Reading this post has really encouraged me because so much of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough, or even worse, I create an illustration and think 'YES I love it!' for about 30 mins and then think 'argh actually no I hate it now'. I really am glad I found The Good Ship - I'm constantly boosted to keep going and not give up because so much of the stuff discussed on the podcast relieves any doubts. I've also just started the Find Your Creative Voice course and it's already helped me so much!
I really needed this at the moment, thank you Katie. My drawing has been lost under a sea of other responsibilities…and then I don’t even like the drawings I do. But I will keep on keeping on.
I loved this, Katie! Thank you for sharing. I spent my 15+ years in academia, and for sooooo much of that time, I was in a constant struggle with the painful equation of ME (and my value, worthiness, etc) with my IDEAS. Those years taught me a lot about living with and through rejection. But the work of untangling my personal value from my work and my personal identity from my job -- that has been WORK.
I've been really grateful to have those battle scars as I head into the world of illustration. Another unexpected asset of my academic path: the genuine belief that, with enough consistent effort, you can learn anything (even super hard complex things, like political theory or watercolours!)
This was such a great read. Even for those of us who've been around awhile. I think some people just have confidence and the rest of us will always have to work at it.
This was so heartwarming and honest to read. Love you for this! I think it took me about 10 years to fill that *gap*. And I realised, actually the gap starts to close faster once I started to own my illustration and skills as they are :)
While art is a form of self-expression, it always involves an element of craftmanship. With time and practice, the craftmanship improves - and so does (hopefully) one's satisfaction with their own creation (or the willingness of others to pay for it).
Compared to another area of life - I started learning Arabic a couple of months ago. Now, I'm certainly not "good enough" to speak as well as native speakers; or even to have a basic conversation.
But that does not mean that I should just "drop it." The gap is clear, and I need to put in the work to close it.
Reading this post has really encouraged me because so much of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough, or even worse, I create an illustration and think 'YES I love it!' for about 30 mins and then think 'argh actually no I hate it now'. I really am glad I found The Good Ship - I'm constantly boosted to keep going and not give up because so much of the stuff discussed on the podcast relieves any doubts. I've also just started the Find Your Creative Voice course and it's already helped me so much!
Ahh I'm so glad to hear finding Good Ship has helped and that you're flying your freak flag - YAAAAS!
I really needed this at the moment, thank you Katie. My drawing has been lost under a sea of other responsibilities…and then I don’t even like the drawings I do. But I will keep on keeping on.
I feel ya ❤️ Keep on keeping on!
I loved this, Katie! Thank you for sharing. I spent my 15+ years in academia, and for sooooo much of that time, I was in a constant struggle with the painful equation of ME (and my value, worthiness, etc) with my IDEAS. Those years taught me a lot about living with and through rejection. But the work of untangling my personal value from my work and my personal identity from my job -- that has been WORK.
I've been really grateful to have those battle scars as I head into the world of illustration. Another unexpected asset of my academic path: the genuine belief that, with enough consistent effort, you can learn anything (even super hard complex things, like political theory or watercolours!)
Appreciate your candour and the pep talk!
You are so right - that IS the gift of academia 😅 you feel like you can learn your way through anything. Thank you!
This was such a great read. Even for those of us who've been around awhile. I think some people just have confidence and the rest of us will always have to work at it.
This was so heartwarming and honest to read. Love you for this! I think it took me about 10 years to fill that *gap*. And I realised, actually the gap starts to close faster once I started to own my illustration and skills as they are :)
Yesss i love this :)
This is great Katie! And btw I love that when I read your words I can totally hear your voice too
For me, this is a lot about patience.
While art is a form of self-expression, it always involves an element of craftmanship. With time and practice, the craftmanship improves - and so does (hopefully) one's satisfaction with their own creation (or the willingness of others to pay for it).
Compared to another area of life - I started learning Arabic a couple of months ago. Now, I'm certainly not "good enough" to speak as well as native speakers; or even to have a basic conversation.
But that does not mean that I should just "drop it." The gap is clear, and I need to put in the work to close it.