Here’s the artist trap:
“I’ll get good enough… and then I’ll start the comic I always wanted to make.”
“I’ll gain enough skills before I start that dream magnum opus project of mine.”
“I need to get good so that I can do the thing I’ve always wanted to do.”
These are all mental beliefs that run through our heads. 🧠
And they’re so sneaky, because they sound so reasonable.
I mean, of course you need skills to make the kind of thing you want to make, right? 🤔
Of course it makes sense to get better before you take on something so ambitious.
But here’s why I call it a trap.
Because this is not reason.
This is fear. 😨
This is fear speaking through the mouth of procrastination.
Because here’s the truth:
You’ll only gain the skills you think you need by doing the project itself.
The very thing you think you’re not ready for…
is the thing that will make you ready.
That comic you think you don’t have the skill for?
You only learn how to do it by actually doing it. ✍️
Everything else, practice, more tutorials, sketching endlessly, is just fear.
It’s perfectionism with a mask on.
It’s fear saying:
“If I wait a little longer… if I get a little better…maybe it’ll turn out perfect.”
But it won’t.
And it doesn’t have to.
Now let me play devil’s advocate for a second. 😈
Sometimes yes, the project might actually be too big.
It’s not that you shouldn’t do it, it’s just that maybe now is not the right time.
But the truth is:
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
That project gets made now… or it gets made later…
But it gets made, regardless. 💪
And if you make it now, maybe it won’t be as polished.
Maybe you’ll discover you’re not ready in some areas.
Great!
That means you can go gain those specific skills, and then come back stronger. 💪
And make the next version even better.
But “later” – is dangerous.
Sometimes, “later” never comes and the project will remain only in our heads.
The problem with the artist trap is this:
You end up stuck in practice mode forever. 🔁
Always sketching. Always warming up. Always learning.
And meanwhile, other people who are not as “ready” as you,
are out there performing.
📕 They’re shipping comics.
🎥 They’re making short films.
🗺️ They’re starting messy, and figuring it out while doing it.
Even James Cameron didn’t wait for the technology to catch up to his dream of making Avatar.
He made Titanic.
He didn’t sit around waiting.
He built his ability to make Avatar by doing other projects.
By creating, exploring, and figuring it out along the way. 🚶♂️
That’s what made Avatar possible.
So here’s the question:
Are you performing right now? Or are you just practicing?
Are you doing projects?
Are you actually creating the things you want to be known for?
Are you doing it now, despite the mess and the uncertainty?
If yes, great.
If not, maybe you’re in the trap. 🪤
And here’s the thing about that dream project of yours:
You shouldn’t wait for extreme certainty before starting. ❌
You should expect uncertainty.
In fact, uncertainty is necessary.
In Lord of the Rings, when Frodo, a little hobbit steps up to take the ring to Mordor?
He says,
“I will take the ring to Mordor… though I do not know the way.”
That’s it.
He didn’t say “I’ve done the research.”
He didn’t say “I’m fully trained.”
He just said “I’ll do it. I don’t know how. But I’ll do it.”
And as the journey unfolds, he gains the skills.
He grows into the person who can complete the mission. 😌
That’s how all big journeys work.
So yeah.
– You have to take the leap.
– You have to start the project.
– You have to do the thing before you think you’re ready.
Never let your brain convince you that you’ll “get good enough” first.
Never let it say “I’ll gain the skills then I’ll do the thing.”
If that’s what you’re hearing…
Just know;
You’re in the Artist Trap.
And this newsletter?
I’m writing it for myself.
And for my future self.
To simply remind myself of one thing:
If you want to get good at doing pushups,
you actually have to do pushups. 🏋️
Also, ‘Drawing Camp’ is 40% OFF for the next 3 days only. ⏰
If you want:
💯 100 Drawing Lessons that takes 20 Mins a day to complete.
🗺️ Will give you Step-by-Step guidance on how to improve your art.
And Helps you Finish off with a Character Design Project summarizing all the lessons of 100 Days,
Checkout My 100 Day Program ‘Drawing Camp’. 👇
Sale ends in 3 Days
See you inside.
Best,
Kesh.
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