5 Ways To Improve Your Art

Being an artist is all about seeking new challenges and constantly honing your skill set. Most artists love what they do, or at least they love the result of what they do, and as a result, artists often look for new ways to improve their art. If you're an artist of any kind; visual, written, or performance art, you may feel at times like you've hit a plateau. You may not be getting worse, but you aren't getting any better either, and because you love your art, not getting worse just isn't good enough. You want to improve your art, but you aren't sure where to even start.

Health

First of all, make sure that you are taking care of yourself. The myth that you must suffer to create art is harmful to artists and to their art. If you aren't taking full care of your mental and physical health, it's impossible to do your best work. Get hydrated, eat well, exercise your body and take care of your emotional and mental health too. Whether that involves regular exercise, better sleep schedules, taking your medication, or trying a thrive patch is entirely up to you and your doctor.

Education

If you're in a good place with your health and wellbeing, but you still feel like you aren't living up to your artistic potential, you might try educating yourself. Even reviewing the most basic principles behind your chosen art form can be helpful for artists at all levels. If you feel that there is no higher level of education for you to seek in your own art form, try educating yourself about other art forms or other subjects. A dancer might be surprised what they can learn from a painter, and a writer could find a whole new source of inspiration in a history or science class.

Experimentation

If you choose not to seek education or you can't afford it, you can always become your own teacher through experimentation, trial, and error. Experimentation is also great for those who are pushing the boundaries of a certain art form. Deliberately break the rules and see what happens. Try something that you would never try, ordinarily. Experimentation is one of the best ways to push art beyond its usual borders and into greatness.

Feedback

However, experimentation alone cannot do much for an artist. Young artists often shy away from genuine critique, because they fear the pain of criticism, but working through that pain can teach you a great deal. Even if the only thing you learn is that you disagree with a certain criticism, or why a particular critique is especially painful, that is still a lesson worth learning.

Travel and Rest

If all else fails, it may be time to take a break. Art doesn't come from nowhere, and it isn't created from nothing. Sometimes you don't need to learn any new skills, or try any new techniques, or seek a new opinion on your art. Sometimes what you really need is to get away from where you are. Travel can be a great source of inspiration, education, and experimentation. It's also a great way to relax, and sometimes rest is what you really need, as an artist, to refresh your creative fuel and find new inspiration.

Being an artist is not easy, but it's well worth the trouble. You are creating something new, challenging others as you challenge yourself, and bringing joy to your fellow human beings. It's not easy, and you probably struggle with self-doubt more than your average working person, but the rewards are as rich as the cost is high. If you feel that your art isn't keeping up with your ambition, take yourself to the next level by seeking education, trying experimentation, or getting feedback from your fellow artists. Just make sure that you're not neglecting yourself; you need to take care of yourself, and sometimes that means taking a break and getting away from it all for a while.