Why do you hate your own art work?

​It is really common for people who are making creative work to look at their work the next day and be bummed that they do not like it as well as they thought they did. Or all they can see is the mistakes and things they wish they had done differently.

If this is you, does this mean you are not a real artist?

 
I talk about it in a little more depth in this video, but in a nut shell:

No. What it means is that you have a fairly sophisticated critical awareness of your chosen material, be it music, writing, visual art or whatever.

You have been listening to really great music, looking at visual culture, reading books all your life. You know on a deep level what good work is, what you are turned on by.

This is good -- really good.

The problem is that your own skills in creation have not caught up yet to your base of understanding.

Be patient.

Keep working.

The thing you really need to do is give yourself permission to play, to follow what is compelling to you, and to let yourself be a beginner, or exactly where you are in your process.

Thank your internal critic for holding out hope for that high standard. And for being such a perceptive aid in helping you make improvements over time. You will get there if you keep going.

Really.

​Keep going.