#self advice

1. Watch how you’re spending your time. Saying you have no time isn’t actually true if your screen time is 4 hours per day. Put it on silent, turn it off, put it away. Less screen time = more time for what actually matters

2. When you feel yourself getting in a bad mood, call yourself out on it. Try to get rid of the bad mood before it consumes you.

3. Learn how to recognize your triggers for when you need a break.

4. Friends don’t always need to become your best friends. Sometimes it’s good to have a friendship hierarchy. Figure out which friends are the ones you share super personal information with vs which ones you meet up with every month or so for coffee. You don’t need to be best friends with everyone.

There's alot of ways I could answer this. And there's no one solid set of advice that will help everyone, so I'm going to approach this from what I've done to help myself. I've always struggled with both of these problem. I've dropped alot of projects. I'd stop doing things. Stop talking to people. All because I didn't think I was worth it and that my art wasn't worth it. It's taken me alot of time and alot of patience to get where I'm at and I still actively struggle with thinking I'm worth a damn.

The one piece of advice I would say is: Stop giving a shit.

By that I don't mean stop caring about others, yourself, etc. By that I mean stop giving a damn what other people's art looks like. Don't compare yourself to others. This takes active work to get better at. If you catch yourself comparing, you have to remind yourself where you are. Look at where you came from. Remind yourself that everyone is at different skill levels. Your skills are not the same as the next person. And the thing about art? If you don't like something that you did, then you don't have to share it. You can scrap it and move on. While this won't fix everything, it's a start.

Another thing on the 'Stop giving a shit'. Don't try to perfect your work. There's no such thing and if you're getting frustrated with something then you need to step away. You should get comfortable with good enough because sometimes that's all something will be. Overworking a piece will only leave you frustrated and burnt out. It will make doing things a chore instead of fun. And if you're someone that posts things or shares your work, then I assure you that your followers or friends will enjoy whatever it is that you show them. You are your own worst critic. There are times where you need to close the door in your own face to get where you want to go.

If you're looking specifically to improve your esteem with art. Don't show your work to people that have actively torn you down about it in the past. Doing that will only repeat the process and make you feel worse. Plus, if someone is doing that then they aren't a friend. Look to people who can point out things they like in your work. Make friends with other artists that are excited to share work, share techniques. Have friends who are excited with you about art.

It's one thing to show someone a piece and ask for feedback. This one is critique. You are ready for an opinion on something, even if it turns out to be harsh. You are able to expect the critique of your work and then learn from it.

However, it's another when you didn't ask and someone gives feedback. This one is unsolicited opinions. When you didn't ask, it can be jarring to have someone say something about your piece. While, even if someone is trying to be helpful, if you didn't ask, it can play negatively into your head.

Overall... It takes alot of work to get better with these issues. Surround yourself with people who will uplift you. Look into and try new things that look fun. If you like something from someone's style, then try mimicking it to see what you can learn from it.

And another honest thing, if you're in a place where you can afford and want the help. Finding a therapist can be worth the time.