I’ve always believed that talent, artistic or not, is learned and not randomly granted to some and not others. To me it’s both an intrinsic and constantly honed trait that is often neglected, especially when the specific talent has to do with art.

There comes a point where artists believe the end result almost seems impossible, yet in your mind’s eye it’s easy to envision the final piece as an accomplishment and not a grueling journey to your destination.

To me, art in it of itself can be extremely daunting. When you connect pencil to paper, swirling your hand in motion you almost have to let your imagination completely take over. When the critic in you takes over nitpicking various aspects of your work it becomes difficult to ignore those thoughts. In this phase you’re more inclined to fix things that might have been perfectly in tune to your artwork.

There’s nothing more distracting than you distracting yourself. When it’s another person, hovering over your shoulder, pointing out things that appear to be out of place, you simply ignore them. When it’s you, the artist, stopping midway, wondering why you chose to draw a straight line instead of a squiggly one, it’s amazing that artwork is often completed.

It’s evident that artists draw from their personal self, that artwork is in a sense a personal reflection, but when the artwork fails, then do you as the artist fail as well? The artist and their artwork are inseparable.

I’ve had various art pieces, be they drawing or sculpture, on display in art shows and galleries and witnessed either two things from the person looking at the piece. They either offer constructive criticism, which can be a good and a bad thing, simply “don’t get it” or bad mouth the work.

Yes, artwork is subjective but to drag the artwork through the mud can be taken as a personal attack on the artist. After all, it’s the artists’ sweat, blood and tears present in that vase you’re looking at or that dragon sculpture hanging from piano wire.

There was a process involved wherein the artist directs their focus and energy on their artwork and there’s not an artist on this planet that doesn’t want feedback when the artwork is completed. In fact one could say that an artist does what he or she commits themselves to because they love their craft, enjoy the journey from sketch to completion and when all is said and done, they want their artwork to communicate to others.

In my personal experience, art has been both challenging in the sense that you worry whether or not your artwork will communicate and look appeasing and on top of that if how you envisioned it initially will convey itself successfully in whatever medium you’ve chosen to use. Yet, in the end, whether you know it or not, it always seems to work itself out so long as you stick with it and choose not to abandon it, even if you’d rather believe the critic in you.