Howiedoodles

What do I do? It puts such a damper on me that i end up wasting months away not picking up the sketchbook and pen cause I'm lowkey afraid to even begin.

due to social media and its engagement-based success metrics people often give the advice that you need to make art "for you" and not concern yourself with what other people think, but i don't believe this is a complete picture of the artistic experience either and disregarding others can be just as unhealthy.

art is first and foremost a method of communication. before humans had written language, we told stories through pictures. before children can coherently write their feelings, they are able to draw them. when we draw something, it's because we're trying to express something-- even if it's a concept as simple as "i really like this cartoon character". it doesn't have to be deep to communicate something.

i don't know your circumstances beyond the frustration expressed here, but what broke this particular spell on me was getting out my sharpie and doing little doodles of cats on the boxes i send out from my warehouse job, something i only did a few times to start until i heard back from the employees that the doodles delighted them. now i do them every chance i get. my relationship with my art completely changed when i understood that simple, low-effort whimsy seen by a handful of people who love it was more satisfying than a high-effort digital piece getting a few hundred likes. it was personal.