PEE: The Secret To Improving Your Art Skills

Perhaps it’s because I just wrapped up potty training with my son, but it turns out that the secret to improving your art skills (and don’t we all want to get better) is to remember to PEE.

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Practice Consistently

Regularly engage in artistic practice in order to develop an authentic art style, to become more comfortable with art materials and techniques, and to synthesize ideas into action.

The beginning of improving your art skills is developing your style. Every artist dreams of developing a distinctive style, one that feels like a natural extension of their identity. But how do you get there? The answer lies in one simple truth: practice consistently. Artistic growth doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process of regular engagement, experimentation, and reflection.

Your art style is like your creative fingerprint, and it’s shaped over time by your unique experiences, influences, and preferences. The more frequently you engage in your art practice, the more opportunities you have to explore and refine what feels most genuine to you. Consistent practice enables you to:

• Discover patterns: As you make more art, you’ll start to notice recurring themes, colors, or techniques that resonate with you.
• Build muscle memory: Repetition of certain marks or movements helps solidify your approach, allowing you to focus more on the big picture and less on the technicalities.
• Gain clarity: Regularly reflecting on your work helps you understand what works, what doesn’t, and how you want to evolve. This is essential for improving your art.

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Experiment with Materials

You have to know your materials. Don’t just do what other people do or what the packaging tells you you’re supposed to. Experiment. Try things. Play out your bad ideas. Learn how the materials work, don’t work, and what you like to do with them. This is one major step towards improving your art skills!

Experimentation is a crucial part of improving your art. You can’t fully express yourself if you’re hesitant or unsure about your tools. To build confidence, you need to get hands-on with your materials…whether you’re a grown-up or a little kid.

When my son comes into my art studio, I give him a few basic safety instructions and then tell him to play. And he does! I strive to have as much freedom in the art studio as he does. (Be sure to check out my post all about making artwork with a kid.)

The next time you’re wondering what to do with a new tool or medium (or even one you’ve had kicking around forever), try these steps:

1. Play and explore: Test out unconventional uses. Combine art supplies in unexpected ways. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make something. Schedule time to simply play and have fun.
2. Try your “bad ideas”: Sometimes, what starts as a “bad idea” leads to surprising breakthroughs. This is also a wonderful way to make artwork that is truly your own. Your bad ideas separate you from the crowd. They’re evidence of the wonderful and weird ways that your brain works.
3. Observe and adapt: Take note of how your materials behave under different conditions. What textures can you achieve? How do colors blend or layer? Don’t come into the experience with an outcome or expectation in place. Be open to whatever happens and then adapt!
4. Record your findings: I know, I know, who wants to do homework?! But jotting down a few notes or gluing your experiments into your studio notebook or sketchbook will be helpful to future you. Think of it as building up a library of your own experiments and ideas.

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Embrace Imperfection

View each layer as part of the journey, not a final product. Reduce overthinking and self-critique by embracing imperfection and understanding that what you view as a mistake or a problem is actually an opportunity to learn, explore, and grow! I believe that failure actually improves your art skills more than success does.

Fear of failure can hold you back from exploring your full creative potential. Here are some ways to overcome it and embrace imperfection:

• Shift your mindset: Redefine failure as a natural part of learning and growth. Each attempt, successful or not, brings you closer to mastery.
• Start small: Work on quick, low-stakes projects that allow you to explore without pressure. These small wins build confidence over time.
• Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself with kindness and remind yourself that every artist faces setbacks.
• Seek community support: Share your struggles with other artists. Their encouragement and shared experiences can help you feel less alone.
• Focus on the process: Enjoy the act of creating rather than fixating on the outcome. Celebrate your efforts and progress, no matter how incremental.
• Remember that your quirks are your superpowers: The way you hold the brush or write or mix patterns — all that stuff that makes you weird makes you awesome and different. Embrace it!

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Turning Ideas into Action

“Living life as an artist is a practice.
You are either engaging in the practice
or you’re not.

It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it.
It’s like saying, ‘I’m not good at being a monk.’
You are either living as a monk or you’re not.

We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output.

The real work of the artist
is a way of being in the world.”

– Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Creative ideas are fleeting—they need to be acted upon before they vanish. When you practice consistently, you train yourself to move swiftly from inspiration to execution. Over time, this reduces the gap between imagining and creating, making your artistic process feel more fluid and intuitive. Through experimenting with materials, embracing imperfections, and showing up for your art regularly, you’ll not only grow as an artist but also find joy in the journey.

So, grab your tools, set aside your doubts, and make time for your art every day. The more you practice, the closer you’ll get to uncovering the artist you’re meant to be.

Improving your art starts with showing up.

If you’d like help and community along the way, check out the monthly membership at MyArtPractice.com.