The Fear Of Changing Your Art Style

I have talked about art styles enough in the past to know that it is a popular topic among artists. And if you are experiencing a fear of changing your art style, this article is for you.

We can’t deny that a unique art style will make you stand out as an artist, and changing the latter might lead you to an identity crisis. But how can we learn through the process of changing our art styles, and could it be done efficiently enough to skip the disadvantages that might go hand in hand with it?

Your art style is the mental side of creating your art

Your art style is what makes your art, yours. The authenticity of your ideas, the subjects you like to focus on, and so on. It’s basically what makes Monet’s art look like Monet’s and Picasso’s like a Picasso.

And you as a person, start to become more like yourself as you grow up (hopefully). I mean experiences, relationships, failures, and every other human encounter leads you to learn more about yourself, your interests, your boundaries, etc., and start to act and choose things that match “you” and speak to you the most. We see this reflected in the outfits we choose to wear, our friends, our platonic and romantic relationships, maybe even our jobs, and the cities we decide to live in. But, when it comes to art, a creative often feels entitled to the art style that they think their audience knows them by.

Everything in life isn’t stagnant, so why is an art style this complicated to change?

Your fear of changing your art style is fully mental. Let’s think of the worst-case scenario… What could perhaps happen if you change your art style?

• Lose your current audience
• Your following/fans think differently of your status as an artist
• People who used to buy your old art style may stop buying from you since you no longer speak to them.

And that’s it. None of these mentioned consequences are even sure to happen and they do happen, it’s all external. I understand the fear of changing your art style if you are making a living solely from your art, because not selling will directly mean starving in the long term. But what could happen if you choose to stay in your art style despite feeling the need to change?

• You will burnout from the mental block of feeling disconnected from your art
• Your art style is part of your identity, and having one part of you that does not match who you are as a person, will hold you back from your full potential
• Feeling bored in the long run will lead you to stop showing up for your art
• The career of a creative is all about experimentation, by being rigid and sticking to your art style, you are depriving yourself of figuring out your next best art.
• You are not listening to your gut and obsessions which causes a separation in your energy

I would personally rather lose a bunch of followers and gain new ones who speak to me and my new art style than have to mentally suffer with a complex relationship with my craft.

New Tools Can Help You Figure Out Your Innate Art Style

Trying a variety of art mediums and tools in the past has helped me navigate my art style and how I relate to it. I can finally say that I do not feel entitled to an art medium or an art style. I feel more like myself in an experimental phase than when I commit to a specific art style and I encourage you to give yourself the margin to be you without having to overthink your social image or what people on Instagram and Tiktok think of you.

A new tool, medium, palette, or art style can hint at new directions your creative journey can go, that you might never have found otherwise.

Every element of your art-making process is just an element, but you are the only one capable of making that art yours.

Conclusion

In your journey as an artist, you are the most important part. Your changing as a human has to lead to your art style changing as well. Everything you ever make will always be in your style (even if your followers think otherwise), as long as you let it flow naturally. Enjoy creating <3