Miss Daisy Drawing

Tag: artist

  • How Does People-Pleasing Hold Back Your Artistic Growth?

    In my previous passages, I talked a lot about the connection between drawing, psychology, and neuroscience. Today, I want to continue that conversation and dive into another psychological pattern that quietly—but seriously—holds many artists back: people-pleasing.

    This is a struggle I dealt with for years. If you’re constantly dissatisfied with your work, switching styles all the time, or always chasing the kind of art you think others will like, this video may help you understand the true root of your frustration.

    In this passage, I’ll explain the link between people-pleasing and drawing through three lenses: your psychological mechanisms, your behavioral patterns, and the visual language that shows up in your artwork.

    What Exactly Is People-Pleasing?

    People-pleasing is basically a mindset where you put your own needs aside to avoid conflict, get approval, and keep the peace in your relationships. It usually comes from growing up with emotionally unstable parents, a strict or repressive home, or parents who only gave love and approval if you met certain conditions.

    Typical signs include: Ignoring your true feelings, Struggling to say no, Being extremely sensitive to other people’s reactions, Fear of conflict and overvaluing harmony, Relying on external validation to feel good. One compliment can make your whole day—while a single negative comment can crush you for a week.

    If we summarize people-pleasing in one sentence, it’s this:

    “I must meet other people’s expectations in order to be accepted.”

    In art, that becomes:

    “What will others think?” comes before “What do I want to express?” This mindset affects everything: your artistic motivation, aesthetic judgment, style development, and even your long-term confidence as a creator.

    So, How does People-Pleasing relate to Your Art

    1. Constantly switching styles and losing your authentic voice

    People-pleasers tend to deny their own choices. They study a style, mimic it, master it, then abandon it and move on to another one. Their technical skills grow fast, but their personal style never stabilizes.

    2. Choosing “safe” topics that will get praise

    To earn approval, they prefer drawing subjects that feel universally liked—pretty girls, cute pets, landscapes—while avoiding anything subjective, experimental, strange, or potentially misunderstood. They suppress their true artistic desires in exchange for being liked. This problem is especially common among women, simply because women are often taught—more than men—to be agreeable, well-behaved, and sensitive to others’ expectations.

    3. Perfectionism and harsh self-criticism

    People-pleasers tend to erase and redraw repeatedly, fear showing their work, and get deeply affected by likes and comments. They may create many pieces yet still feel “not good enough” and wonder if they “lack talent.”

    4. People-pleasing visual language

    People-pleasing doesn’t just affect your mind—it shows up in your visual decisions: Art made from a people-pleasing mindset often shows up directly in the visuals:

    the lines tend to be light, hesitant, or repeatedly traced;

    the composition usually places the subject small, pushed into a corner, avoiding the center, with an overall conservative layout.

    In terms of color, you’ll often see soft, low-saturation tones and a fear of using heavy colors like black or anything too bright or intense.

    All these visual traits are essentially reflections of the creator’s inner hesitation, uncertainty, and withdrawal.”

    Why People-Pleasing Can Be Really Damaging to Our Creativity?

    First, it drains our creativity and our willingness to take risks. When we’re constantly worried about how others see us or how they’ll judge our work, we stop expressing ourselves honestly. We play it safe. Our thinking becomes narrow, our imagination shrinks, and we slowly lose that sense of boldness and absurdity that makes art truly alive.

    Second, it suppresses the development of our own artistic style. A personal style is essentially a unique mix of our experiences, preferences, emotions, and the way we perceive the world. But people-pleasing creators focus so much on external approval that they ignore their internal voice. They keep adjusting themselves to fit other people’s expectations — which makes it impossible to settle into a style that’s genuinely their own.

    And third, people-pleasing makes us more prone to burnout. Every piece we create triggers self-doubt. We waste huge amounts of time trying different directions just to avoid making the “wrong” choice. Under the pressure of comparison and the fear of disappointing others, even something we once loved becomes harder to sustain.

    So with all that said, how do we change our people-pleasing tendencies? How do we shift from creating to please others to creating as a form of true self-expression?

    First, people-pleasing creativity is essentially externally driven — we’re constantly pulled around by other people’s feedback. To break out of that pattern, we have to reclaim our own agency and move from external motivation to internal motivation.

    I draw because I enjoy it. I draw to understand myself. I draw to explore new possibilities. I draw because it’s how I express who I am. Our creative purpose should always come from within, not from how others evaluate us.

    Second, when you’re making art, try not to obsessively correct every “wrong” line. Maybe one stroke is off, maybe a patch of color didn’t go as planned, maybe the subject doesn’t look perfectly accurate — but none of that really matters in the final piece. Sometimes the imperfect lines, the mistakes, even the “not-so-realistic” parts carry a kind of raw vitality. Many people actually love those imperfect attempts.

    What really matters is finding people who vibe with your work, instead of polishing yourself endlessly to make others like you.

    Self-doubt and perfectionism are the two major battles people-pleasers must overcome in the creative process.

    Finally, step boldly out of your comfort zone. Try subjects you’ve never drawn before, colors you’ve never used, compositions you’ve never attempted. Experiment with new mediums, make messy sketches, create things with no goal at all. These don’t need to become finished artworks, and you don’t have to show them to anyone. Just quietly observe: What did I learn from these experiments? Which attempts give power to my creative voice?

    The purpose of creating is self-exploration, self-expression, and self-growth —not to submit our work like an exam waiting for others to grade.

    People-pleasing only starts to fade when we understand and accept that it’s normal — and not a big deal — if others don’t like us. That’s when we truly reclaim our own sense of self.”

    I Hope you find this video helpful. If you enjoy my content, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. You’re also welcome to share your own thoughts on art in the comment section.

  • Why You’re Not Improving… Even After Years of Drawing


    Today I want to talk about a question almost every Art hobbyist eventually asks: Why does it feel like I’ve been drawing for so long, yet I’m not improving at all?
    Does this mean I have no talent? Am I just not meant for art?

    I’ve taken countless detours on my own art journey. I’ve doubted myself many times. But eventually, I discovered three core truths about artistic progress. And today, I’m sharing these truths with you, no filters and no holding back.

    First: unlike many other subjects, drawing does not follow a linear learning path, and it doesn’t have a single, unified standard of evaluation.

    For example, I once spent a period of time teaching myself piano, and I realized something important: piano has a highly structured learning system. You start with the foundational method books, then gradually move through levels like Czerny 599, 299, 749, and beyond. Notes, rhythms, and mistakes are concrete—you can immediately hear what’s right and what’s wrong. Just like solving a math problem or spotting a spelling error, the feedback is clear, specific, and traceable.

    But drawing doesn’t work like that.

    A line that looks “wrong” to one viewer might be completely intentional from the artist’s perspective. When Impressionism first appeared, critics dismissed it as “unfinished scribbles” and accused it of “destroying traditional art.”

    When Fauvism emerged, critics called the artists “savages” and said their canvases looked like “a child’s paint box exploded.” Yet today, these works are not only masterpieces—they changed the course of art history.

    This is why learning to draw is fundamentally an act of exploration and experimentation. There is no single answer key. And you don’t need to invalidate yourself because you don’t fit someone else’s standard.

    Second: the fact that modern art has no absolute standard does not mean we can skip learning the basics.

    In school, we briefly learn about lines, shapes, value, color theory, composition, and so on. But most of us never truly reflect on how these visual languages relate to our own work.

    Without that understanding, we end up mechanically chasing realism—“making it look like the reference”—instead of actually creating.

    To grow as an artist, we must also study and reflect on what artists throughout history have already attempted. Only when we stand on the shoulders of giants can we innovate further.

    Third: most people lack a habit of reviewing their work and reflecting on their mistakes.

    Many artists, including my past self, get obsessed with posting drawings for likes, hoping for that quick hit of validation. There’s nothing wrong with sharing—but the problem is stopping there.

    A common misconception is: “The more you draw, the better you’ll get.”
    Or, “If your art isn’t improving, it’s because you’re not working hard enough.”
    This is the same kind of nonsense as saying “If you’re not successful, it’s because you didn’t work hard enough.”

    In reality, repeating mistakes without reflection only reinforces them.
    Some people even throw away old drawings, then unknowingly make the exact same mistakes in the next piece.

    Instead, we need to review our work deliberately:
    What exactly improved?
    What exactly fell short?
    Was it composition? Layering? Edges? Could the trees, the shapes, the light be expressed differently?

    Even great artists don’t create masterpieces every time. So don’t be too hard on yourself. But reflection is what consistently improves your craft—and helps you grow into your own artistic voice.

    To sum up what we just talked about:, First, don’t judge yourself too quickly against some “universal standard” or fixed answer. Second, focus on learning the language of art and studying other artworks systematically—draw from a creative perspective, rather than just trying to make things look realistic. Third, reflect on your own work regularly. Analyzing what worked, what didn’t, and where you’ve improved will help you progress much further.

    I’m Daisy, a storyteller who records and shares art. If you enjoy my content, feel free to like, subscribe, and comment below. You can also tell me your thoughts, your struggles, or anything art-related. I hope my words and drawings can bring you inspiration on your own creative journey.

  • What Art Teaches Us That School Never Will

    There’s a common belief that studying art is a waste of time. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘Studying art is useless? In the end, you’ll only be teaching it to others in a training class’? I started a bachelor’s degree in management and then a master’s in fine arts, and along the way, I discovered some deep truths about art that no one ever talks about.

    I’m not trying to change your opinion about art; I just hope that by reading this, you can discover the meaning of learning art for yourself.

    First, most people don’t realize—and textbooks will never tell us—that painting and art have actually supported the development of modern society. I don’t want to repeat the usual phrases like “art improves your aesthetic sense” or “enhances your observation skills.” I want to show you how artistic movements, sometimes seeming far removed from daily life, have repeatedly driven societal change, influenced technology, design, and thought, and even shaped the course of human civilization.

    Did you know?

    160 years ago Impressionism opened up modern visual language and changed the way people see the world. By introducing the concept of “fleeting light and color,” Impressionists transformed how we experience painting—it’s not just about realism anymore, it’s about feeling. This shift influenced photography, film cinematography, advertising, and lighting design.

    100 years ago The Bauhaus movement in Germany emphasis on functionalism, minimalism, and geometric forms shaped industrial product design, furniture, architecture, and even city planning. The objects we use every day, our homes, and our modern sense of aesthetics all owe a lot to this movement.

    70 years ago Pop Art brought elite art into everyday life, creating mass culture and a visual language for the consumer age. Andy Warhol and Pop Art brought commercial visuals into the art world, influencing advertising, packaging, and popular culture—and shaping the era of brands and consumerism.

    Think about it: the choices we make in daily life—our phones, furniture, cars, appliances, clothing, even product packaging—are all influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by these artistic movements. If you want to understand how modern art has shaped human society, you could fill a whole book and still barely scratch the surface.

    Second, no other subject teaches you to challenge authority and create your own language like painting does. Many people who haven’t studied art assume, “Painting is just making something look like the real thing.” But this idea was overturned over 200 years ago. Modern art is no longer about replication—it’s a tool for questioning rules, breaking conventions, and inventing new forms of expression.

    Francis Bacon once wrote in The Advancement of Learning:

    “History makes a man wise; poetry makes him witty; mathematics makes him precise; natural philosophy makes him deep; ethical studies make him grave; and logic and rhetoric make him able to contend.”

    Today, painting gives us the space to challenge authority visually and create new languages. If most school subjects teach standardized answers and demand conformity, painting does the opposite—it allows you to be different, and you will never be the same as anyone else.

    People often criticize art because they’re used to uniformity and afraid of individuality.

    Third, art is a medium for self-exploration and emotional expression.

    I often say that painting isn’t just a professional art—it’s also a kind of play, and even a form of therapy. When we paint, it helps us ease anxiety, calm our worries, and release stress. Painting isn’t just about technique; it’s a way to explore ourselves.

    Especially in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, where anyone could face uncertainty or job instability, scrolling through videos or chasing consumerism isn’t enough—we need a way to process and soothe our emotions. Painting satisfies our creative urges, goes beyond pure utilitarianism and Materialism provides deep spiritual fulfillment. It’s an essential part of the human experience, making our life richer, meaningful, and more human.

    If you haven’t yet experienced these three incredible aspects of painting, now is the perfect time to discover the true magic of art.

    I Hope you find this content helpful. If you enjoy my content, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave a comment. You’re also welcome to share your own thoughts on art in the comment section.

  • 3 Practical Tips to Select Your Ideal Art Medium

    In my last content, How to Discover Your Unique Artistic Style I talked about how to find your own artistic style. Today, I want to continue that conversation and tackle a challenge almost every art lover faces: How do you choose the right art medium for yourself?

    Many art lovers switch mediums every once for a while. You spend some time with acrylics, then fall in love with watercolor. You practice watercolor for a while, then suddenly the iPad looks very tempting. This constant switching can become one of the biggest obstacles to developing a stable and recognizable artistic style.

    And this isn’t just a beginner problem. Even trained art students experience this.
    Oil painters fall in love with the texture of ink. Watercolor students discover printmaking and never look back. Switching mediums isn’t wrong. In fact, choosing your medium is a journey of self-understanding.

    Your personality, your temperament, and your preferences—all of these are hidden in the style you are about to create. 

    So today, I want to share three practical methods to help you choose a medium that truly fits you.

    First. Explore widely before you decide.

    Do not judge yourself “I’m not good at it” before you’ve even tried. The sensory experience each medium gives you is the most honest indicator of whether it fits you.

    Spend some time exploring different mediums: graphite, colored pencils, watercolor, markers, oil pastels, acrylic, soft pastels, ink—anything you can find.

    Pay attention to the experience: the bold colors of acrylic, the fluid unpredictability of watercolor, the tactile texture of graphite, the soft, dreamy feel of pastels. 

    Try them systematically, and document how each one makes you feel. After exploring, choose the medium that creates effects you love and one you naturally handle well.

    Second. Start with the medium you feel most comfortable with.

    Your medium doesn’t have to be expensive or trendy. It just needs to be something you can easily pick up every day—a pencil, a basic watercolor set, or acrylic on canvas.

    The more familiar you become with your medium, the easier it is to stay consistent. And consistency—not expensive supplies—is what separates amateurs from artists.

    Growth comes from steady practice, reflection, and understanding the materials in your hands.

    Lastly. iPad drawing is an extension—not a replacement.

    Digital drawing is powerful. It combines the expressive possibilities of traditional mediums with modern convenience. But for beginners, the endless options—brushes, textures, layers—can be overwhelming.

    And no matter how advanced digital tools are, they cannot fully replace the tactile, physical textures of traditional mediums.

    So if you’re new to drawing, or if you want to build a unique artistic voice, traditional mediums remain the best training ground.

    I often find connections between drawing and life—how they influence and mirror each other. I hope sharing these reflections can inspire you and your own creative journey.

  • How to Discover Your Unique Artistic Style

    If you love drawing, or you’ve just started learning it, you might find yourself constantly switching between different mediums—colored pencils, watercolor, the iPad, and so on. Your subjects may jump from portraits to landscapes to small everyday objects. If this sounds familiar, you need to read this article. What I’m sharing today is the result of decades of learning art and falling into countless traps along the way. This passage can easily save you ten years of detours.

    For Many beginners—or even hobbyists who have been drawing for a while—will face the same struggle: when you look at other artists’ work, you feel genuinely envious of their unique styles. Some artworks feel wildly imaginative, some are incredibly powerful in color, some tell strong stories, some show amazing technical skill. Some pieces look simple, yet feel warm and comforting. All of them have something special—something that makes us pause and admire. That “special something” is the artist’s style.

    So, how do you develop your own artistic style? Almost every creator asks this question. But here’s what you need to know: style isn’t something you can “think” your way into. You can fabricate a style through shortcuts, but you’ll quickly get bored of it and abandon what you made up. A lasting, authentic style requires exploration and trial and error. It emerges naturally from long-term creation, shaped by your interests, your personality, and your life experiences.

    So, how do you actually find your style?

    First, style doesn’t start with technique—it starts with preference. Begin with the medium you love most or feel most comfortable with. Starting today, pay attention to what draws you in: the fluid unpredictability of watercolor, the texture of colored pencils, and so on. Notice which subjects feel most natural to draw, and what you want to express through them. The things that repeatedly show up in your work—that’s your preference.

    Second, don’t rush to be “original.” Most artists’ styles begin through imitation. Imitation isn’t stealing—it’s part of learning the language of art. Copy the use of color, brushwork, or composition of the artists you admire. Even when you imitate, you’ll discover that part of the work still carries something uniquely yours. That “irreplaceable difference” is the seed of your style.

    Third, you need volume. Style doesn’t come from thinking—it comes from making. With ten pieces, it’s hard to see any pattern. With a hundred, patterns start to appear. With a thousand, your style will grow on its own. All the imperfect pieces, ugly sketches, and failed attempts—they’re all part of the puzzle. Quantity pushes you toward quality.

    Fourth, your style comes from your life. Your travels, the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the books you read, the emotions you’ve experienced, the pain and joy you’ve gone through—all of these shape the way you understand the world. The richer your life becomes, the more unique your expression will be. Art isn’t a stack of techniques—it’s a concentration of experiences. Your unique life experiences and personal insights will naturally show up in your artwork. 

    Fifth, style takes time—and patience. Don’t chase a style too quickly by forcing special effects or gimmicks. A manufactured style is fragile and won’t last. True style is something you can’t escape from, even when you’re not trying. It shows up in your unconscious choices, in the marks that grow naturally over the years.

    The way we find our artistic style mirrors the way we find our path in life. First, record yourself frequently. Observe your interests and tendencies to identify your real preferences. Second, look for people you admire—whether they’re celebrities, artists, or business leaders—and learn from how they think and act. Third, there are no shortcuts in life. Only through trial and error can you gradually get closer to your true direction. Lastly, discovering yourself takes time. Some people have strong support—good education or financial stability—but most of us must rely on persistence and effort. Flowers don’t bloom overnight. And once you find your path, you need patience and conviction to stay on it.

  • The Most Important Skill for Today’s Artists Isn’t Realism II

    Building on the previous content The Most Important Skill for Today’s Artists Isn’t Realism  I – last time we looked at the limitations of hyper-realistic painting from the perspective of art history and the artist’s creative process.

    In this episode, I want to shift to the art market and the audience, and explore why, today, the pursuit of extreme realism isn’t just outdated, but may actually run against the direction of our time.

    Let’s start with a simple question:

    If you wanted to hang a painting in your home, would you choose a highly realistic portrait or a traditional landscape Painting？

    I believe most young people wouldn’t choose either.

    And the reason is pretty simple.

    No matter what your interior design style is, realistic paintings and modern home aesthetics belong to two completely different visual languages. Put them together and there’s a subtle, indescribable sense of mismatch.

    That’s why many people are more inclined to choose an abstract or geometric piece—even if they can’t understand it at all—as home décor.

    Modern viewers actually gravitate toward abstract, geometric, and ambiguous works.

    Even when the content is unclear, the artwork fits the space. It fits the mood.
    Its functional role matters more than its storytelling role.

    But why is that?

    It’s because our entire visual environment—architecture, furniture, product design—has been deeply influenced by the Bauhaus design movement of early 20th-century Germany.

    Bauhaus emphasized one core principle: “form follows function.”
    Meaning: function comes first, form and decoration come second.

    The high-rise buildings we see everywhere today—dominated by straight lines and almost zero ornamentation—are direct results of this philosophy.

    To accommodate more people and improve spatial efficiency, simplicity became the mainstream aesthetic.

    And Scandinavian furniture, IKEA’s clean lines, all those minimalist, functional designs—they are everyday extensions of Bauhaus thinking.

    Once you understand this, it becomes clear why today’s art market favors decorative, highly stylized works over hyper-realistic figurative paintings.

    Of course, every style has its own audience. This isn’t a value judgment, but a trend analysis: what kinds of works are more likely to be chosen and collected by the general public.

    So what do today’s art audience actually favor ?

    In an era dominated by short-form videos, endless visual feeds, and decreasing attention spans, what grabs people first is always form, not content.

    Or, you could say that content itself becomes part of the form.

    In today’s visual culture, the two are almost inseparable.

    In the next content, I’ll talk about why AI will not truly replace painting.

    I’m Daisy, a storyteller who loves and shares art. I hope my words and drawings inspire your own creative journey .