Getting started at anything new can be daunting and starting out as an artist is no different. If you have the passion to create you should do all you can to release the artist within.
Here are the most common hurdles we hear and our tips on how to overcome them.
I have no time.
Make it! Sounds simple, but this is the biggest challenge and yet the easiest hurdle to overcome. Enrol in classes and stick to them. Once you are attending classes each week, art becomes part of your routine and you’ll find that you do have the time after all. Ask yourself this – would you rather spend an hour or two watching some reality television shows or creating, painting and investing in your passion?
I have no space.
You really don’t need a large space or studio, just a space off limits to other people that you can call your own. If you enrol in classes at a painting school, then you gain a built-in space in which to create each week. Remember that art isn’t just created at an easel in a studio, art can be created anywhere and at any time. If the weather is good, head outside to the local park and be inspired. Look how much space you truly have in which to paint.
I work full-time and I have family commitments too.
It’s true we are all so busy these days, but if you really want to be an artist you will find a way. You schedule soccer games, ballet lessons, management meetings and picking up the dry cleaning, so it’s just a matter of putting your commitment to your art in the same category and schedule this activity in too.
Painting Space For Online Art Classes
2.
Online Art Classes: Painting in the garage at home.
No one takes my art seriously.
You’re probably right. If art is something you have never committed to before, or perhaps not even spoken to friends and family about, then it may take them a while to come to understand how important this need to create is to you. Quite possibly, they just need some time to catch up to what you’ve been thinking about and dreaming about for years. Just keep going and meet with like-minded people with whom you can share your thoughts and ideas. Share your progress with your friends and family. Once they understand the strength of your commitment, you may just be surprised at how encouraging and supportive they really are. At the end of the day, all that matters is that YOU take your art seriously.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
We are by our very nature an inquisitive species, but we are also easily hindered by our lack of self-esteem. If you don’t know what you are doing – learn. Read about art on the Internet or at the local library. Visit and really look at art in galleries and at exhibitions. Gain skills and techniques by taking art classes.
Once you have discovered the type of artist that you want to be and have the basics under your belt the rest will come, the hurdles will be gone and the artist within will be released.
More information on art classes may be found at the Ellen Michel Art School.