How to Encourage the Young [or Old] Artist in Your Life
One of the most common questions I get when I’m out and about selling my art is, “How can I encourage my [son, daughter, grandson, niece,…] to keep going/get better as an artist?” I often hear things like, “They need to practice and develop their talent,” or “They won’t show people what they do and they need to share their gift with the world.”
Since this is obviously on a lot of people’s minds, I thought I would write a post about how I answer this question.
My Top 3 Tips On How to Encourage the Artist in your Life:
Encourage. Don’t pressure.
The truth is that artistic outlets are everywhere: drawing, painting, applying makeup, choosing outfits, gardening, writing, cooking, sewing… The possibilities are endless. Sometimes creative people don’t want to be stuck in one of these lanes for long periods of time and need to cycle between different artistic outlets to avoid burnout and gain a “hunger” to return to another. Recognize that all of these pursuits are helpful for their creative process and beneficial for whatever area of art you would like them to focus on.
Broaden your view of their “creative activities” and tell them when you think they’ve done a good job in any creative pursuit, not just one type.
Young artists should see art as play, not as work. Let younger kids draw and paint as they like without feeling pressured to push them into lessons too early. If art is a passion of theirs and they area excited about art classes, it’s fine to expose them to low-pressure instruction.
Don’t betray their trust.
This one is tricky. Sometimes people enjoy working on projects in the privacy of their own homes, but are not ready to share them with the world. They may not feel comfortable being labelled an “artist,” struggle with “imposter syndrome,” or may be embarrassed for people to see their work because they think they need to improve first. If the artist in your life is keeping their talent/projects “hidden,” the worst thing you can do is start telling other people about what they do.
The flip side of this is that a lot of artists need validation from the people closest to them in order to feel comfortable sharing their work with a wider audience. The best way to do this is to encourage them regularly in private. Tell them that you love their work, that you think they should feel comfortable sharing it with others (leaving the choice to them), and would love to help them develop their talent or find outlets. If you’d like to share something they’ve done, ask their permission.
Help them find resources for growth.
This is so much easier today than when I was growing up. With the internet and the explosion of local art-based resources, the options are endless. The first thing I recommend is Youtube. I have learned so much from watching other artists’ videos. The beauty of it is that you can tailor your art education to what you need. If you feel you are weak in depth, color, shading, form, whatever, all you have to do is search for a video on that topic.
If they feel comfortable reaching out to local artists, look into artists guilds or art lessons in your area. These groups are usually very welcoming and most artists like encouraging young (and old) talent.
To help out with this, I’m going to be doing an “Inspirations” series over the next few weeks. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite inspirational artist websites, podcasts, and Youtube videos. Comment below and let me know what kinds of things you’d like to see or what you’d like to say to the artist in your life.
