Developing Your Unique Personal Style & Finding Your Own Way as an Artist

Dear Angela, 

I have gotten good at copying painting demonstrations on YouTube, but I want to do my own work. How do I find my own way? - a recent email question

My answer:

Thanks for writing - I resonated so much with your question because it has been my question, too! Finding "my" way is truly what we are trying to do; there is no path that fits every artist when we don't really know what the destination will be. What I can share is what I have seen in my own journey and that's the reassurance that the path is not a straight line.

When we start, we usually know where we think we want to go; and it usually looks a lot like another artist.

We start an artistic journey by building the skills to reproduce what we see. As we gain skill, we become adept at copying. We have built technique, and in following tutorials, we benefit from other artists' decision making regarding color, style, composition, etc. But copying another artist doesn't satisfy for long - we crave more! We want to make our OWN work and express our own style, even if we're not sure what our style is.

I believe many artists follow this kind of trajectory, and the last part, learning to express your unique individuality in your work and get your own ideas out on paper? It's a lifetime journey of discovery; there's not really a point of having arrived. Far from being discouraging, though, this is exciting, because it's an open door to possibility.

It also means that there's no right answer; no single painting that says, "this is who you are and what you will paint like from now on."

In seeking my authentic style, I came to a point of deciding that if I couldn't please everyone with my art, I was going to paint to please myself, and define what "good" looked like for me without worrying about what other people thought. (Freedom from judgment!)

I decided that I was going to experiment and try new things whenever I wanted and do unexpected things instead of feeling committed to one way of doing things.

I decided that I was going to be unfailingly curious, stubborn when things weren't working out, and trusting that I would be able to teach myself to paint like me.

And I realized that the things that give me childlike joy (vibrant colors, playing instead of studying, spontaneity instead of planning) might just be the definition of my artistic identity, instead of character flaws I needed to rein in.

 Artists need to be courageous. Who among us is brave enough to be fully ourselves without trying to prove our worth to anyone?

I have spent my life trying to please other people, so learning to make art that is purely and wholeheartedly mine has been an incredible gift of finding myself. It has come with the surprise bonus of connecting me with other people who see my heart in my art and love me for it, and I can't help but teach with the desire that others find this same gift and freedom.

 This answer is probably far more than you were asking for, and not as practical, so I will close with some guidelines:

- Structure your painting around learning and playing both.

- In learning, we can take in information and refine our technique, and in learning to play, we find confidence that we can make beautiful art when we let our guard down.

- Notice where you lose track of time and fall into the joy of painting, and do more of that.

- Look for something to love about every painting, and avoid being critical of your development.

- Avoid the "should's" and "have to's" - assumptions that limit your freedom and place the burden of expectations on your art.

You can’t choose how long it will take to get to where you want to go, so choose to make the process one you enjoy, so at least you can have fun while you’re going there!

What advice do you hold in your heart as you teach yourself to find your own heart-led self-expression? Leave a comment below!