Valuing Your Own Work
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As an artist, it’s very important that you actually enjoy and appreciate the content you create. I know it sounds like something that should be obvious to anyone, but most artists have something they’ve made that they were never satisfied with. Even the greatest artists can think of a few things they would have done differently, given the chance.
Maintain Your Motivation
Creating something that you can admire helps your motivation and will to continue making art. As an independent artist you will often times be the most critically-minded person of your work. This can be good as it will motivate some to try harder and improve themselves. To others it can be detrimental however, since the one criticizing the work is also the one making it, meaning the critique will often feel personal. It can lead some people to simply giving up with failing motivation and depression because they feel they aren’t good enough.
It is also very important when it comes to putting a price tag on your time and effort, because it is ultimately worth the value you assign to it.
Build a Strong Support Group
Starting from square one in a field of art where you have no prior experience takes a great deal of determination. Many see another artist’s work and strive to achieve similar results. Some see another artist’s work and lament that it’s impossible to ever reach their level of expertise. I would’ve never thought I’d view my own work as half-decent looking back at my earliest sketches. It is important to remember that every artist started somewhere and what you normally see is the end result of years of practice.
The simplest way to avoid the trap of depression is to have good friends that support and encourage your work. Having an outside opinion is a huge boost to any artist, and typically friends will see the best aspects of what you do. This can act as positive reinforcement if you already like your early work. They can also help motivate you to continue striving to succeed where you otherwise would’ve stopped trying. Even after you’re established and comfortable with your own art, having a group of friends that appreciate and offer their opinions on your work is an easy way to further motivate greater artistic excellence.