Artist Problems - Real Talk: Failure
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2024
- Failure is something everyone experiences at some point in their life. The saying should almost be “Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and failing,” but that just makes things more depressing, doesn’t it? Today we talk about failure on all levels, what it means, and more importantly what it DOES NOT mean. It’s important that you catch yourself early on when you experience a failure to make sure you are not telling yourself the wrong things. So let’s chat, just you and me.
"Ever tried ever failed, no matter! Try again Fail again, Fail better!" -can't remember who says this but I really like it! 😜Also, I'm one of the insecure artists on the spectrum! 😓😵 Trying not to be such a perfectionist though! 😅😂
Hi Mike! This is one video my students will have to see. I turn 69 in December and I have to say I have had more epic failures than I care to think about. But you should learn from your mistakes ( so I should be pretty smart by now). Mistakes still happen but that's why we have sandpaper and opaque paints.
Really enjoy these videos, keep up the good work.
Thanks James and thank you for sharing with your students!
What an up beat message on a tough subject! Thanks Mike!
Fantastic! Thank you for this talk. It really helps. :)
My epic failure was doing a light and shadow study using only black watercolors. But, because of my dirty grey water, the whites of the paper turn to this ugly grey that i couldn't get my pure white paper back no matter how much water i used or paper i used to wipe it off. so i just paint over it with random colors and did an abstract painting instead. I say it wasn't easy to just give up and do something else but by accepting that mistake and doing another project with that failure i found something i like about it. Im still going to try again but this time not doing that same mistake again.
Save some of your failures and put them away. Then carry on. In the future, when you're struggling, you can pull them back out. Art is about growth and change. What sent you into the darkest depression in the past will become laughable at some point in the future. You can look at past mistakes and remind yourself that you got past that so you can get over what is bothering you now. You might even have a good laugh thinking, "did I really do that?" Laughter is always the best medicine.
If Sargent can survive the failure of MadamX, I can survive whatever failure I experience. Remember that failure is a learning experience. You learned one way that doesn’t work. That’s progress.
Thank you for these encouraging words!! Really needed to hear this.. 😞
When I create a failure I do one of two things. One I act like a teacher and markup what I see wrong for myself and I try to be honest. The second is I fix it. The canvas is "ruined" anyway. Sometimes it takes a while but over time it starts to get better. The trick is to consciously evaluate what is going on and then fix it piece by piece. It may never be what you wanted it to be but I learn a ton from the excercise. It is also work I can do when I am not feeling inspired. My eye has improved every time I have done this.
We learn more from failing than we do succeeding. Keep failing! Fail thousands of times until it works out. Don't remember where I heard that. As for failures...well, I've painted over two canvases of mine probably a dozen times total, each time making a completely different painting....those things are going to be sculptures by the time I'm satisfied with them!
Awesome, and much needed things I needed to hear... as always!
analysis of what you do good, bad or ugly is the key to progression in art, learn something from each bit of art
this is exactly what I needed. It makes me wish, more, that, I can post my jpgs in here, in youtube in general
I'm working on 5 small abstract paintings right now, and I just can't seem to get to a point where I'm happy with them... one in particular.... I keep painting over it, and trying again.... I've at them for over a month now.... But... it's fun to try again.... you never know which try will be the "charm". ;) People who've seen them .... say they like it... but It's just not what's in my head.... and it's hard to let go of what's in my head and work with what's actually there on the canvas... - as soon as I do that, I'll be able to finish it. I think. =)
And I've had many projects that I would consider failures, many of them are still in my art journals... but... I don't let them stop me from making new projects. ;) Sometimes it does get discouraging, or upsetting... and feels like I wasted a lot of stuff... but.... really, it's not a waste.... I learned something, and will know better for next time. and stuff. =)
Anyyway.... this was a good episode of "Artist Problems".... thank you. =)
I took a oil painting class about a year ago, the painting I brought home after the class was a total failure, although I did learn a lot from the class. That landscape painting set in my studio for months while I tried to decide how I could fix it. Finally I decided to just cover the canvas in black paint. That spurred an idea to make a Portrait of Darth Vader. It actually turned out pretty cool, and I get lots of compliments on that painting, considering it was a subject that I had never attempted before. But seriously, failure as an artist is a problem I'm dealing with very frequently. The challenge is defining the cause of my failure. Was it a bad composition? Were the color values incorrect? Did I use Poor technique? Did I pick up the wrong brush? There're so many things that I find wrong with my work. Fortunately I do not depend on my artwork to support myself, and at the end of the day even if I'm not satisfied with my results, it's crucial that I keep the confidence to keep trying. My words of advice to any Artist that is just starting is to first decide what style you want to paint in. Pick three other artist that paint in that same style. Practice emulating how those artist work. Even if you have to do the same painting five times, its a guarantee that by the fifth time it will be considerably better than the first. IMO there is nothing wrong with emulating another artist, as long as you are using it as a tool to improve yourself. Stick with that style until you have a small body of work. This does not have to be your defining style or paintings that you plan to showcase to the public. Just work at getting good at one thing at the time. Then when you're comfortable, move along to another style that interest you. This is how I have personally seen the the greatest amount of improvement in my work.
Thanks Mike for another interesting topic. I really enjoy these videos!!!
thats Lord Darth Vader to you LOL, join us on the dark side
Here's an epic failure from my history...last year, my very first painting demonstration for the public...I'm feeling pressured...I'm half way through an oil painting en plain air, and BOOM, a thunderstorm comes up and down in about less than 5 minutes...in scrambling to get my finished paintings inside, the painting was completely, completely ruined, and so many people watched it just dissolve while we were hustling...no one said a word. :)
On my first try of starting a (web)comic, I failed really spectacularly. I didn't really take the time to script, I drew digitally and every page became this huge timesink and the traditionally sketched pages where usually so old that I had to pretty much redo the entire sketch since the original one was just a hot mess. By the time I finished a page it looked awful to me already, the text was bad and hard to read and the whole thing was just a huge disaster.
Now I'm trying again, looking for tips and such on the internet, actually having at least a loose list of what needs to happen in each szene and chapter, choosing a medium that let's me complete the pages in less than 50 something hours while still having a lot of opportunity for details and actually using reference.
It sounds good in theory but you can fail even if you tried your hardest and it’s OK to fail but it is possible and many people fail all the time or we would all be successful artists....
ok here's one of my recent failures, I am painting a large piece as a gift for my father, with virgin Mary and baby Jesus. I make many drawings, lots of study, a wonderful underpainting and the whole thing ends to a truly divine child, like the old masters would do it, but the mother is almost like a cartoon made from a teen. . Luckily my father was kind enough to accept it and even frame it ,so I don't have to see it anymore
love the humor in the end! lol
i wanna move to hillside area an want shanti an well fousce bird sound an doing my every works ♡
Failing is learning :-)
.05-.050 baaahahaha that's funny 😆😂
Fucking beautiful 👀👀👀
lol...omg...Mike has a stupid TV and it's the prez's fault! :D :D Just kidding, Mike! :D
Hi Mike! Our Prez wrecks everything. 😂
I was under the impression that Mike was too intelligent to be watching bachelor in paradise in the first place! ;)
Well, never make that mistake again! lol