When You Hate Your Drawing

When You Hate Your Drawing (Tips From an Art Therapist)

Hello! I'm Youhjung and as a board certified art therapist, I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen people say they don’t like their drawing (or any other type of artwork they’ve created) . Hating how your drawing / artwork looks like is such a common occurrence (you’re not alone!), and in this post I’ll show you what you can do when you hate your drawing.

I’ve helped people (as art therapists do) deal with this negative thought or judgment in countless sessions. And I hope that this post will help you in some way.

If you want to watch the video version of this post, you can do so here:
(Otherwise, keep scrolling to see my tips!)

 WATCH HERE

The Quick Tip

I’m going to share with you two different approaches you can take when dealing with negative thoughts about your artwork. One is the “quick tip” and one is a more in-depth approach.

The quick approach is useful when you’re noticing any negative thoughts or feelings coming up as you are in the process of drawing. Pause your drawing and and implement this quick tip.

Here’s my quick approach:

1. Breathe
   Take moment to breathe in and out. This will help you ground yourself in the present moment, and in your body. When we’re judging our artworks, we’re caught in thinking and being in our heads. It’s important to come back to your body, which will help you relax your mind a little bit.

2. Notice the thought
   Then, take a moment to actually notice what thoughts you are having exactly. What are the words that are going through your head, as you judge your artwork?

3. Put that thought on a cloud and let it float away
   Now, you’re going to exercise your imagination a little bit here. You’re going to imagine putting that thought on a cloud and let it float away. You can do this any kind of imagery that is about releasing and letting go. You can imagine a leaf flowing away in a stream or river, for example. This is a common way to practice mindfulness - which helps us detach ourselves from our thoughts a bit.

4. Continue with the art
   The last step is to come back to drawing. Remember that there is no wrong way to express yourself. There is no wrong way to draw.

If “hating your drawing” is repetitive and it really is blocking your creativity and expression, I encourage you to take the “in-depth approach” I’ll share next.

The In-Depth Approach

My in-depth approach to dealing with negative thoughts about your artwork is somewhat similar to the “quick tip” approach, but more detailed and extensive.

Take this in-depth approach when you are not drawing or making art. Do this outside of your creative activity.

You’ll need a quiet space to reflect, write, and think. Bring a pen and journal, and of course, your artwork too.

Here are the steps:

1. Breathe

   First, breathe. Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale out of your mouth. Do this a couple times to ground yourself and release some anxiety. You may want to relax your shoulders and jaws too.

2. Notice the thoughts and judgments that are coming up

   What is your inner critic saying? Jot those down in your journal. Be specific and be sure to include the exact words/sentences.

3. Answer the question “who told you those things?”
   Ask yourself who told you those things? Have you heard of it before? Write these down in your journal. Notice that it's often something we hear from someone else. Someone else has told you these things. (And notice that it's just their thought, it doesn't make it true).

4. Dialogue with your artwork and your inner critic voice

   • Imagine your artwork was alive. It could hear the critic's voice. How would the artwork react to that? What would it feel? Write these things down.

   • Can YOU say something to help your artwork feel better? Reassure it?

   • Ask what the artwork really wants to say. No matter how it perfect or imperfect it is, all artwork is trying to convey a message, or a feeling. What is the emotion that the artwork is giving you?

   • Tell the artwork that you deserve to be here. “You are worthy. You are enough as you are…” Affirm that it is not wrong. There is no wrong way. There is no wrong color, wrong line, shape. You (the artwork) are welcome just as you are.

If you’re still having a creative block and struggling with your inner critic or this negative judgment about your creations, I highly recommend seeking an art therapist. Art therapists are professionally trained to help you deal with this kind of stuff, and process these things. Inner critic, perfectionism, self-esteem, etc. are all very intertwined and often deep-seated in our pattern of being. An art therapist can help you process these things and let go of those patterns so that you can create art and express yourself freely.

If you’re based in the U.S., I recommend going to www.arttherapy.org/ to find a credentialed art therapist in your state/near you.

And if you yourself are interested in understanding how you can help OTHERS through therapeutic art, then I encourage you to check out my Therapeutic Art Facilitation School course. This guide distills all of my best know-how, method, and tips to help people with therapeutic art. It’ll grow your confidence and skills in doing therapeutic art facilitation, even if your’e just starting or don’t have an artist/therapist background. You can see more details / join here.

Thanks for reading this post! Let me know if you have any questions about the tips I shared here.

Youhjung

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