Creative Professionals Battling Self-Doubt
Several posts from artists and painters reveal a common struggle with self-doubt, overthinking creative choices, and seeking validation. They grapple with decisions about their work and express uncertainty about whether they are 'finished' or if changes are needed.
SOURCES (60)
“From my Assateague Island Wild horses collection. Mostly friends saw the previous paintings which felt like showing art in a dark room. I adore my them & value their feedback obviously but it felt strange to get less than 3% of the views on socials…”
“I know it's a surreal style painting but it's something about the lips, nose, and big eyes that is making wonder who I am thinking about. I noticed it right after I finished painting it. Anyway, I hope you like my newest painting! submitted by /u/CheriPKart [link] [comments]”
“I am working on this painting to add to my portfolio. I am mainly concerned with it possibly not coming across the way. I still have quite a bit of work, but I’d love to hear if it conveys to you or if it conveys anything to you at all. Thank you :) submitted by /u/Empty_Lime_2604 [link] [comments]”
“So I have no access to paint and I have been going over my latest oil paintings over the past year or so. I feel I am probably still mostly in love with the pink leopard. Its playful marks, its detail yet its markmaking that blurs into some abstraction. Finding my way with a style. Just letting it go. submitted by /u/chrisacreates [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys, this is the moment I feel like my painting is finished, but at the same time, I'm afraid that it is too "empty" in the middle. Should I leave it as is? Is there anything else I can do to improve this painting? It's acrylic on canvas ✨️ submitted by /u/AritheArtie [link] [comments]”
“I just completed this quail in battle painting tonight and feel sooo proud I could not help but follow the urge to share it somehow, somewhere (here). color and photo quality not the best, it’s late . Anywho, this was the last 6-8 hours of my life (Including sketch time and side quests for food). I used a forgotten canvas from a long ago oil painting class— a b&w value still life crop composition (basically a lemon & wine glass on a mirrored table). Covered the whole thing with the blue”
“I feel kind of stagnant in this style and struggle to develop my art beyond it— tips? submitted by /u/cinnamonpeanut [link] [comments]”
“Still struggling on title ideas submitted by /u/maybeihavethebigsad [link] [comments]”
“I hope this is allowed here. I’m 51. I’ve spent the last 10-15 years following internet tutorials and doing in person classes through various programs in my community. I think I’m ready for the next step. I always get positive feedback, when I make art but I don’t know if that’s just people being nice. I read comments on this sub and think “that’s it! That’s what I need to learn!”! I want to learn the information behind the suggestions I see in this community- whether it’s color theory/ mixing a”
“After 8 months I’m finally done. Photos 2 and 3 show the iridescent gold submitted by /u/ih8peanuts1 [link] [comments]”
“Does not feel “complete” to me. Worried about the faces mainly but not sure. I feel like my sketch looks better. submitted by /u/Dangerous_Second_619 [link] [comments]”
“A little painting I made to practice night scenes and artificial lighting :) Still super shiny, so found it hard to take a decent picture. Will varnish in matt when it dries properly, as the reflections are driving me mad haha Any suggestions on how to treat dark paintings to make them look decent are more than welcome :) Please share your thoughts, I'm a beginner so all critique is very valuable to me :) submitted by /u/No-Oil-6816 [link] [comments]”
“Beleaguered, watercolor and paint pen Edit: not painted this spring, back in 2024 submitted by /u/Moonsweptspring [link] [comments]”
“I started this when I was hyped up for the last season of stranger things and then when I wasn’t a fan of the final episodes I kind of just lost interest… lol undecided on if I should finish it. submitted by /u/wsm_arte [link] [comments]”
“These are two attempts at plein air that I’ve tried this week. The whole time I paint, it feels like im doing something wrong or im missing something crucial to making a painting “good” I feel totally ignorant on how to use shading to get the depth and form, and when it comes to like, matching colors to what I need them to be or am visualizing. It always feels like im adding too much or not enough. I’d love recommendations of books or helpful tutorials to help understand what im doing lol And al”
“Not my best work to say the least haha I started panicking around the 20th and gave up on the body. But it was such a fun thing to try, especially for someone like me who gets too caught up trying to make things perfect. I only had a few colors on me at the time hence the odd color choices haha :) submitted by /u/justaboutoftiger [link] [comments]”
“A depiction of deep, internal, overwhelming sadness Mixed-media on A4 Oil Paper 297mm X 210mm 11.7 inches X 8.3 inches submitted by /u/Glittering-Trade-348 [link] [comments]”
“I for sure haven't nailed what I intended to do in this painting, but maybe it'll grow on me. Does it grow on you? submitted by /u/design-devil-detail [link] [comments]”
“This is a repost if it looks familiar but the first post on my new account after the old one was hacked. I have a hard time deciding when a piece is done, often overthinking things or adding too much. Here’s a piece I worked on for quite a while. I lost count after about 10,000 brushstrokes but pretty happy with the amount of detail I was able to squeeze in. It was all done in Art Set 4 on the iPad Pro and the backgrounds were touched up in Affinity Photo 2. I know there’s much better artwork in”
“11x14 watercolor on aquabord. Need to layer up the bark background. But I feel kids are looking good. Im 3 months in to watercolors. This is number 4 on the aquabord. Kids are in their favorite colors. Too loose? Not enough contrast? submitted by /u/Icy_Attention3739 [link] [comments]”
“60”x48” Oil on canvas Heres another weird one for y’all. Heck, who am I kidding, THEYALLWEIRD. I think all of us creator/creative kinda people get into these self doubt situations that seem to last longer than not. Almost an imposter syndrome type thing, maybe? This community for sure gave me a little confidence boost that I oh so dearly needed.🫠Happy Saturday, ya’ll🫠 submitted by /u/HugeSleep9340 [link] [comments]”
“Painted this in three sittings, as usual. 28" × 20", oil on canvas. I really love how this one looks in person - the texture catches the light, and from every new angle, different shadows, little corners of the forest, and parts of the path seem to reveal themselves. So I’d be very happy to invite you for a little walk down this trail. submitted by /u/myriyevskyy [link] [comments]”
“Acrylic on canvas with lace border. So happy I actually finished this! Trying to get back into art, I’ve definitely felt the void of not creating the last couple of years. submitted by /u/zoyex22 [link] [comments]”
“Just completed this mural for a customer. I’m feeling a little unsure about the results, What do you guys think? submitted by /u/daydreamies [link] [comments]”
“Submitting this to a gallery next week. Started painting again after a 15 year break. This is i think my 3rd since picking up the practice again and the first one im not disappointed with. submitted by /u/stridersomen [link] [comments]”
“Painted Zendaya in watercolor from one of my favorite recent looks. Took me around 7 hours to finish this one. Really enjoyed working on the colors and all the little details, especially the eyes. Sharing a few clips from the process.. Hope you guys like it! submitted by /u/alexrune_art [link] [comments]”
“Red is anger blue is sad purple is confused submitted by /u/Turbulent_Pass6750 [link] [comments]”
“I’m struggling. This is heavily unfinished but I don’t want to get too far in progress to realize I don’t like it. I feel like something is kind of off.. maybe it’s the grain of the canvas DESPITE me priming it. Idk, could be perspective orrr anything let me know submitted by /u/KindSeesaw4244 [link] [comments]”
“I tried to push the space a little bit more. I’m not sure it was successful. submitted by /u/Puzzleheaded-Shop769 [link] [comments]”
“Am I now addicted to large canvas? Very possibly. This is about 3 ft wide. Acrylic on Canvas 2026 submitted by /u/cymbalthings [link] [comments]”
“About a year ago, I was doubting my skills while working on a painting and completely lost my confidence. I decided to post it online anyway, and the flood of encouragement and advice I received was incredible. Since then, I’ve learned to trust the process. Worst case scenario, I will end up with a painting I don't like. submitted by /u/Interesting-Break510 [link] [comments]”
“It's more like, a portrait of how I currently see my soul. Might seem cheesy but so am I. I am a novice painter and I'm more just painting to express myself rather than with the intention of perfecting the craft. submitted by /u/SuperIsaiah [link] [comments]”
“Its been 5 months since i dont paint. Idk if i still got it 🤣🤣🤣 cant lie, it was difficult to finish this one. What yall think? Opinions in general, or advices you guys would like to give me? I have some other pieces in my profile, and looking back, i think im still the same, didnt improve, but didnt got worse 🤣💁🏻 Wanted to gift a special someone with this 🩷 submitted by /u/South-Country-2728 [link] [comments]”
“My watercolor works from the past 2 weeks as a complete beginner with no art background 😭 I still have sooo much to learn, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with it! Which one is your favorite so far? 🥹🎨 medium is watercolor!!! :) submitted by /u/sunyastar [link] [comments]”
“Some work related stuff had high consequences on my moral, making me want to withdraw from painting for a bit. I also had a problem with my yellow (to be short the one I chose was way too weak and kept making pink when mixed with the crimson/wine I chose for the hair). The thing is I invested in a really expensive yellow to do the highlights, and I was reluctant to redo the mix with my cheap regular yellow acrilic paint instead. I finally did it today and lo and behold the world didn't crumb”
“Acrylic I got the idea for this and just stayed up til 2am painting it. I’m in therapy at the moment and wanted to try painting the act of psychoanalysis. submitted by /u/Expensive_Object177 [link] [comments]”
“Thank you, I have been wanting to draw for some time, just couldn't get the momentum for it, I will give this a try :)”
“Then the anxiety of “will I ruin it?” sets it. Sometimes I wish I could leave it like this <3 I love the carefree brushstrokes feeling during underpainting and making the composition submitted by /u/njulest [link] [comments]”
“Made a watercolor cheesecake from a Pinterest inspired work. I hope i stay out of the slump for weeks to come. Please do tell me tips for improvement. I didn't tag "critique" cause honestly I just want to share. 🌸 submitted by /u/forget_me_not_uwu [link] [comments]”
“I didn't know if I could or wanted to paint.. submitted by /u/querenciavalle [link] [comments]”
“excuse the awkward picture- hard to get lighting right on camera! i think im mostly finished this painting- paid project for a friend. im going to do another coat of the background colour (should have finalised bg first but i last minute made it a few shades lighter) looking for general advice and suggestions as i think ive been staring at it too long to know if it looks terrible. the bit i struggled with the most was the eyes as cavaliers have big eyes and i found it really hard to find the bal”
“Never been good at landscapes or backgrounds so im trying to challenge myself more. I like and hate it at the same time, theres things i love about it then i look closer and start to hate it loll! Materials used: ♡ Gouache paint ♡ basic acrylic paint submitted by /u/OliviaJade2006 [link] [comments]”
“I really have no idea what I’m doing when it comes abstract. I decided to give it a shot today and truly can’t for the life of me tell if this is decent or crazy mess. how do you know when you’re done… submitted by /u/BlockSmart4301 [link] [comments]”
“My library puts on a tiny art show every year and I'm planning to submit this piece. I have a few days to fine tune it before I have to submit, and would love your critiques to help me out. I left my hand in frame to give a sense of scale, but it's 5x7 inches, I believe. Acrylic. This is meant to be my backyard with a view of my house and garage, and sweet elderly husky dog. I painted a bit in high school and would love to get more into painting again in my middle age. submitted by”
“thanks to everyone who gave feedback for my previous post i learned loads of new things from the comments and this whole journey and i have now finished the painting finally (i think)!! it’s so hard to know when to stop but i don’t want to over complicate it anymore than it is already. i’m super proud of this and just wanted to share!! submitted by /u/Holo_itsme [link] [comments]”
“Tried to keep this one loose and let the steam, light and lost edges do most of the storytelling. I thought I’d completely lost it midway through, but kept pushing and eventually stopped before I could ruin it 😅 “Wok Wednesday” — watercolor on paper. Would love to hear what works for you — or what doesn’t. submitted by /u/Uribaba22 [link] [comments]”
“Another creaure design piece. I glad Im as far as I am with making them but the hunger of being better is always there. I really enjoy working through paintings and just the joyous experience of painting. I would love to expand my knowledge on color theory to increase my range and depth of the subject. If you have a suggestion please send it on over and I will definitely be diving into it. I hope you all enjoy submitted by /u/umastryx [link] [comments]”
“I think the foreground could have been stronger as it looks too dark imo. The commission was well received and i got another job from it, how would you handle the abstraction of the foreground to still get it to fit with a realistic “painterly” image like this? Would it be better to focus in color or subject matter, or just should I have just painted a complete wood floor? submitted by /u/feral-me [link] [comments]”
“First one is a bit less busy. I painted this with the idea of the hand being the boldest element in the frame. But now I'm not too impressed. Would love to hear your thoughts. What do you think the game is about/what is its genre from the capsule? Would you click on it? Here are the thumbnails I did before selecting the bottom left and the bottom right: https://preview.redd.it/wht7btuux9kh1.png?width=920&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d4b1267381cea72bc5435032ffbc16c36b4fd07 And then I d”