If you’re just getting started on your art journey—or if you’re feeling stuck along the way—you may be struggling with finding your personal art style. Perhaps you started off creating realistic portraits but you’re finding it too tedious, or maybe you’re wondering if abstract art could work for you. No matter your current circumstance, the following questions can help you find your authentic style. Even years into my art career, I still ask myself these same questions to get unstuck.

What am I trying to say?

If you’re feeling stuck in your craft, it may be because you aren’t feeling inspired and you don’t know what your message is. What feelings are you trying to evoke? What emotions do you want to tap into? Storytelling and art are inherently intertwined; when you see a piece of abstract art, you may concoct a narrative for it, even without any figures or identifiable elements. So think about what the story is that you want your art to tell. For example, the majority of my paintings revolve around the themes of nostalgia, loneliness, and introspection. These are feelings that have played a dominant role in my life, so conveying them through art comes naturally. How do I do that? I try to capture these themes in every aspect of the painting.

Subject: I paint urban areas that are usually densely populated, and I remove all of the people. This gives a sense of eerie quiet.

Colour palette: I use a limited, naturalistic palette of red, yellow, blue, black, and white. I stay away from paint colours that are unnatural, as they can look too modern. I want my paintings to look like a vintage photograph. This helps capture some of that nostalgia.

High contrast light and shadow: The long shadows created by the late afternoon sun will always remind me of childhood summers. I put a lot of emphasis on strong natural light sources and bold shadows.

Framing: This is a bit harder for me to explain, but I try to make the focus of my paintings feel like a moment of tunnel-vision, like something mundane has drawn me in. I find that painting ordinary subjects and framing them as salient revives the childlike habit of taking the time to hyperfocus on something unremarkable.

The high contrast between light and shadow evokes memories of being home alone during summer vacation, while the naturalistic colour palette creates a sense of realism.

If you know what you want to say, it’s much easier to find your style. All you have to do is gear your art process toward your message.

What am I not enjoying about my current art process?

Seriously, creating art doesn’t have to be difficult. You may have noticed that some of your best work came easily to you, and that’s no fluke—that’s you tapping into your natural gifts. Examining what is frustrating you within your art practice can help you find your path. Do you hate colour mixing? Try a limited or monochrome palette. Do you find it impossible to capture someone’s likeness in a portrait? Steer away from realism and try something impressionist. Are you always feeling bogged down by the detail work? Do an entire painting with a palette knife. Give yourself permission to stop doing the things you hate. Art is about creation and enjoyment. Your authentic style will feel freeing.

This oil painting was a departure from my usual medium of gouache. Despite taking a fraction of as much time to complete, it has been one of my most popular paintings.

What am I afraid of?

Ah, yes—we’re going to open that door. Creating art (and especially sharing it) is a deeply personal thing. You may even feel exposed on some level. Being truly authentic and explorative in your art requires bravery; it demands that you look in the mirror and showcase your insides. This is obviously terrifying. When I’m feeling stuck in my practice, I ask myself what I’m afraid of. Why am I not taking more risks? Why am I not pushing myself to experiment? The big reasons for me are always the same:

I’m afraid of failing
I’m afraid of judgement
I’m afraid of deviating from what I know I can do well.

Fear controls so much of our decision making. I still have never attempted abstract art because I am afraid to fail at it. So, rest assured, you are not alone in your fears. You cannot find your voice as an artist without failing first. If your fears are holding you back from experimenting, your only way out is through. Try creating something low-stakes on a scrap piece of newspaper or a cheap canvas. Take the pressure off. Give yourself permission to make something truly hideous, and then laugh about it after.

Final note

When you see other artists’ work on social media or in galleries, it can seem like their entire body of work is seamlessly cohesive. It may even seem like their art has always looked the same, like they started their series of moody collages right out of the womb. What you see is likely a sliver of what they have created though. There are probably many failed paintings and projects in the crevasses of their desk drawers, and many dead ends they ventured down. All of this is necessary, but it usually goes unseen. Furthermore, there are lots of great artists who have changed their style many times over—just take a look at Picasso! He had entire periods of completely different styles and subjects, and that doesn’t deter us from taking his work seriously. In fact, it makes it feel genuine, like it’s a natural product of the human experience. The three images below show how much his style varied from one painting to the next, and how much freedom he allowed himself to experiment. Finding your style can be a lifelong process, even for the masters. So find your voice, look inward, and take risks!