Why Making Art Is So Painful Yet Meaningful (Even These Days)

So today I wanted to lift the spirits of the readers a little by reminding them how painful creating art is (joke).

Yes, it's true—it’s not easy. It takes time to master. It’s frustrating because you don’t always know what to do, even after following tutorials. It’s difficult to find a job doing it, and there are many other reasons why this might not seem like the best choice for making a living, or even as a hobby.

But the good thing about not everyone being able to reach a high skill level quickly or easily is that it creates strong competition in the art industry. Those who can, will have access to more opportunities than those who don't—and I think that’s a good thing. Yes, we now have a bunch of people using tools that allow them to achieve rendering quality that once took years to develop. But art is not just about pretty pictures. Aesthetics are only one part of what art is. The true value of art lies in what you manage to say through those aesthetics. That requires not just the ability to draw or use a tool, but also personal growth. The artist must pursue education and self-development so that their creations don’t become superficial and generic.

I’ve experienced incredibly meaningful emotion through a few rough but beautiful sketches made by a single artist—more than I’ve felt from the most complex piece made by a team of professionals. Because the message was more powerful (like Miyazaki’s poem, "For My Sister").

Not only that, but on a personal level, making art builds resilience. If you manage to try often, even though you’ll fail many sketches before getting a good one, it slowly strengthens you. Because that’s life—you’ll fail, again and again. And the people you see at the top (whatever the top means for you) aren’t there because they stopped feeling pain, but because the pain didn’t stop them. Of course, it’s not just about blindly suffering without awareness, balance, or self-criticism. You have to make the sacrifice, but also pay attention to what’s off—not only in your art, but in your life, because the latter eventually affects how you perform.

Lastly, art is meaningful—at least to me—because to be a good artist, you must be a good observer. No ideologies, no presumptions. Just pay close attention to your surroundings. The artist does not have full control of the creation. They may set some goals (some don’t even do that), and then let the body guess—exploring and playing. But I believe the fuel for that process comes from the artist’s lived experiences: the pain, the beauty, the love, the anger, frustration, joy, and suffering. If the artist has truly experienced and observed these things, they have a chance of manifesting them in their work. That makes it universal, like a language of human experience everyone can understand. Art invites you to live, and to “document” your experience. I believe that’s useful—not only as a way for the artist to express themselves, but as a way for others to connect with something they and we don’t fully understand. Sometimes that leads to bad outcomes, but I want to believe it leads more often to something good.

Anyway, I wanted to make this post public in case there's any useful truth in my words, I want it to reach as many people as possible. Creating art is difficult—but it’s a meaningful mission worth pursuing. Thanks for sticking around.

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Have a great week ahead.