if you are unhappy with how your art looks, try enjoying the process, and watch how much more time you spend making art. 

The funny thing about making "bad" art is that the more "bad" art you make the more good art you will eventually make. This isn't really an original idea but I feel like everyone needs to hear it. In a way, you sort of have to get the "bad" art out of your system. Like when you're going to put mustard on a hot dog, in order to get to the mustard, you have to pour out all of that gross yellowish water. 

It's terrible to think that some people stop making art because they think that they're no good. The paradox is that while making "bad" art is a good thing in that it is what leads to better art. Making "bad" art is also where a lot of people's art adventure ends because it can be so discouraging. 

I also feel like I've found an alternatively helpful way of thinking about improvement. Instead of thinking that when you improve you now stop making bad art, think of it as along with the bad art, there will be more spurts of good art. As long as you make art, there will always be art that you aren't proud of, the goal is just to eventually make more that you are proud of. 

A page from my messy sketchbook

Another page of questionable art

*In no way are these my worst drawings, but just some that I wouldn't normally show anyone.

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