Not feeling motivated is a mental barrier than can be difficult to overcome but if you push through that resistance you’ll be pleased you did in order to achieve your goal.
If you’re struggling with confidence or motivation to enter a competition (like our Artists of the Year competition) then take a look at this helpful list of reasons:
You may have those thoughts saying “no one will like my art, no one will buy my art, my art isn’t good enough”. Try to push away that negative energy and ask yourself if there is any evidence of those thoughts being true? Not everyone is going to like your art, it’s the same with most things in life. So, you can work hard to create artwork to please yourself and everyone with an open mind.
This may be your first art competition or your 10th. Don’t expect to win every time, there are many things that you can learn from an art competition even if you don’t come away with first place. Analyse the situation and ask yourself questions like “What could I improve on?” “Could I improve my tools/techniques?” “What can I learn from the judges/other artists feedback?”. Ask for other people’s opinions and relay that into your next piece of artwork.
When you enter a competition you’re competing not only with other artists but also every previous painting you’ve created to make sure your work is the best you can make it. It gives you the opportunity to stand back and objectively assess your work and see what needs to be improved for this piece to be entered into a competition, but this will help you improve all your work going forward and every competition you enter will push your work that bit further. It can also push you out of your comfort zone so you’re trying new things, whether that’s a new technique, tool, medium, subject or style.
Although many of us aren’t professional artists, many of us aspire to be professional artists and having a portfolio of good quality and up to date images is a great starting off point when opportunity comes knocking. Entering a competition forces you to take the best and most accurate photo of your work and this can then be easily placed in your portfolio, keeping it up to date.
Win or lose, you’ve completed a piece of work you’re proud of to enter this competition. The simple act of completing work can be a real boost to your self-esteem. Just consistently finishing work you’ve started can boost your
Whether or not you win, entering a competition can mean you can appear on websites, blogs, magazines or in art exhibitions. These a re a great way for others to see your work and your name and hopefully decide to work with you in the future. Popularity is something an artist needs to make it in an increasingly desired profession
Why not our enter our Artists of the Year competition, open until May 31st 2023, it’s completely free and the most inclusive challenge of its kind. You can find more information here: Artists of the Year