THINGS I WISH I COULD TELL MY YOUNGER SELF AS AN ARTIST
By Stephanie Wruck
What if you could go back in time and sit down with your younger self, filled with aspirations and concerns, and have a serious chat regarding your artistic practice?
What would you say?
Picture this: you enter a room and you see a young version of yourself sitting on a chair, spending hours of your day relentlessly trying to find a purpose to your creative practice. However, your practice is still in its infancy, filled with unpolished corners and scattered ideas. In the middle of half-finished projects and hours of frustration, there you are, obsessing over it, comparing it to others and ultimately feeling like a failure. This is your younger self. Less equipped with tools to counteract such desperate times, but still with a burning desire to move forward, despite all the doubts.
“Staying inspired and curious about everything is what will move you forward”
Here are a couple things we at uCollabit wish we could tell our younger selves so you don’t have to. It’s not too late.
BE CURIOUS
It sounds easy and obvious, but think about it: when you’re young, you can’t fully comprehend how everything is connected in some way or another.
Nature, nurture, realities, life experiences. They go in circles, often teaching us valuable lessons, especially when it comes to our creative practice. Staying inspired and curious about everything is what will move you forward and ultimately give your work the credibility it needs in the future.
LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT YOURSELF
Knowing who you are and identifying your strengths and weaknesses is vital. Find more about what you don’t like. What you’re terrible at. What you are good at but absolutely hate doing it. What makes your heart sing. What makes time stand still. What makes you even forget what time it is. Take a deep dive inwards and allow yourself to experiment as much as you can.
“When it comes to your own body of work. Some will hate it, some will love and that’s just how it works.”
YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE
This one took me a little (a lot) too much time to figure it out. Human beings have an intricate desire to belong, to connect and build strong bonds. It’s a wonderful thing, but often times it leads to trying to please everyone all the damn time.
Remember: it’s simply impossible to please everyone, especially when it comes to your own body of work. Some will hate it, some will love and that’s just how it works. The sooner you accept that, the least frustrated you will be. Instead, try focusing on people that really see who you are and what your work is all about. The ones who vibe with you and the connection happens without much effort. That’s called synergy and that’s the type of interaction you want to strive for.
TAKE RISKS
In life, we face many warning signs. They alert us of possible undesirable outcomes and offer us suggestions on how to proceed with caution and avoid the bumps. But the bumps are almost always unavoidable. You have to scratch your knee against the asphalt and learn how to get up, put a band-aid on it and try again. Taking risks is crucial but indeed scary. The bottom line is: proceed with caution, but still proceed. Keep walking, go beyond, feel uncomfortable. Hopefully, you will come out on the other side with valuable souvenirs.
What would you tell your younger self as an artist?
More articles from Stephanie Wruck follow:
@stephisinvenus
https://keeprotating.com