Artists: Build Your Mental Muscle with These Three Thoughts

In my last blog post, I talked about why it’s critical for artists to build their mental muscle. But how can artists do this? It’s all about thinking the right kind of thoughts on purpose and intentionally avoiding the wrong kinds of thoughts. Please allow me to manipulate your mind in the best possible way with these suggestions:

Unhelpful Thoughts to Put in Check

Thoughts like “I’m no good at drawing” or “I started too late” need to get taken out of rotation. When you find yourself having these thoughts, question them: Can you truly know that you started too late? What is “too late,” anyway? And how can you say that you’re no good at drawing when everyone knows that the drawings of children are delightful and full of expression? You may have a desire to strengthen your drawing skills, but for many artists drawing ability is not relevant to their artistic expression.

Even if you hear an inner voice insisting that these thoughts are true, ask yourself if the thought will help you reach your artistic goals. Thoughts like “I started too late” will not help you make the most of the time you have right now, so replace that thought with “I’m learning a lot every month!” If you feel that thoughts like “I’m no good at drawing” or “I should have gone to art school” are true, then rather than fighting them, ask yourself what you’re going to do about it. Are you going to use the thought as an excuse to hide behind or to beat yourself up, or would you like to take action to learn to draw or get further art training?

For example, when I was transitioning to becoming a professional artist at 60-years-young, I had to face down anxious thoughts like, 

Do I have the physical and mental stamina to do this? 

I’m daunted and overwhelmed by all the tech I need to learn.

Will teaching my painting techniques take away from the joy of my painting practice?

I couldn’t let these fearful thoughts pull me down. I had to think helpful thoughts like,

I’m strong and sharp—and this career will keep me that way!

I am capable of learning new tech skills—and I can hire experts to support me.

I won’t know how I feel until I start—and I think that teaching will make me even more in love with painting!

Here are three powerful thoughts that help me be a better artist and teacher. I hope they’ll help you, too!

Helpful Thought #1: You Can Do This

Some of my paintings go through a “rebellious teenager” phase as I’m creating them. I think that’s probably true for all artists! But one time I was filming a painting demonstration under a tight deadline—it had to be done in one take. Things got tricky—I found myself in the weeds as my painting proved to have a mind of its own.

The thoughts I could have had were:

Uh oh! This is a disaster.

What will the viewers think if they see me struggle?

Am I failing this?

Why, oh why, don’t I have time to start this over?

You can see how this line of thinking would have pulled me down further, even causing a full-on panic attack if they went unchecked.

Thankfully, I pulled on my big girl pants and told myself, “You’ve got this, Caryl. Just work through it.” This thought kept me calm and reminded me that I can get through a lot—including the rebellious stage of a painting! I took some deep breaths, went deep into my growth mindset, and authentically shared the design problem I was facing with my audience. We all face design problems, so why not share mine and show them how I work through it? As I worked through the problem, I told the audience my decision-making processes while imagining them cheering me on.

The painting turned out great, and the demo was a huge success for me: My confidence soared and my audience loved watching the demo and hearing about my creative thought process!

Helpful Thought #2: This is Only One out of Zillions of Artworks I’ll Create in My Lifetime

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the piece we’re working on, imagining that it’ll make or break our artistic journey or career. We infuse it with so much importance and power! But let’s get real: It’s just a drop in the bucket of the many pieces of art that you’ll create in your lifetime. This allows you to view it with perspective.

Over the course of your life, you’ll make countless artworks. Some of them you’ll love. Some you’ll hate. Others will be in between. And your opinion of them may fluctuate over time (especially true since the “goodness” or “badness” of art is quite subjective). Many artworks will teach you something through their creation. Some will be your best work and others will simply be artwork you’ve done. 

Remind yourself that this piece is just a drop in the bucket of your creative output. There’s no pressure for it to be spectacular or a statement on you as an artist. Thinking this thought—even saying it out loud to yourself—is a good way to silence your inner critic, who loves to blow things out of proportion.

When I was filming that challenging demo, I could have reminded myself that the painting—as well as the lesson I was creating—are one of many. Even if I somehow “failed” that painting or that video demonstration, it’s just one moment in a long and satisfying career.

Helpful Thought #3: You Can’t Truly Wreck a Painting

It’s easy to get very precious about a painting, especially if you feel that it’s going well. You can easily start to think, “I’m afraid if I continue to make more moves, I’ll wreck it!” But can you actually wreck a painting? Sure, you may make marks that you determine are not what you desire. But that’s helpful information for you! You’re not stuck with them forever: You can paint over them, push them back, cover them with collage, or even gesso over the whole painting and begin again.

Keep in mind that a developing painting is like a living, evolving thing. I don’t know about you, but I went through a few stages in my own life that were less attractive than others—but they are all part of the story of how I came to be the today-me. So I regret none of them!

Your strength as an artist comes from having design problems and then solving them. So be present to the opportunity and make the most of it!

• You can do this!

• This is one of a multitude of art that you’ll make, so maintain perspective.

• You can’t ruin it. Keep trying and experimenting!

What About Your Mental Muscle?

What unhelpful thoughts do you face when creating art? What’s your favorite helpful thought that gets you through tough design challenges? I’d love to hear your take in the comments!