Make Bad Art.

This is probably one of those things that’s easier said than done for a lot of people: don’t be so afraid of failure. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to create bad art. 

What is bad art? I guess a simple answer is just creative work that you don’t like for one reason or another. Maybe the composition isn’t strong, the photo is out of focus, or it doesn’t meet some standard you set for yourself. No matter how hard you try to avoid making bad art, it’s going to happen. Resisting it just prevents good art from being made.

I view these cyanotypes as failures for one reason or another. But each one taught me something about the process.

The thing about bad art is: it’s not always bad. I’ve made drawings and paintings that I thought were awful at the time of creation. I closed my sketchbook and vowed to show no one, tucked it away for a while, and forgot about it. But inevitably I found those sketches again, and… they weren’t as bad as I remembered them. Sometimes we are blind to the good in what we do. If you make a photograph or a painting you don’t like, give it some space and come back to it later. Learn from it, change it, or embrace it.

If you still really can’t stand it, keep this in mind: no one has to see it. With the social media landscape these days, a lot of folks feel everything has to be shared. The creation process, the final products, the before and afters… there’s so much pressure to do our best all the time and post the results on Instagram. But truthfully, no one makes good art all the time. And while art should be shared, it doesn’t all have to be. It’s okay to make art that’s just for you! 

I am not a serious painter—I do it for fun! I rarely share this kind of work with the world. It’s all for me.

Art is a practice and it is a process. It is not always about the finished product. Anything that can be practiced, can be improved. If you mess up, learn from it. Enjoy the creation, and create for the joy of it. Look back on your old work and see how far you’ve come. Avoid comparing yourself to anyone else. These are just some pieces of advice that have helped me to deal with my own bad art. Trust me, there is no artist who doesn’t make bad art.

Speaking of trust: trust in yourself and trust in the process. Making mistakes truly makes you a better artist. Accidents teach you things, help you grow in your practice, and sometimes offer up a pleasant surprise. If you stifle yourself out of fear of making a mistake, your art will suffer for it all the more. Have faith that everything will work out. It always does.

Now go out there and make some bad art!