Bonus marketing tip: I saw some art on Artstation last weekend and was CONVINCED it was from another artist. I won't say who...but it presents another benefit of focusing on what you enjoy/are good at: If you keep at it long enough, any time someone that tries to copy you, others will just assume it's your work instead! Boom. More free advertising.

hey Josh, one of the things I enjoy about your content is that you speak about the mental/philosophical side of art. You take us through the thought process of being a creative, I feel like you're filling a very important niche that's needed in the community 🙂

Finding your artistic identity is like "finding" your breathe. It's always there, you just stop noticing it.

How did you know I was struggling with this??? Are you in my walls??

This viedo means so much to me. As an artist on the verge of going fulltime to pursue my passion, I find that I may have lost some passion along the way. Finding ideas I'm exited about is getting harder and ... I beleive it's important I go back to what made me strat drawing in the first place and that I talk about it ! Thank you.

I've noticed myself slipping into that change. I noticed that I stopped drawing for fun and kept trying to draw the things I've seen other people like. It causes me to have long art blocks and I barely post anything now. I'm trying to change that and draw what I like the way I like it 😅

Creating an artistic identity means everything to me.

As a hobbyist I'm definitely a different angle than perhaps a lot of the viewers of your channel in that I'm not looking for a career, just personal expression, but nonetheless I love your talks and retrospective self analysis. Some of my favorite pieces I've painted since I started my journey I woke up and got to work on with a coffee in hand without references or planning. Consequently they often have many mistakes and poor anatomy and coloring/shading and over time I'm getting better at instinctually making better decisions when in the flow state. But I love them because they are purely representative of me, for me. I usually don't share them, or only share them with my SO who was wondering what I was working on while listening to blaringly loud music with intense focus for the last two hours. And there is an element of external validation when I create still because in the end I am trying to express my inner thoughts and invite people to share in that, something especially difficult for people on the spectrum like myself to accomplish normally. But social media definitely has a rough way of giving you a negative feedback loop that will cram you into producing what is already identified rather than creating an identity. When I do share things I make I make sure it is things I feel good about. I've posted things in the past that I felt good about and then felt terrible seeing no response to it. I can take that two ways; that I posted it somewhere where people aren't willing to engage with my perspectives and expression, or that I failed to make something worthy of acknowledgment, a trauma many people resonate with and carry. And I do this as a hobby. I can only imagine the crushing pressure to try and do this as a career.

This is helping so much rn. I've always fought against myself when it comes to my own stuff and comparing with others who "made it", or finding an art style or general passion about what I'm doing because social media can be such a downward loop when it comes to comparison etc. Thank you for this talk!

Much love to you bro. As an artist for a few years, I love art because it brings new worlds and lives that people create, allowing viewers to visit. I won't make this long but I know you understand the feeling so thank you for being you and not giving up completely.

I love art. ❤

Im really loving the consistency Josh. I really missed seeing your videos often❤ so thank you

I really love that you've been talking about these kinds of topics and opening up these discussions, especially because it feels really overwhelming on social media lately but I've had a hard time figuring out why. This video and your last video have allowed me to reflect in ways that I was having a hard time doing before, simply because I felt like I wasn't being honest with myself as to why I was feeling so overwhelmed - and I think part of that is because sometimes it feels like I'm the only one feeling some type of way (even though I know logically that isn't true) and it felt like admitting that would be admitting some kind of weakness. I guess I'm just trying to say thank you for your vulnerability and for helping me see that I'm not alone, and that even the artists I admire can struggle with the same things I do!

Truly loving these longer videos

Hi Josh. You allow yourself to be vulnerable and talk about the things that affect you (even though you know they shouldn't) as an artist and how that drags over to your life and your mental health and that's really, really brave. It's really hard to detach from external validation when it comes to our art, we want everyone to understand and feel the time and emotion we pour into every single piece, but just as we're living our lives and come across a lot of content that doesn't mean that much to us, the person behind it took their own soul into it too, and we'll never get that sense either. It's not personal, or about us and out art, just not everyone will understand, so we shall stick to the ones that do. It's a process, to look at metrics and know they dont determine the value of our work, but to get to that point, where you do the art that fullfills you regardless of the response, is to be free. Finding a balance between business and soul is the hardest, but we must get on that journey if we want to have both. Personally, as a fellow artist and part of your metrics, if you keep doing art and pouring your heart out, I'm happy. Do you, your identity is already conquered and you deserve to live it freely.

This was a really insightful video. I really love listening to you speak about your experiences, both because I resonate with what you're saying and also because your voice is super relaxing haha. This and the previous video have made me rethink my approach to art and my own journey with it. Thank you for your wonderful videos! And your art work is absolutely wonderful I love how you capture various poses and in general how you draw the human form.

Oh my god yes. Thank you. I’ve been thinking so much about this recently

Loved this video. As someone who got thoroughly annoyed with Instagram because of its random trends, I used the 'Hide likes' option on all my posts & other people's posts too from my side. By doing so, I'm not judging the artwork because of the number of likes it got, but instead for its authenticity. There was a time when I pursued trends, desperate to get more likes & engagement, but I was losing myself in the process too. So like Miles Morales I said, "Nah, Imma do my own thing" & I've actually improved a lot. Not to mention, slowing down & discovering myself through art has been such an incredible journey ❤

Needed to hear all that, thanks a lot Josh!!

Fantastic video and such an important message :)

going back to basic of expression art. recently, i have started drawing with fine liner again. i have a blast. just simple ink on paper is very satisfied. find something that you really enjoy. finding back the first art experience you were at, which give you a blast. go basic.

Oh. Oh wow. I needed this. Thank you.

I follow you because you put beauty into my feed …and into the world.

yes this is it somehow key is practice anyway but my goal is to be able to switch beetween "my fun" and "for others fun" and i try to find a middle part too

Personally, I follow you because I like both your personality and your art style. The way you stylize while still making things look 3D really inspires me and encourages me to persevere. But if it were only basic tutorials / time-lapses, I wouldn't be watching. Above all, I'm here for your thought process. I like your calm, analytic and sometimes philosophical approach. Even when you talk about practical things like how to learn, you might not say anything really new or groundbreaking, but you bring a quite unique perspective to it that I resonate with more than other content.

CAME HERE FASTER THAN JOSH HCAN SAY SOMETHING WISE 💪

Very inspiring 👌

nice work mate

Smooth and topic we need to build ourselves on. What is that noise on the background, is so satisfying?

As an artist, it feels like intense overwhelm of information to intake and output, as well as so much abstract noise within my head of what I should and shouldn’t do. Yes my identity being tied with my output and consistency of learning. But also everything that comes with comparison on social media. And the doubts of having a career in what I learn within and with how good people are at their craft and AI talk all that. Some people online who tell you to “just quit” or “just grind” is two extremes. The “WHY” of what I do and how much of an effect long term doing art does to you is… well it exists idk.

Great video. Thanks for sharing

Great video thanks 🙏

This is the first video of yours I watched Love it! How long have you been doing art?

im stuck with thinking of an artistic 'brand' rather than an identity, mostly because I spent 3 years doing graphic design and we focused so much on developing brand identities for companies, thats what I do for myself and focus on what might sell rather than what i like since my brain is still in that business creation idea/make money. im trying to do more art for me, and what i like since i do find people tend to react more to it. the more true and honest you can be with an audience(while being safe)the better it is for your brand/identity

Love the video. What’s the stand you’re using for your iPad? That would be super helpful for me when recording my own videos as well 😭

the guy talking abt identity and im here getting happy abt the PEWWWDIEPIIIIEEE little figure

Lol...confession...I come back for the things you think about...and your wonderful voice...the art is wonderful, but I am listening while uploading inaturalist observations!

Hi!!!! isn't it a waste of time for you, every time you take the ipad on and off the stand? in my case I have the sketchboard pro and I find it very tedious to assemble and disassemble (cover included) it when I want to draw or read a comic book.

heyyyyy😃

5:50

U need to get a pop filter and lower the bass on ur mic bro

Thank goodness YT has 1.25x and 1.5x speeds. I'm used to quicker speakers. Love the content otherwise!

I wonder if anybody else here just likes drawing faces and fanart... Or just me?

Bro youve been tracing t*ts for 5 minutes. You good? Dope video tho. 👍

Actually I stopped following you in insta because I didn't see in your drawings the character that you shows here in KZfaq. I know Josh as a wise man who has a goog voice 😁 which means his lines should be confident, but what I saw just pink illustrations with bad anatomy, and sometimes weird drawings of girls. I didn't find that wise or interesting.