Either you or someone you know probably suffers from bouts of self-esteem issues, which can really ruin a person’s perspective on things in the long run. Most of us are here as writers and/or visual artists in some capacity, so many of us have had to deal with a “crisis of confidence” in our lives, and for some it’s down-right debilitating.

I’m posting this for two reasons:

1.) I’m definitely one of those people who suffer from a lack of confidence, especially working professionally in the field of visual arts, which has always been a cut-throat industry and saturated with criticism.

2.) I’ve had a few people ask me in the past how I get through a typical season where my self-esteem is at an all-time low, I doubt my skills and work greatly, which generally causes me to question my own self value.

All this being said, these are, of course, my own opinions/suggestions and aren’t in any particular order of importance. Some of these may seem basic, but how often do you actually employ these suggestions?

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I’d say one of the most important points to consider, especially because it is the most underrated. But essentially, the more you do, the better you become at it, and the more confident you feel.

A pitfall many of us tend to slip into, and certainly one of the more detrimental ways of sabotaging any future self-esteem, but it still remains that if you measure yourself against others, you’ll never be satisfied.

90% of success is you just showing up to wherever you’re supposed to be (work, school, family, etc), because sometimes the hardest thing to do every day is to move in the right direction.

Another underrated point. Actually celebrating what you’ve done establishes a level of value, no matter how large or small. Take a moment to appreciate the fruits of your labor.

Who doesn’t want to know something they didn’t know before? Yeah well, it’s also amazing how many people don’t bother. But, whenever you add a level of capability to your tools, it builds confidence and also adds value to you professionally.

: I’m a big believer in this point, as I’ve tried to keep up with exercise & Yoga routines for many years, since it really does help to boost confidence and just general mood. Physiological and psychological health is so important.

Easier said than done for sure, but it still doesn’t dismiss it as being an important part of facilitating your confidence level. While I generally do get a good amount of sleep, it can be rather fractured, meaning I wake up a few times during the night and may never hit a deep sleep. For others, however, insomnia is the cause, but that subject goes beyond the scope of this article. But, if you can get proper rest, than do it.

This can be such a flesh-eating disease, and something I’ve had to really keep in check over the years because, depending on your social environment (online or IRL), it can really pull you down like gravity and weigh heavily. Realistically, like 90% of people really don’t care who you are or what you’re doing anyway, so it’s not worth your time to allow such negative influences to keep you from moving forward. Simple answer? Cut them out and move on.

This point should probably be #1 because there is no better feeling (generally) than helping others in any capacity you can, thereby passing on the positive energy. To quote marketing guru Zig Zigler: “You can get everything you want out of life by helping others to get everything they want out of life.”

I put this last, and while many struggle with this one as well, it’s certainly not the least important. Basically this is telling yourself you "can’t" do something because you’re “too old”, “too uneducated”, “too poor”, etc. It's all in your head.

So there it is. Hopefully the previous points helped you to gain a new perspective on things, and definitely feel free to comment or add your own suggestions that maybe have helped you through self-esteem/confidence issues.

Bumping this thread as I made a small update and also hoping it will come in handy for those of you who struggle with confidence issues, especially those of you who run off of a creative brain! :)

This is really good advice. As someone who's struggled with some of these in the past, I can confirm that life noticeably improves every time you fix little details like these that hold you back.

For me, I'd probably place the most weight on points 3 and 7 to have success in the first place, then point 2 to actually be able to recognize it for what it is (your accomplishments are your own, not a derivative of the success or failure of anyone else), and the rest for boosting confidence. Again, really nice analysis.

@LegendBegins thank you for the wonderful feedback :)

I would agree that "Just showing up" is probably the hardest move for those of us who tend to get stuck in one place by lack of confidence in ourselves.

We will constantly tell ourselves "Why bother?" when in fact we should be asking "Why the hell not?".

Don’t compare yourself to others.

Unless it is something that motivates you and improves your ability in a collaboration.*

Hard to believe it was 4 years ago I wrote this article, and yet I look back and seem to continue tripping over myself on several points XD

As a professional artist working in the industry, I seem to be fighting against myself a lot, especially with what is referred to as "Imposter Syndrome". Something of which a lot of creatives struggle with because we live in an time where we question why we bother to do anything anymore when it can easily be replicated by a computer.

I've certainly been following the "AI art" craze, and while it feels detrimental to the creative world and everything we stand for, I've also found a lot of merits to its existence. It's a tool, like everything else, to inspire and not replace creatives.

Anyway, I hope this thread continues to circulate, and always feel free to add your own struggles that haven't been mentioned. I would like to update the OP eventually...