Being an artist is hard. It requires an immense amount of patience and determination and sometimes we develop bad habits which make it even harder. A few of these have been discussed below.

POINTLESS PERFECTIONISM

Trying to make things perfect will only result in frustration and be a huge waste of time. You will probably never get that line or shape to be exactly how you want it to be. It's easy to spiral down that rabbit hole and start obsessing over every little detail which will hinder the creative process. It's better to make mistakes than to try to control everything. Remember, Bob Ross said, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents."

BEING IRREGULAR/ PROCRASTINATING

We've all done it. Putting work off for later in hopes of suddenly getting struck by the lightning of motivation. But being irregular will drastically slow down your learning process. If you take huge gaps in between art sessions, you'll start forgetting what you learned the last time and will have to start all over again. You'll eventually get frustrated and start thinking you're just a "bad" artist when in reality, all you need to do is get off your lazy behind and get to work.

NEVER GIVING THE NEW A CHANCE

Specialising in one or two mediums is completely fine, no one is good at EVERYTHING, but a lot of artists get stuck in their comfort zones. They get used to using certain materials/mediums and stick to them exclusively. This makes the art (and the process) a lot less diverse and sometimes repetitive. Exploring other mediums and art forms expands the horizon, gives you more ideas and helps you look at your art from a different perspective.

PURSUING SKILL OVER GROWTH

Skill is inevitable. The more time you put in, the better you'll eventually get. But running after only the artistic skills will prevent you from focusing on the bigger picture. A lot of artists obsess over technical skills like getting the proportions right but forget to check if their work has depth/quality or not. Putting thought into the subject and the idea behind the artwork you create will help you grow as an artist. Skill is sure to follow.

BEING ALL ABOUT THE BUSINESS

For professional artists, creating artwork sometimes turns into just another job. They usually don't have time for personal exploration. Learning to take time off of work related projects and doing something just for yourself will prevent you from getting burnt out and will also provide motivation for future projects.

We can't really get over these bad habits at once but we sure can try. If you love creating art, no matter what form it maybe, you're sure to excel at it sooner or later and overcoming these hurdles will get you the victory you're longing for.

Afsara has a lot on her plate right now. Send her help at fb.com/afsaraakhan