Creating With Kindness: A Guide to Self-Compassion for Artists

With “hustle culture” and the ever-present temptation of comparison that social media presents, it’s more important than ever for artists to be self-compassionate. But just what is self-compassion? 

According to Dr. Kristin Neff – a researcher and professor of psychology at the University of Texas – self-compassion consists of three main branches: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The opposite of these being: self-judgment, isolation, and over-identifying with pain or trauma. (You can read more about her research on self-compassion here on her website.)

Sound familiar?

The latter of these (self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification) are all common struggles amongst creatives.

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these branches.

Self-Judgment vs. Self-Kindness

As someone who earns a living creating content that is consumed by others, there is always going to be outside judgment about our work. We can all too easily internalize other peoples’ opinions about our work and thereby become self-judgmental. Artists also have a tendency to be harsh on themselves. We can become victims of imposter syndrome and become our own worst critics. 

Instead, we must shift this self-judging mindset to one of self-kindness. The self-critical voice can be the loudest and harshest one of all. Self-kindness can look like replacing that critical voice with a softer, gentler one. 

While rejection and comparison are inevitable as an artist, we must remember that creativity thrives in safe spaces. When we’re too afraid of what others will think, we become too obsessed with making art that will be perceived a certain way. Only when we let go of the fear of failure or judgment can we grow and allow our art to truly come from an authentic place.

Isolation vs. Common Humanity

Being a creative can be isolating, especially if your craft is a solo endeavor. We can begin to feel isolated by our emotions, too. Art is very much an emotional labor. We often allow ourselves to feel intense emotions on a very deep level. Often, we may need to stay in tune with a certain feeling for an extended period of time in order to pour that emotion into our work. 

When we recognize our common humanity, we realize that we’re never alone in our feelings. This can become a powerful inspiration for starting or finishing a work of art. We can see a project to fruition knowing that when we pour our own feelings into our art, it can in turn help others accept and process their own feelings, making them feel less alone in their own personal struggles.

Over-Identification vs. Mindfulness

Because we often pull from places of pain and trauma for our art, we can begin to over-identify with these feelings. Art is a deeply personal process. We can become so attached to our own work that we start to identify with it. It can consume us, and become our entire identity if we allow it.

Instead, we can practice mindfulness by separating ourselves from our art. This allows us to detach from negative feelings outside of working hours. It can also help us to stay emotionally regulated and maintain our mental health.

When we’re dealing with intense or difficult feelings, we can practice intentionally looking at our situation from an outsider’s perspective. When we’re too close to something, we can become reactive. However, when we take a step back to look at a problem with more perspective, we can be more practical in our approach to handling it.

Next, follow these five actionable steps to becoming more self-compassionate as an artist.

Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels