In a recent reflection, we explored the unexpected growth of what began as a simple art course into something much larger and more impactful. Over the past year, particularly since launching Sketchbook to Style Boot Camp, my understanding of art, artists, and effective art education has deepened profoundly, surpassing all my prior years of teaching and art creation combined. This journey has led to three significant realizations, and today, we’re diving into the first:
- My role isn’t just teaching people how to make art; it’s guiding them on how to be artists.
- I see myself less as a traditional teacher.
- The conventional online art class model is often ineffective.
Let’s explore that initial insight now and understand what it truly means to Learn Art and become an artist.
The Realization: Teaching Artists, Not Just Art Skills
After Sketchbook to Style had been running for almost a year, I reached out to my students with a survey, eager to hear about their experiences with the course. As I went through their responses, a striking pattern emerged, highlighting a critical distinction between this program and many other online art courses:
I’m not merely teaching students the mechanics of art creation. I’m teaching them the principles of how to be an artist.
Many art classes focus on the “how-to” – how to draw, how to paint, how to sculpt. But in reality, what the instructor is often imparting is how they draw, how they paint, how they sculpt. I’ve both taught and participated in numerous courses structured this way.
However, for someone truly wanting to learn art and grow as an artist, these technique-focused courses can inadvertently become a hindrance.
The Limitations of Logic in Learning Art
A significant portion of art education emphasizes the logical aspects of art creation. These are the classes that meticulously detail step-by-step processes, lectures on perspective, value, shading, anatomy, lighting, color theory, and more. They appeal to our intellect, to the part of us that thrives on structure, rules, and predictable, linear processes.
I understand the appeal. Teaching and taking these types of classes is straightforward. They are popular because they promise quick solutions and cater to a desire for immediate answers. Many people simply want to be told exactly what to do to achieve a specific outcome.
But creating original art, truly learning art in a way that is uniquely yours, doesn’t follow a rigid, step-by-step formula.
The logical approach has its place, particularly when you are initially grasping the fundamentals of drawing—understanding how lines and shapes can be combined to represent objects on a surface. Basic visual literacy is essential. These logic-based classes become beneficial again later in your artistic development, when you have established a foundation of confidence and are ready to refine your skills and explore advanced techniques.
However, this predominantly logical style of teaching is not effective for budding artists. It misses the crucial phase in the artistic journey when individuals are still discovering their artistic identity.
This stage of artistic exploration is often the most challenging and uncertain. I believe that continuing to rely solely on logic-driven courses when you haven’t yet discovered how to create your own original art can actually impede your artistic progress and personal growth.
Following rules and replicating techniques primarily engages the logical part of our brain. But true artistic innovation doesn’t stem from logic alone. We need to learn to access and cultivate our creative side.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” —Albert Einstein
Naturally, I favor my own drawing style; otherwise, I would pursue a different approach. However, that doesn’t mean my style is inherently the best for everyone. You are unique, and your art should reflect that uniqueness.
You deserve the opportunity to create art that is authentically yours.
The truth is, I can’t directly teach you how to make your art. No one can. We each only possess the knowledge of how to create our own art. In Sketchbook to Style, my aim wasn’t to teach students to draw like me. It was to guide them in discovering how to draw like themselves. Unintentionally, in pursuing this approach, they were learning something far more profound.
They were learning how to become artists in their own right.
They were transitioning from relying on the logical, analytical part of their brain to engaging their creative, intuitive side. This creative part is capable of making novel connections, noticing patterns, and generating original ideas. It fosters playfulness and experimentation. It embraces ambiguity. It allows us to silence our inner critic, learn from mistakes, delve deep, and find joy in the artistic process itself. It empowers us to move beyond the predictable and create truly original art.
By focusing on teaching the process of discovering personal artistic style, I inadvertently stumbled upon a method for teaching someone how to become an artist.
Common Threads in Every Artist’s Journey
Every artist’s path to mastery is inherently personal and unique. If you were to precisely replicate my journey, you wouldn’t develop your distinctive style; you would merely end up with a copy of mine, and it wouldn’t feel genuinely authentic.
However, despite the individuality of each artistic journey, there are common elements—universal qualities and shared obstacles—that emerge for everyone striving to learn art and become an artist.
While there are no shortcuts, magic formulas, or secret three-step systems, artistic discovery can indeed be nurtured and guided by focusing on these universal aspects.
The seeds of these essential qualities are already within each of us, but they are often overlooked, suppressed, or lost over time, largely because we struggle to overcome common internal obstacles that hold us back.
The Detrimental Impact of Premature Judgment on Budding Artists
Many aspiring artists begin judging their own work far too early in their learn art journey. They often expect instant brilliance. They compare their initial sketches and paintings to the polished works of artists who have honed their craft over decades. They might share their early attempts with critical teachers, family members, or peers, and receive harsh, vague, or discouraging feedback. They start to doubt their potential, fearing they’ll never become “real” artists because their initial ideas don’t seem “good enough.”
Budding artists need to understand that “bad” art and mistakes are not failures, but essential and invaluable steps in the learning process. We shouldn’t aim for immediate perfection, but instead focus on consistent growth and learning. We must accept that our early work might feel awkward and unrefined for a while. We have to be willing to create work that we might initially perceive as “bad.” We need to give ourselves permission to experiment, to learn, and to be patient with our artistic development.
We cannot rely solely on our intellectual, logical mind to learn how to be an artist. The analytical side of our brain tends to constantly critique our work, searching for flaws and weaknesses.
A budding artist needs an environment that encourages building up and creation, not one that focuses on tearing down and criticism.
Early artistic endeavors should be celebrated as steps forward, rather than scrutinized for imperfections. Staying trapped in an overly analytical, critical mindset can be crippling, especially in the initial stages of creative exploration.
We need to cultivate audacity and boldness in our art, not fear of making mistakes.
We need to be willing to experiment, to try new things, and to accept the possibility of failure as part of the process. Our focus should be on making art, on the act of creation itself, not on immediately achieving flawless results.
Of course, later in our artistic journey, critical self-reflection becomes crucial for continuous improvement and skill refinement. But in the early stages of learn art, premature judgment is a significant hurdle that needs to be overcome first. We have more fundamental challenges to address initially.
Instead of being immediately told what they “should” or “could have” done differently in response to their early ideas and artwork, budding artists need to hear encouragement and validation. They need someone to say, “Why not? Go for it!” and “That’s an interesting idea, explore it further!” They need support and belief in their potential.
The Essential Needs of Budding Artists
Artists have different needs at various stages of their artistic development. For those just beginning to learn art, the most vital elements are support and encouragement.
Budding artists need to have their artistic attempts celebrated, regardless of whether they are deemed “successful” by conventional standards. At this early stage, the definition of “success” in their art is still evolving, and they need the space to discover it for themselves.
Often, well-meaning teachers, parents, and partners try to be helpful by offering unsolicited advice when shown early artwork. They point out perceived flaws, suggest alternative approaches, or impose their own artistic preferences. However, at this formative stage, budding artists don’t primarily need technical advice—they need nurturing.
They need someone who believes in their potential, so they can begin to believe in themselves.
Sadly, many budding artists never receive this crucial early support. Consequently, many aspiring individuals remain stuck in the “wannabe artist” or “aspiring artist” phase, never fully realizing their artistic potential.
Cultivating the Core Qualities of an Artist
Once a budding artist has the benefit of a supportive foundation to overcome common obstacles, they can begin to cultivate the essential qualities that define an artist. Learning to be an artist fundamentally means developing these qualities:
Open-mindedness: To discover new ideas and connections, embracing diverse perspectives.
Bravery: To explore your art with less fear of failure and judgment, taking creative risks.
Presence: To relax into the creative process and access the flow state, being fully engaged in the moment.
Playfulness: To let go of rigid expectations and embrace uncertainty, experimenting freely.
Compassion: To overcome your inner critic and creative blocks with self-kindness and understanding.
Self-awareness: To discover and develop your unique personal style, understanding your artistic voice.
Experimentation: To iterate on new ideas and refine your artistic voice through trial and error.
Discipline: To commit to a consistent creative habit and regular practice, fostering artistic growth.
Creativity: To make novel connections and generate original ideas, pushing beyond conventional boundaries.
Knowledgeability: To understand the principles of visual communication and art composition, building a strong technical foundation.
Confidence: To step away from the expected and create art in your own unique way, trusting your artistic instincts.
Observance: To keenly perceive the world around you and draw inspiration from it, finding art in everyday life.
Focus: To abstract complex subjects to their essence, simplifying and clarifying your artistic vision.
Trust: To have faith in your artistic journey and persevere through challenges, never giving up on your creative aspirations.
While learning human anatomy or three-point perspective can certainly teach you how to make art in a technical sense, it doesn’t inherently teach you how to become an artist. True artistic development is about cultivating these deeper qualities and mindsets.
I can guide you on the path to becoming an artist.
But first, I need to address a seemingly contradictory point: I am not a teacher in the traditional sense.
Intriguing, right? I know it sounds counterintuitive. Join me next week as I delve into what I truly mean by that statement. 🙂
<3, Christine
