The Wayward Minds Collective

Why Developing an Art Skill is Beneficial For Everyone

My brothers were the kind of people who were good at things without really trying. So, growing up, I got used to living in their shadows– especially when it came to drawing. My mother would frame all of their work and talk about how talented they were, and even though I was interested in drawing myself, I knew I would never be as good as my brothers. I contented myself with tracing Pokemon that I found online. One day, I talked to my older brother about his drawing and his response shocked me: “ I didn’t get like this overnight. I’ve been practicing for years.” I was absolutely baffled, and although it made perfect sense, I was still afraid to try. I wanted so desperately to be good at it that I was too afraid to try, too afraid to fail.

Years later, I finally decided to just dip my toes in the water a bit, and I took my first studio class. It was three hours a class period for three days a week. It was challenging at first– not because the coursework was challenging, but because I kept comparing myself to everyone else in the class.

Obviously, the students who had been drawing for years were better at drawing than me, and after feeling discouraged, I decided that I wanted to do something about it. Immediately after class ended, I would go home and practice for an extra two hours everyday. My teacher was pleased with my progress, and I made a mental breakthrough– the secret to being talented was practice, not skill. I learned to accept what I had initially perceived as failure, and embrace it as growth.

I started to compete with myself more than anyone else, and became pleased with my progress. After conquering the mental battle that I had with myself about not being talented enough, and came the realization that talent is created, I’ve realized what an asset cultivating an artistic skill is. Contrary to popular opinion, art is not such a niche market after all– the development of any artistic dexterity also creates competency in creativity, tenacity in the face of adversity, and an element of self-awareness. All of these skills have been found to be essential character traits in people who most would consider to be successful. In other words, an ambitious individual who wants to be as impactful on the world as, say, Bill Gates for example, better pick up a paint brush.

It is firstly necessary to address the many misconceptions that surround the art-world as well as what it means to be an artist. When the word ‘art’ or ‘artist’ is mentioned, many have connotations about what this may mean. Many have mental images of mentally distressed individuals who are social recluses, eccentrics, or people who have willingly shut themselves away from the rest of society for the sake of being an artist.

Unfortunately, this mainly plays a role in the willingness of adolescents to identify themselves as artists or even have an interest in the field. As adolescents struggle with their developing identities and roles in the context of society, “… we are faced with compare-and-contrast propositions, allowing us to declare not only who we are, but who we are not…. This is a particularly important adaptive strategy when the ‘other’ group is perceived as having a history of unsavory values and behaviors…(Charland 120). As a result of the stereotypical imagery of a ‘starving artist’, or even a ‘mentally ill artist’, many adolescents steer clear of even remotely considering the benefits they may reap should they pursue an artistic endeavor.

While these artistic stereotypes certainly do exist for a reason, not all artists fit into that category. In fact, most artists don’t consider themselves to be ‘high artists’ or even social recluses, but rather practice for the element of self expression that is inherent in the act of creating something in any artistic capacity.

This is such the case for the resident artists at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. Founded in the 1970s, the Creative Growth was founded as a place for mentally disabled individuals who were then recently deinstitutionalized to gather and learn to communicate, as well as better understand themselves as, “Art’s a great equalizer that transcends language, that transcends culture, that transcends disability. Creative Growth is about artistic expression as a form of saying, ‘ This is who I am in the world’”(Art21 1:29-1:54). In fact, the majority of the artists at Creative Growth are complete beginners, and the institute actually prefers that because they don’t teach in the traditional manner.

Creative growth teaches its artists to embrace the element of self-expression first and foremost. Self expression is a key characteristic that is commonly associated with art, and for good reason. Being an artist often requires some degree of self-reflection that is used for inspiration for their works, and this results in the development of personal emotional intelligence skills.

Published in 2009, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a book that not only introduces the concept of emotional intelligence, but praises its importance. Authors Bradberry and Greaves claim that it is one of the ‘it’ factors that stands out in successful individuals: “Not education. Not experience… None of these serve as adequate predictions as to why one person succeeds and another doesn’t…. The answer is almost always has to do with this concept called emotional intelligence. And while it’s harder to measure than IQ or experience, and certainly difficult to capture on a resume, its power cannot be denied” (Bradberry and Greaves xiv). 

One of the key traits that Bradberry and Greaves identified in individuals with high emotional intelligence was self-awareness, which was explained as “.. your ability to accurately perceive your own emotions in the moment and understand your tendencies across situations…A high degree of self-awareness requires a willingness to tolerate the discomfort of focusing on feelings that may be negative. The only way to genuinely understand your emotions is to spend enough time thinking through them to figure out where they come from and why they are there” (24). While some may certainly make the argument that not all artists go on a soul-searching journey and attempt to better understand themselves for the sake of creating their artworks, that is certainly the case for many, and can take shape in a great variety of  ways.

Swedish claymation duo Nathalie Djurberg and Hansberg were interviewed by an independent art appreciation organization for a series called Art21.

In their interview, Nathalie discusses that inadvertent inspiration that she drew from within herself for her work: “It didn’t feel so personal when I was making it. Seeing it in the gallery, then it felt like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ ‘Ashamed’ is one of my predominant feelings. There is usually a sense of shame throughout the process of the making. It starts out as an idea, which feels very very solid. It’s not, it takes some time for me to get to terms with that. But then, when I come out of the other side, the work is not as perfect as the flimsy idea felt”( Art21 1:02-1:50).

The creative process, which will be discussed in further detail at a later point, requires a certain familiarity with a particular subject or field. A great majority of the time for artists, this field is not only their craft, but also a great familiarity with themselves. 

 “In joy we feel whole because in the second of the joy, there isn’t anything else. It’s just that usually it’s so short; and in the other feeling, when you’re in a bad state [you feel like] that will last forever. The fear of being trapped in that despair is like a lie that is so strong that it tricks me every time, [but] not one of those emotional states has ever lasted.  Seeing the truth, maybe especially, a truth about yourself, can be painful, but that’s really important because it leads to freedom after, maybe” ( 4:31- 5:33).

As can be easily inferred from her quotation, Djurberg has the capacity to make complex analysis about patterns in her emotions, and understands that mastering the realization that these ‘states’, as she referred to them, are ultimately temporary. They should not sway her, however powerful these ‘states’ may be. This example of emotional self-awareness can lead to the capacity to maintain emotions in stressful situations, environments, and people.

This mastery of self in times of adversity is a key skill that Bradberry and Greaves note is imperative in successful individuals. Admittedly, practicing any artistic endeavor is not a guaranteed way for someone to be able to maintain a level head in stressful circumstances, it will prompt a certain level of self-reflection that very well may lead to improvement in them. I know for me personally, there were a lot of questions that I had to ask myself as I headed down my own artistic journey, questions that prompted me to begin to view myself with a better understanding of values and intrinsic motivations that I was previously unaware of. 

After a couple of months of steady practice in drawing, I saw improvement. Yet I was still confused, and I asked myself the question, ‘Why was I so afraid of being bad at something? Why didn’t I realize that I could simply improve with practice?’ It seems like a simple and straightforward deduction that anyone could make, that the more you practice at something, the better that you’ll be; don’t expect a novice to be a master on the first try. However, this isn’t the attitude that many people carry with them, myself included. Child psychologist Carol Dweck examined this phenomenon and labeled it as a ‘fixed mindset’, which is a faulty understanding of intelligence to be a “… fixed trait that can be easily inferred from their performance” (Haimovitz and Dweck 1851).

This means that when someone is confronted with something that they perceive to be difficult, they view it as a threat to their intelligence– ‘I can’t do this because it’s too hard’ or ‘I can’t do this, I’m starting to feel like I’m dumb– and are further inclined to quit. Dweck traced this fixed mindset to the type of praise that someone receives as a child. “Mueller and Dweck theorized that praising ability or intelligence when children succeed may indicate to them that intelligence is a fixed trait… However, once they encounter obstacles or failure, still believing that their ability is fixed, they may now view it as low and feel incapable of improving” (1851). The opposing attitude is referred to as a ‘growth mindset’ which is the belief that “intelligence and abilities can be developed. [Praise that]… focused[ed] on the process would also provide a recipe for improving when a task becomes difficult” (1851).

A notable consideration in this study was that adults who possessed a growth mindset themselves were just as likely to develop a fixed mindset in children as other adults with a fixed mindset. Typically, these adults were able to cultivate this mindset by themselves, and when interacting with children, would praise children how they were praised themselves as they grew up– with an emphasis on the child rather than their process. Dweck conveyed to her students that “brains (and hence intelligence) can grow stronger over time by taking hard tasks and persisting” (1850).  

Much like passing the baton of a fixed mindset on children, parents and teachers also are known for playing a role in preventing their children from developing artistic skills because of their own misunderstandings of talent. New England Conservatory former chair of the Music-in-Education department Lawerence Scripps examines the ramifications of the fixed mindset in teaching music to students.  He writes:

The predominant assumptions about talent at the early stages of education are that it is genetically, culturally, or environmentally predetermined; and that this talent can be identified before exceptional levels of performance have been demonstrated. That is, some kids have capacity and most others do not. Having “talent” means your child is special and will remain exceptional in his or her aptitude for music for the rest of his or her life… Without a critical expertise of where talent comes from, “talent” could become a self-fulfilling prophecy that can be used too easily to demonstrate to children that it is not worth trying to learn something difficult…something that requires commitment to countless hours of practice…Talent becomes irrelevant to the mature artist, and dedication to a career matters far more than the early prognostications of talent. Previous assumptions of being considered talented fade from consciousness at this stage and are replaced by the awareness that lifelong skill development based on the ongoing dedicated practice and application to one’s career in the end is the true determination of success. (Scripp 58)

Scripp is also an advocate for the Suzuki method when it comes to teaching, particularly skill-based academia like art. (He primarily teaches music, which of course is considered to be a form of art.) The Suzuki Method, or Ability Development, calls for both instructors and students to abandon any preconceived notions of innate talent, and that talent is completely irrelevant. The Suzuki Method calls for the teacher and student to use their powers to “create talent.” (Suzuki 38). You can begin to see that the very nature of being an artist, especially a beginning artist with no background experience, the necessity for a growth mindset and tenacity is an absolute requirement. Those who develop their artistic skills with enough practice have the subsequent effect of developing another key to success in endeavors: tenacity and grit. Artistic ventures may certainly not be for everyone, but the development of tenacity that is subsequently developed after some refinement of an artistic skill from scratch is absolutely a mindset that can be utilized for future difficult undertakings. 

Tenacity is no doubt an important trait to have, some shy away from it because of a fear of being bold, too brazen, or other maladaptive personality traits that have been associated with persistent individuals. An example that comes to mind is that annoying middle school kid who wants to race you everyday during recess, and even though you beat him every time, he still wants to race the next day– you find it highly annoying. Professor of psychology at Rollins College, John Houston,  performed a study of the relationship between grit, or tenacity and perseverance, and “maladaptive personality traits Machiavellism, grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, and hyper competitiveness” (Houston 848).

He performed a correlational analysis of a sample of 222 undergraduates. In the sample, there were 165 women and 57 men. “Participants ranged in age from 18 to 61 years with a median age of 20 years and reported their ethnicities as 4.5% Asian, 5.5% African American, 62.5% Caucasian, 17 % Hispanic, 7% Other, and 1% No Response” (850). With this sample group he determined grit to be, “grit was negatively related to Machiavellianism (r= -.33, p<.001), vulnerable narcissism (r= .50, p< .001), and [grandiose]  narcissism (r=–.14, p=0.34)” and concluded grit to be “an adaptive trait that is generally related to healthy individual differences and negatively related to unhealthy personality traits” (852, 855).

While this study is admittedly not conclusive for all ‘gritty’ or tenacious individuals to conclusively be amazing people, it certainly does give a fairly reasonable notion that tenacious, or gritty, individuals will be slightly less prone to negative personality traits than people who are not considered to be persistent.

The most obvious cultivated skill from practicing an art form would be an improvement in creativity, “… the arts offer a conceptual exploration that enriches and extends pupils’ consciousness, and as such, is a powerful dimension in their learning experience. The creative outcome is [dependent on the]  given psychological parameters and the collective experiences and understandings that they bring to the task” (Radford 58). Connotations of creativity are similar to the misconceptions of talent: an innate and mystical component of life that is beyond our control, an innate trait that we are born with or blessed to those lucky few by divine intervention at completely random periods in our lives.

The common denominator with the misconception of talent and creativity is the fixed mindset perspective that it is something that we cannot change. This could not be further from the truth– much like how talent is developed, so is creativity:  “To believe that creativity is a divine flash of inspiration or that only artists or geniuses are creative can be an awe-inspiring, but limited, point of view. It is akin to believing that a magician who pulls a rabbit from a hat possesses magical powers. The canny observer recognizes that the magician’s trick, no matter how marvelous, is actually the result of replicable attitudes and skills” (Kyung Hee 119). Before creativity is further discussed, it is important to address the viewpoint that creativity is only relevant to artistic careers and endeavors. According to Dr. Kyung Hee Kim, a self-proclaimed creativity scholar and associate professor at William and Mary University: 

Creativity is neither subject nor field dependent. It occurs in all social endeavors, including the arts, (writing, painting, photography, cinematography, dance, music, and more); invention; mathematics; engineering; natural, social and biological sciences; medicine (including physical therapists’ treatments for patients using all materials found in the environment); business; parenting; leadership; sports (such as Muhammad Ali’s creative boxing style); teaching; and technology. (Kim 120).

What makes creativity so versatile in all fields is its conduciveness for innovation. As previously alluded to, when you’re creating something, there’s a certain level of intrinsic knowledge that you have to have about yourself. To build upon this statement, to be an creative innovator, you also need an extensive amount of knowledge about the field or skill that you want to be innovative in. This is where the element of creativity that is cultivated from the development of an artistic skill steps into play.

Revolutionary ideas don’t just appear to people by divine intervention, but rather after an extensive amount of time familiarizing themselves with the subject, seeing something that can be improved, then utilizing their creativity, applying a previously unrelated aspect of something else to the subject they’re looking to improve. Nothing is ever really revolutionary. Kim elaborates: “Many misconstrued creativity as something new. However, nothing is truly new; creativity is a recombination or reconceptualization of existing ideas. Creative thinking relies on the existing knowledge and skills… Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, extended the use of the ranking method for academic articles to the Internet search algorithm” (122). 

As you can clearly begin to deduce at this stage, innovation or revolutionizing a field is not an arbitrary matter, but rather a previous notion applied in a different way; I am certain that there isn’t a person who would disagree with the notion that a key component of art is the development of creativity with ideas applied in different contexts, which in itself, is an innovative act. 

Since I’ve begun my journey of, I won’t say becoming an artist because everyone has the capacity to be one, but rather owning my creativity through artistic pursuits, I can personally attest to the challenges that come along with getting better at something. I can also say, however, that I have grown exponentially because of these challenges to my preconceived notions of talent and skill. I’ve spoken with many other artists, and not just visual artists, but musicians, animators, designers, etc., through the various classes that I’ve taken, and they’ve all shared similar stories with me. There is something unique about practicing art that forces you to grow, and quickly, if you’re truly passionate and want to get better at it– now we know why.

The elements that are required in honing an artistic skill are the same key components that make people successful. The element of emotional intelligence, a heightened sense of self awareness, particularly of emotions, can be reapplied in dealing with intensely stressful situations with a calm approach– a trait that is found in many successful individuals. The tenacity and persistence that is needed to better your skills has the ability to be later redirected to pursue an ambitious goal. Creativity, arguably the most important, also evolves through this same tenacity, and be later used in the same capacity to build onto another reinvented wheel.

Works Cited

Art21. (April 29, 2020) Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg Share Their Feelings [Video]. Art21.https://art21.org/watch/extended-play/nathalie-djurberg-hans-berg-share-their-feelings-short/

Bradberry, Travis, and Jean Greaves. Emotional Intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart, 2009. 

Charland, W. (2010). African American Youth and the Artist’s Identity: Cultural Models and Aspirational Foreclosure. Studies in Art Education, 51(2), 115–133. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40650457

“Creative Growth Art Center in ‘San Francisco Bay Area.’” Art21, 2018, art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s9/creative-growth-art-center-in-san-francisco-bay-area-segment/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.

Haimovitz, Kyla, and Carol S. Dweck. “The Origins of Children’s Growth and Fixed Mindsets: New Research and a New Proposal.” Child Development, vol. 88, no. 6, Nov. 2017, pp. 1849–59. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/10.1111/cdev.12955.

Houston, John M., et al. “The Bright and Dark Aspects of Grit in the Pursuit of Success.” Psychological Reports, vol. 124, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 839–61. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/10.1177/0033294120907316.

Kim, Kyung Hee. “Demystifying Creativity: What Creativity Isn’t and Is?” Roeper Review, vol. 41, no. 2, Apr. 2019, pp. 119–28. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/10.1080/02783193.2019.1585397.

 Radford, M. (2004). Emotion and Creativity. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 38(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.2307/3527362&nbsp;

Scripp, Lawrence, et al. “Thinking Beyond the Myths and Misconceptions of Talent: Creating Music Education Policy That Advances Music’s Essential Contribution to Twenty-First-Century Teaching and Learning.” Arts Education Policy Review, vol. 114, no. 2, Mar. 2013, pp. 54–102. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/10.1080/10632913.2013.769825.

Suzuki, S. 1969. Ability development from age zero. Original Japanese edition translated by Shufunotomo Co., Ltd., 1969. English translation published by Summy-Birchard Inc., 1983. Miami: Warner Publications.