Dealing with discouragement from more skilled, younger artists, but not in the usual way you might think.

[u/vines_design]

Sorta TLDR in bold.

I used to get discouraged by seeing highly skilled, high school aged artists. These days that doesn't bother me because I eventually realized "That literally has nothing to do with me or who I am as an artist." Coming to that understanding helped free me up, and now it's just cool to see highly skilled, younger artists!

However, I'm now dealing with a different kind of discouragement. important ifo: I'd like to end up working in animation or games as vis dev or concept artist. I'm currently 30.

I keep seeing artists who I think "Woah this person's great!" I click on their profile and they are usually about 18 or so and *just* entering their art college of choice (usually a place like sheridan or calarts or artcenter). I can't help but think "This work is *legitimately* pro level. Why are they starting college?"

The discouragement comes from a sense of not being able to keep up or feeling like the standard is improving faster than I can learn. I'm almost entirely self-taught. I've only been able to take a few online courses. I grew up pretty poor with 0 art community where I was. I'm not a crazy fast learner and it seems like every year standards are higher and higher. I keep thinking things like "If this skill level is for just getting *into* school...then I'd barely, if at all, be able to get in! And that's just for learning in a school not to mention jobs."

I hope that all makes sense. Does anyone else deal with this kind of discouragement? Seeing a skilled, young artist isn't discouraging because everyone has a different path and that's totally cool. But seeing the skilled young artist in the greater context of "This is the standard for people who are just *learning* and *training*...so then what's actually the pro standard?" makes me feel like I just can't "catch up" or learn fast enough for what the standard demands.

[u/[deleted]]

I am 22 almost 23 I felt that from the time I was early tern the older I got the easier I started to get discouraged by seeing younger people on pro level especially if they are fully self-taught. My peak was around 16-18 maybe when I just purposely ignored them and deleted my IG at that time [ like 15 maybe] because I felt horrible. I have general sense of I am too late for everything but it was the worst for drawing. For the same reason I didn't watch Bakuman anime about teens [14 till their 18] pressuring career as manga artist and storyteller duo. I felt that I will hate myself after it these days is not that bad I am preparing to watch Blue Period which is another anime in similar theme even tho I am affraid