12 Lies Artists Are Told, And the Truth That Sets Us Free

For many artists, the journey can feel like swimming upstream. Whether it’s gatekeeping in the art world, internalized self-doubt, or outdated myths about what it means to be “legit,” the noise is loud. But when we dig deeper, and look to artists throughout history and today, we can dismantle these myths, one by one.

Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie and I’m here to remind you: you’re already an artist.

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Here’s a listicle celebrating your creative freedom, alongside truths to replace the lies, and action steps to reclaim your power as an artist.

1. You Need a Degree to Be a “Real” Artist

The Lie: Only people with formal training count as professional or serious artists.
The Truth: Talent, dedication, and your voice, not a diploma, make you an artist.

Let’s talk about Grandma Moses, who began painting in her 70s with no formal training, yet became an American icon. Or contemporary painter Njideka Akunyili Crosby (nnn-jee-deh-car AH-koon-yee-lee Crosby), whose deeply personal work draws from Nigerian and Western influences, and challenges traditional academic expectations.

Action Step: Write a list of your art education: books, YouTube tutorials, trial and error, workshops, and even childhood doodles. This is proof of your dedication: you are already an artist!

2. Only Gallery Artists Are Serious Artists

The Lie: If your art isn’t hanging in a white-cube gallery, you’re not “really” doing it.
The Truth: Serious art can be made, and sold, in bedrooms, basements, cafes, online, and community spaces.

Faith Ringgold stitched stories into quilts long before they were accepted into fine art institutions. Her work was deeply rooted in storytelling and activism, not market trends.

Also think back to the Impressionist movement: the artists were constantly rejected by institutional standards so they created their own exhibition.

Action Step: List 3 places your art could live beyond traditional galleries and tell me them in the comments below. A community center, a coffee shop, your own website. Being visible doesn’t require gatekeepers’ permission.

3. You Have to Draw Every Single Day

The Lie: If you miss a day, you’re not disciplined or committed.
The Truth: Consistency can be gentle. Progress isn’t all-or-nothing.

Frida Kahlo painted through chronic illness and trauma, often from bed. She didn’t draw daily, she created when she could. That doesn’t make her any less powerful.

I also encourage you to have a near-daily minimum instead of large expectations that are easier to miss. I have an entire article about that here. When we give ourselves grace, but also make a consistent effort, we see greater results (not to mention it enjoy it more, too).

Action Step: Redefine consistency. Commit to something realistic like 10 minutes most days. Create a flexible art habit that supports your life, not shames it.

4. You Shouldn’t Post Your Bad Art

The Lie: Only polished, perfect work deserves to be shared.
The Truth: Growth is more relatable, and inspiring, than perfection.

Sharing “bad” art can build trust and transparency. Look at Lisa Congdon, who began drawing at age 31 and openly shares her early work alongside her thriving career today. Imperfection invites connection.

People are impressed by growth and improvement. It’s inspiring! So why not share it with others?

Action Step: Post an older piece or unfinished sketch with a caption about what you learned. You’re not performing perfection: you’re documenting growth.

5. You Need to Find “Your Style” Before Making a Portfolio

The Lie: Without a consistent, recognizable style, you can’t be taken seriously.
The Truth: Style develops through making, not waiting.

Hilma af Klint, long overlooked in art history, created hundreds of spiritual, abstract works before abstraction was “a thing.” Her early work didn’t look like her later masterpieces, and that’s okay.

I highly encourage artists to explore art in series: a group of 5-25 works that encompass a specific theme or medium, for example. This allows people to feel a sense of progression as well as accomplishment because there is a clear beginning, middle and end of the project. This also opens the door to new ideas, and new explorations of style, which lead to new series. And this is how you start to look professional with your art.

Action Step: Curate a portfolio that reflects your exploration. Label it “Works in Progress” or “Studies in Style.” Don’t wait to be “ready”let your portfolio show your journey.

6. Self-Taught = Second-Best

The Lie: Artists without degrees are hobbyists, not professionals.
The Truth: Being self-taught often means being self-led, resourceful, and adaptable.

Yayoi Kusama, despite being institutionalized and marginalized, built an empire of immersive installations that inspire millions, all without the art world’s early support.

Action Step: Reframe “self-taught” as a badge of honor. Write your creative origin story and share it. Show others that self-guided learning is not lesser, it’s proof of resilience.

7. Your Art Has to Be Perfect to Sell

The Lie: People only buy flawless masterpieces.
The Truth: People buy art because it moves them.

Artists like Mickalene Thomas and Kara Walker create challenging, layered, often intentionally “raw” work that sells and shifts culture. Perfection is a moving target, but meaning is timeless.

When I was working on my first solo exhibition I started by doing these small, timed sketches. I had no intention of putting them in the show; it was an activity to warm me up and get me thinking about composition as well as to study the faces of the women I would be painting.

It was only when a friend (thanks Nikki!) told me they should be mounted and included in the show that I realized people might like them. And funny enough, I sold almost all of those drawings. We make all kinds of assumptions about our art, but really we have no clue which art of ours is going to resonate with our collectors or the public. So why not let them decide?

Action Step: Choose one piece you like but haven’t shared or listed for sale. Put it out there on your personal FB, in FB marketplace, or on your Instagram. Let your audience decide its value, you might be surprised.

8. You Should Wait Until You’re “Ready”

The Lie: You need more time, training, or confidence before starting that project.
The Truth: Readiness is a myth. Growth comes from doing.

Alice Neel, a figurative painter, didn’t receive critical acclaim until her later years, but she painted for decades anyway, through rejection, loss, and self-doubt.

The more I teach and the more I make art, the more I realize confidence comes from action. We can spend hours hypothesizing, or watching all the tutorials so we know HOW something works, but none of it really sinks in until we do it ourselves. Pencil in hand, brush to canvas… that’s how we improve and make stronger art.

Action Step: Start now. Choose the next small step: pick up your brush, sketch an idea, sign up for that art fair. Then tell us what you did in the comments below. I want to celebrate you! Readiness follows action, not the other way around.

9. Sketchbooks Are Only for Good Drawings

The Lie: Your sketchbook should look like a Pinterest masterpiece.
The Truth: Sketchbooks are for you: not the internet.

Louise Bourgeois filled journals with drawings, ideas, and emotional processing. Her sketchbooks were laboratories, not galleries.

For years I felt like something was wrong with my sketchbooks because they are far from pretty. And my desire to have pretty pages interfered with my use of them. I’ve had to create new processes so I loosen up and don’t get so perfectionist about each page, because we ALL need a place to brainstorm, practice techniques, and develop ideas.

I recently created an entire episode on this topic called Messy Sketchbooks, Masterpieces Later. Check it out here.

Action Step: Give yourself a “messy sketchbook challenge.” Fill five pages with experiments, mistakes, or wild ideas. Date them. Let it be your private playground, not a performance.

10. If It Doesn’t Sell, It Wasn’t Worth Making

The Lie: Art only matters if it’s monetized.
The Truth: Art has intrinsic value, even if it’s never bought.

The poet and artist Etel Adnan (ee·tel uhd·naan) painted small, luminous landscapes for decades alongside her writing, not for sales, but for love. Many artists, especially women and mothers, make work that feeds the soul, not a market.

Deep in my heart, maybe yours too?, I know art is part of expressing our humanity. It’s why I recently answered the question: if the world’s on fire, why should I make art? Children with limited or no access to play as children are more likely to commit acts of violence as adults. Making art, and modeling making art to others, helps make this world a better place (with or without the sale of the work).

Action Step: Reflect on the most meaningful piece you’ve made. Why did you make it? Who did it impact? Write that down; I’d love for you to share it with us in the comments below. Let purpose, not profit, be your compass.

11. You Can’t Make a Series Without a “Deep Concept”

The Lie: Every art series needs a philosophical manifesto.
The Truth: A series can be based on curiosity, color, repetition, or just what you love.

Contemporary painter Amy Sherald paints Black Americans in vibrant clothing against flat backgrounds, not because of a “deep” concept she’s forced, but because her visuals say enough. Let joy and intuition guide your themes.

I taught IB Art to high school students for 9 years. It’s a 2 year program designed to help students create a body of artwork for exhibition. And when I found it, students who committed first to the idea or concept felt much more restricted than students who followed their interest and then looked at their art for themes reflected in the work. THEN they could make future choices for future works to be in alignment with decisions they were naturally making.

Action Step: Create 3–5 pieces around one element, like red paint, hands, or windows. See what patterns emerge. Let your making lead the meaning.

12. You’re Too Late

The Lie: If you didn’t go to art school young, it’s too late to start.
The Truth: You are right on time.

We’ll end where we started, with Grandma Moses. She began at 76 and painted over 1,500 works before her death at 101. Your story is still unfolding. 

How many pieces are simmering inside, crying to be expressed inside of you?

Action Step: Write down one reason you can start today: not despite your age or path, but because of it. You bring a perspective no one else can.

The Truth That Sets Us Free

There’s a lot of noise out there trying to define what it means to be an artist. You must have a degree, you must use this medium, you must… the list goes on and on. But your creative journey doesn’t need permission, polish, or perfection. It’s scarcity thinking designed to keep you playing small. 

The next time you hear one of these myths whispering in your mind, remind yourself: you’re not falling for that propaganda anymore. You’re too busy making your art.

Which piece of today’s conversation resonated with you the most? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below.

✨ Now go make something.

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