March 25, 2019

The struggle is real!


As an instructor, I see a bit of a different angle of the art making process. 

Daily, I see many students going through the ups and down of art creation.
I am acutely aware when my students struggle often bringing the to the point or frustration. They want to quit, they sigh and make grimacing faces. Some need to step away, others are brought to tears and all over art. I see and feel the ups and downs. I hear sighs, see the lightbulb go off and find a lot of discards in the trash. 

Our inner voices tell us…
This is awesome
This is tricky
This is sh*t
I am sh*t
This might be ok
This is awesome
….and again the cycle continues

I understand the personal challenges and how monumental they are in that moment. I think most people think its going to be easy and they are all going to leave the classroom a master. Artists seem to be a lot harder on themselves while in the pursuit of perfection than most do in the rest of their lives. We all battle deep inner voices, fight with the material and techniques and try to cram into our memories new lesson information. 
At times it feels like its laughing right in our face, this is supposed to be fun, at least smile back.

Know that you are not alone, we all go through this. You can’t hold onto any one moment, in this dance. Whether you are the best artist in the world or the worst, the struggle continues. C’est la vie. In our artistic practice, the only constant is change because of this we are always having to move forward and grow. Growing in our art skills and vision on the drawing pad, canvas as well as within. The most important thing is to show up, stick with your practice and you will push through. Trust the “artistic method” and trust yourself. You can do it!

At Atelier Artista, we believe the best thing you can do for your art is invest in your education. Put in the time and practice and in the long term you will reach your goals.


We also encourage you to drop in for figure drawing, we host three nights a week and have a brand new bulk buying option here:



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