Sometimes I can get so discouraged! When I look at other peoples art and I get inspired to create something of my own, sometimes my own work doesn’t meet my expectations. That can be pretty disappointing.
There will be many obstacles on each persons art journey, no matter the person or the medium. Each challenge presents itself in a unique way and no two people will have the same situations to consider. When it feels like progress is slowing down to a grinding halt, and there’s no more progress being made between projects, it can be disheartening and frustrating.
Plateauing in skill progress is not only common, but an inevitability for all creative people. After the initial spike in progress when learning something new skill gain slows as we reveal how much work is ahead of us. Too often this results in giving up our ambitions as the valley of despair seems impossible to overcome.
This is best illustrated by the Dunning Kruger Effect.
Rest assured, if you keep pushing, you will come out of that valley. Confidence will rise again as you inventory what skills you need to hone.
Tips for overcoming an Art Plateau
- Become The Observer
Between practicing, become an expert observer. Take a break from your craft to simply become the silent watcher.
Take note of professional styles and watch how they create closely, lessons are everywhere. If you spend some time to take it all in, and less time trying to output perfection, you will find yourself improving without even practicing.
Now don’t be a fool and take this as meaning you will improve by doing nothing! Being observant takes intentional effort. It’s not doing nothing. And more importantly, if you only observe and never try to put those observations to test, you won’t see improvement. - Revisit Older Pieces
If you ever feel down about being stuck in your art journey it may help to take a look at how far you’ve come. Progress is not linear, and it can help to see where you started vs. where you’re at now.
Recreating and comparing two older works can also provide perspective on how far you’ve come. Note what you improved on and what areas could still use some work.
Foremost take pride in your accomplishments. You can look back fondly on your previous work and be a champion for yourself. Each one brought you to where you are today! - Create an Action Plan
There are many options for both free and paid art lessons and programs, which can help you overcome issues regarding skill plateaus. Create your own by modifying these programs to fit your needs or find one that’s been curated to fit your desired path.
Here are some of my favorite free YouTube channels for building out my own career development path:
https://www.youtube.com/@YTartschool
https://www.youtube.com/@FZDSCHOOL
https://www.youtube.com/@DanielKrafft
https://www.youtube.com/@DJCoffman
Good luck out there on your journey, and link me your work as I’d love to take a peek!
Oliver Conti Art 