Artist Problems - Real Talk: Perfectionism 

I don't know if it's because of the pandemic times, but this is a much-needed video for me! Thanks for all this information especially the "throw-away journal". Such a great idea!

Thank you... Love the idea of the Throw Away Journal... I am one that wants to do a new project but the dang perfectionism gets in the way of starting... and if I start sometimes I toss it before I allow time to work past the ugly stage...

Great video!

I'll have to add this to my favorites, so I can watch it over and over again. You brought up a lot of things I need to hear. I have a lack of self-confidence, so I think my paintings should be better. My son tells me that they're good along with others. After I'm dead and gone, I want my paintings to be something to be proud of. You've said a lot of insight messages. Gteat video!

I recently broke out of the pattern of having an idea and buying and prepping for it then moving onto another idea and buying and prepping for the new one without ever doing either. My studio looks like a Jerry's Artarama store, with a dozen projects sitting around ready to be started. Started getting overwhelmed and depressed so I found some mediation videos focusing on procrastination, anxiety, and negativity. I put myself on a no buy until I finish at least 10 ideas, I have currently finished 4 and feel so much better.

Enjoy what you do have no expectations so you can have your creative juices flow. ( even if its a commissioned piece). Love yourself by taking care of yourself then you can give to others through your art. Great talk! Good timing! Thank you Mike not Jerry. 😜

This video is perfection!

Have you been spying on me from behind my mental block?

Makes perfect sense....what a great yardstick to measure your feelings with! Thanks so much!

I keep remembering an aspect of mastery that I was told to by a favorite instructor in college. He said: Decide if you want 20 years of experiences or 1 year of experience 20 times over. Learn all you can, not what you need and you will continue to grow as a person an Artist! Just more thoughts hangin' in the wind!

enjoy your talk, there is a lot for me to think about and that I needed to hear. Thank You a good video and love your shirt, waiting for Season 2

Thank you so much Mike! I think that at this point I really needed the reminder not to be so perfectionistic that I shut down what I truly love doing. Perfect timing on your part.

Mike, You nailed it! Excellent video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Martina

Wow! So many incredible words of wisdom! Thank you so much, Mike not Jerry!

You read minds JA team. Because of the same perfection reason, I m always fear and depressed sometimes to show my art. The video is helpful. Thank you.

Great video Mike! I've been in an Art funk.. have so many ideas and then I get mentally drained trying to figure out how to perfectly go about it that i don't even start it.

Glad to see you again Mike! I dont consider myself a perfectionist but ive gotten into that negative feedback loop at times. Its such a prominent trap for artists. Thanks for the video.

The video I needed to watch. Wish I found this sooner! Love your videos!! Thank you!

Failure to act ✅ The throw away journal is a great solution! ✅ Love and kindness to ourselves ✅ The 20% that gives us the 80% joy ✅ Thank you very much for your understanding of the artists! 🙋‍♀️

Thank you for the video. You really cheered me up. Sometimes it is just so hard to understand, that you are destroying yourself cause of perfectionism. For me it actually took some time to understand this, and I am still trying to get rid of it. Thank you.

This was a perfect video... except for that one part.

Good timing

My throwaway journals have become an educational and motivational tool for me. So I end up keeping some or cut&pasting pages into other sketchbooks. I used to have that crippling fear when drawing too, but not as much anymore. I do struggle with serious pieces or gifts, but at least I have a strict deadline for those to get the ball rolling hehe..

Artist's math? I just found your channel - first video watch last night and now this one. I think I'm gunna enjoy this!

Great video. I agree with you. If you want to paint, draw or whatever your craft is. Take risks, experiment, give yourself a break and look at your work in progress and question what you are doing. Don't ever denigrate yourself. If it doesn't work out, then start again. To achieve a high degree of mastery takes years of hard work. The moment you start to say. Oh, I have got to get it right. I've got to do it properly, then you're on the path to a lot of frustration and disappointment.

Thank you for talking about mental health and self talk and acceptance. It's so important!

I obsess over perfection . I was the person to not turn in school projects, because I didn't think they were good enough. With my art, I get so afraid to use my supplies because I want to use them perfectly. So I haven't been making anything lately

It seems like the road to perfection in art ,is sometimes in imperfection: That abstract ,or loose painting that makes no sense, but works. I like the throw away journal idea. I only keep about 1 in 20 of my paintings . I tend to be a perfectionist,but it keeps me in the learning mode, and I no longer paint for hours and sometimes I fail to act,but the thesaurus idea helped me.

Wanna bookmark this video :) Thanks for the peptalk!

I often throw stuff away that way it's gone and It leaves me free to start something else. Three out of ten things I do fall short and that's a waste of materials but that's as bad as it gets. Never worry about how things go.

this helped me so much i thank you :)

Nailed it!

I did get lots from the video. Thinking about my friend who seems paralyzed by her art not being perfect. Then she starts another project hoping to attain perfectionism. It's kind of sad because we all can see her work is already perfect.

I really needed this "pep talk", right now. Working on a 48x60" acrylic of my husbands sailboat and he thinks I have to put in the most trivial details. I also got the proportions a little off. According to him I made the sails too big and I can't go back and fix it. Thank you for making me feel better about this. I am beginning to hate this painting and we have had more fights over this painting than we've ever had over anything. Yes, he's also an artist; an ice sculptor.

You have a very smart wife. :) Thank you so much for this video. Applies to so many areas in life and has given me a much needed lift today. Bless you and yours.

These are some of the hardships and challenges of being an artist it's very difficult to explain to a non artist. There's just so much that goes into an artistic practice.