I started learning stuff about anatomy a few months ago. To take the complexity of the human body and make it manageable. And I am not through with the topic, but I’m making progress.

What does this mean to you? Whether you’re an artist or not, here’s what you might be able to learn about making progress. My summary: Be a child! In 5 different ways:

1. Just start!

   Children don’t overthink things, they oftentimes just do stuff. The more you think about it, it can be intimidating to have a blank page or that messy room in front of you. Where do you start? What if you mess up? Don’t get stuck here, or you won’t get anything done and you’ll beat yourself up. Just start.

2. Look around you, be amazed!

   I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: the way you “see” will impact the way you live. If you go through life and refuse to really look around you, you’ll be passive, bored, and boring. And you won’t be motivated to get much done. If, however, you go through life like a curious child, you’ll be amazed at the most mundane stuff. That will moviate you, that will make you interesting.

3. Make a mess!

   Be prepared to mess up. In order to write, you need to write. In order to clean, you need to clean. In order to study, wait for it… you need to study. And when you “do” that thing, it’ll make a mess. And that’s essential, as long as you…

4. Learn from your mistakes!

   Just because you make messes, doesn’t mean you should be a mindless godzilla. When you try something, take a step back. Think: What works about this? What doesn’t work? Children ideally have adults to help them with this step. But even they don’t “just” play, they also grow by instruction. If you want to mature, start implementing this step on your own. And don’t be afraid of constructive criticsm. Assume you are always a “child” that can learn something. And finally…

5. Be confident, even when you’re “not there, yet”

   Whatever it is, you will hopefully discover that you are not “there yet”. However, that shouldn’t make you dissapointed or embarrassed. So no, don’t be content with the status quo, but at the same time, appreciate your “now”. Look at it and see the good stuff about it. And dare to say without shame “that’s good!”. This will not only keep up morale, it will also help people around you to take your work and what you do seriously.

Whatever you’re doing, stay creative. And as I always say, have a great day!

Anatomy

External Oblique Muscles

Rectus Abdominus Muscle

Pectoralis-Muscles

Sketch off of a Drawing by Peter Paul Ruebens