Anxious with Drawing. It's not fun anymore..

Art should be fun, but I find myself getting too anxious with my drawings lately. I’ll be joining a competition very soon and I’m afraid that it’s affecting my creativity. Any advice?

Take a break, refocus, remember that it’s not going to be the end if you don’t win the competition.

When competing, just do the art as your abilities allow, do not focus so much on trying to win (too much focus on trying to be the best could cause loss of focus and make your final standing worse).

There’s also the option of not competing if the effect it has on you is proving to be destructive, there will definitively be other opportunities as competitions (especially online) happen all the time.

… live life, find zen… wabi-sabi, ikigai…

i found anxiety a complex system of emotions (excitement in anticipating the surprise with a pinch of fear by possible disappointment = confusion ;)) before stepping into the unknown…

Have yourself embrace the path you choose. Do it often and you’ll learn to accept, tolerate & adapt with changes that bother the ego and it’s boxy comfort zone :wink:
Evolve, grow and there will be joy.

If you didn’t “have butterflies” about an upcoming competition, then you should be worried. :slight_smile:

Hehe. Yeah, certainly true. Thank you! It just seems so nerve-wracking at times to not be fully confident about myself and yet I’m already here! I turn to anonymous chat rooms once in a while. I’ve discovered them from BetterHelp, an online community of mental health professionals. They’ve been helping me a lot. I hope I can get my groove back in time for the competition. Thank you for all your pieces of encouragement. :slight_smile:

Yoga may help you as well. It helps to relax your mind and body.

yeah i got that way several times, it can be hard to not be critical of oneself, but it’s important to stay calm otherwise you won’t be in art long cause you’ll be too stressed. Just try not to be.

Listen to music while you draw.

Drawing is all in ‘seeing’ things in your mind, the better you visualize them the better you will draw.
This means to make use of imagination, of the your right hemisphere, so put aside all troubles and objectives and start to relate to the subject with affection.

paolo