The Difference Between Making Art and Being an Artist
Ever notice how some artists show up boldly with their work while others hold back, even when the quality is there? The difference isn't talent. It's creative confidence, and this roundtable conversation from Savvy Painter breaks down exactly what that means and how to build it.
Table of Contents
1:34 - Defining creative confidence and how it's necessary for artists to create and share their work
6:46 - How you're constantly making art (even if you haven't always been the artistic type)
13:00 - How Alyssa's creative confidence has evolved over time
24:42 - How an evolution in confidence has most recently affected Merrie's and Andrew's art
29:49 - How to distinguish between confidence, self-confidence, and arrogance
33:19 - Can you have too much confidence in your painting or art practice?
40:33 - How confidence has impacted Alyssa's desire to take risks with art
43:03 - Impact of the Growth Studio community on the roundtable participants' confidence
What Creative Confidence Actually Means
Antrese Wood sits down with three Growth Studio members to tackle something every artist wrestles with at some point. Creative confidence isn't about thinking your work is perfect. It's about trusting yourself enough to create and share, even when the outcome is uncertain. Alyssa Marquez, Merrie Koehlert, and Andrew Rea each bring their own journey to the table, and hearing how their relationship with confidence has shifted over time is genuinely illuminating.
Confidence vs. Arrogance
One of the standout moments? The conversation around where confidence ends and arrogance begins. Can you have too much confidence in your practice? The group explores this with honesty, and the answer might surprise you. Spoiler: it's not about dialing back your belief in yourself.
How Community Shapes Your Courage
What struck me most was how much peer support came up throughout the conversation. All three participants talk about how being part of a community of artists has directly impacted their willingness to take risks and push their work further. There's something powerful about being seen and supported by people who understand the creative struggle.
Why This Matters for Your Practice
If you've ever hesitated before sharing your work, held back from submitting to a show, or second guessed your right to call yourself an artist, this episode is for you. The conversation is warm, relatable, and packed with real stories from working artists navigating the same questions you are.
What's one thing that's helped build your creative confidence? I'd love to hear what's made a difference for you.
Very thought provoking and insightful. I guess I have always been an artist even before I was creating my art full time as a photographer because i was always thinking of creating and problem solving in creative ways which may sound odd as I was doing it as an attorney. It was really working with a therapist that caused me to really feel comfortable calling myself and thinking of myself as an artist. I grew up thinking being an artist was a bad thing to be despite my father being an art collector, thus being exposed to artists during my lifetime. Now I can say that I am a confident, sometimes redisent, artist -- ok even a little cocky at times.