Ignore the competition silly artist, you're doing your best!

I've been talking to a few artist friends recently, all of whom have been down in the dumps about the usual suspects; making it in the creative industry, being seen in a sea of so-called "better" artists, and generally just not feeling good enough to make it in the competitive art market.

Now, I shan't pretend I don't feel like that every now and again, we all do! What I try to tell my artsy friends whenever these  things come up is this: Somebody out there is looking for exactly what you have to offer. Whether it's a company or a commissioner, or even somebody looking for the perfect birthday card, there will be someone. Until they find you, you can only do YOUR very best. 

I'm very much for focusing on the nice things and ignoring the rubbish ones, not because I don't think we can learn and grown from a setback or two (fun fact: we can and do, oh so much!), but because if I were to spend any amount of time moping about thinking my work is a big pile of poo, I wouldn't ever have time to sort it out! 
As a little metaphor, consider a person who spends all their time watching the news. Day after day they see terrible things happening all over the world, and feel helpless and stuck and really, really dreadful. Then they flick over to the local news, and there's a heartwarming story about a little old granddad who tidies the park or a guide-dog who saved it's owner from being run over. Now, this person could either spend all their time stuck worrying about all the bad things happening in the world that they can't control, or they can draw some positivity from the good things that are a little closer to home, and get up and enjoy life. 
See what I mean? It's good to be aware that there's heaps of competition and to acknowledge that it's not easy to get seen among the millions of other artists, but you don't need to compete with the rest of the world. You just need to make the most of your own thing and you'll be all the happier for it, which in turn will inspire your admirers and potential buyers, and that's really why we make art in the first place, isn't it?

So here's a little list of things I do when I've had a big old slap in the face from the nasty side of the art world:

• Look up pictures of cute dogs and doodle all my favourites. Not only does this put me in a good mood (because dogs, obviously), but it also may lead to a good idea for a new piece of art!
• Revamp my entire Etsy shop. There's always SOMETHING that needs to be updated, improved or binned, and what better time to do this particular chore than when you're feeling a bit fed up with the actual making art aspect of the shop?
• Snap photos of things (usually Freija). It's a good way to use up a bit of that creative energy without having to commit to a "proper project" when you're just not feeling up to one.
• Google other artists similar to your own niche. I know this sounds counter-productive when you're feeling like your art isn't worthy of being seen by human eyes, but actually it does help to see that although your work might be similar, it's not the same - on my part that means looking up other dog illustrators, many of whom have become firm favourites. I love their work, but I can also see that mine is good in a different way!
• If I'm in a really properly foul mood, I get away from the computer and go and do something completely different like starting a crochet project or reading a bit of the latest The Simple Things (note: this is in no way endorsed by them, it's genuinely just my favourite magazine). Doing something so utterly removed from my usual work helps to move on, and it's usually really inspiring too!