Trust the Process
The beginning of a drawing is always the hardest part. There is no established foundation for one to build upon. The only thing there is a giant, white shape starring back at me saying, “hey, don’t mess up, because if you do the world will end.” But really, will it though? Why is it so difficult to start, and why do I care so much if I make the “wrong” line with my pencil?
As an artist that has been making art constantly for over a decade, it’s crucial to trust that all that time drawing formally(still-lives, perspective drawings, studying art history and regularly preforming drawing exercises) has developed my hand to preform while my mind is tense.
Side note: If you are not doing these things regularly. Start doing them today. No excuses, this is the only way to improve your craft!
Over the years, I’ve adopted the mantra “trust the process.” When I start a drawing, I’ll make seemingly random lines and shapes on a paper to purposely “mess up” the drawing. Once the general layout of the image is created. I’ll erase those lines, along with many others.
This “trust the process” mindset, creates confidence to the artist and opens up more opportunities to play. Playing, or making loose, carefree marks creates life and visual interest within an image.
It’s also helpful to have a positive mindset about your own creations. World-renowned Illustrator and Artist, Ralph Steadman has stated in multiple interviews, “mistakes are chances to do something differently.” In my own experiences, doing something differently typically makes the art more interesting than originally planned. It’s okay to go onto a new path if it will move the art in a better direction.
If you are an artist, musician or spend time creating anything. Always trust yourself, use your intuition and seek out the unexpected. It is the most important part of the process. Believe in yourself, and most importantly focus on having fun with your own expression. That’s why we’re all doing this anyways.
-Trust the process
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