As a child I played soccer. And in high school: field hockey. 

Sport was a great way for a kind-of only child (kid with much older siblings) to have connections with peers, be physically active and play. Recently I started thinking about the connection between sport and…art! How can we use the strategies employed by athletes to improve our art? What can we learn from sport that will help us get closer to the goals we hold for your art?

Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie. Here on Artist Strong, I help self-taught artists with home studios who feel stuck with their art move from wondering what’s next to confidently expressing themselves through unique, original art. To date, thousands have joined the community.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If you feel like gaps in your learning hold you back from making your best art, sign up and watch my workshop, “How to Create Art from Your Imagination.” It’s completely free, and the link is in the description below.

Today let’s discuss 4 strategies artists can use to improve their art, inspired by sport.

1. Athletes Train Regularly

Athletes commit to a rigorous training schedule to prepare for competition. This isn’t just about raw talent; it’s about practice, repetition, and refining their skills over time. They follow structured training programs, often guided by experienced coaches, and maintain a consistent routine.

Professional athletes can spend most of their days training for either the big game, or the main event. They spend time doing exercises that they may not even enjoy because they know it will help their performance, and they love the sport.

Even at the high school level we trained most days after school.

As an artist, how do you train?  

– Do you have a regular practice schedule?  

– Are you intentional about your artistic growth?  

– Do you set aside dedicated time to hone your skills and explore new techniques?

– Have you found ways to cope with and embrace the sometimes hard and boring parts of reaching new levels with your art?

Think of your art practice as your training ground. Consistency is key. Whether it’s sketching daily, experimenting with different mediums, or studying the masters, a disciplined approach can fast-track your progress.

Consider Pablo Picasso, who is often celebrated for his versatility and prolific output. Picasso’s daily practice of drawing, painting, and experimenting across styles was integral to his development. He famously said,

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”

This quote underscores the importance of regular practice—Picasso believed that creativity flourished through consistent effort.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 Apply: Create a weekly or daily art schedule. Include time for both practice and creative exploration. This will help you develop a rhythm, just like an athlete preparing for competition.

2. Athletes Seek Regular Feedback:

Coaches play a crucial role in an athlete’s development. They provide feedback, review performance, and help identify areas for improvement. Regular feedback helps athletes fine-tune their technique and strategy, pushing them to achieve their best.  

If I’m honest, I spent years avoiding feedback because I misunderstood the purpose of feedback. Being a perfectionist, I thought feedback was someone either affirming or denying my worth/skill/ability/you name it. It was a place where I only sought affirmation that I was good and seeking accolades and approval was a shallow but honest place of stumbling around to find self-worth.

Now I know feedback is about helping us grow to be better at whatever we want to do. For artists, feedback is about getting information and insight that is in service of the art. If it doesn’t do that, it’s not feedback, and it might even be bullying or a power play under the guise of feedback. Art school and the art world in general is rampant with this problem.

That problem leads to a lot of fear of the critique and feedback process, rightfully so. But its important to seek feedback from trusted mentors and peers if you want to train your eyes to see with great detail as well as gain insight about your process or how you convey meaning. All of these things helps us make better art.

If feedback is hard for you or new for you, check out my video called Boundaries for Bullies: Artist Strong’s Feedback Framework, where I break down what feedback is and isn’t, and how to cultivate a feedback experience that is actually in service of your art.

This is the kind of thing I do inside Self-Taught to Self-Confident, where I guide people through filling in any gaps in their skill so they confidently express themselves through unique, original art. We have regular opportunities for feedback from peers and myself, including our Weekly Check-In where people get feedback on their mindset, process and art. Even better, this benefit of real-time feedback on your art never expires. 

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If that sounds exciting to you, you can learn more when you sign up for my workshop “How to Create Art from Your Imagination” for free. You’ll enjoy a taste of my teaching, learn more about the program, and get a special 7-day enrollment offer when you sign up. Use the link here or in the comments below.

As an artist, who is giving you feedback?

– Do you have a mentor, teacher, or peer group that critiques your work?  

– Are you open to constructive criticism that challenges you to see your art from a new perspective?

Having another set of eyes on your work can reveal details you might overlook. A mentor or coach can help you stretch your abilities and inspire you to take creative risks. Seeking feedback is not about seeking validation—it’s about growth.

David Hockney, a renowned contemporary artist, frequently sought feedback from peers throughout his career. Early on, he studied at the Royal College of Art in London, where his work was critiqued by both teachers and fellow students. This environment of regular feedback helped Hockney refine his vision and develop his signature style. He once said,

“The urge to draw must be quite deep within us, because children love to do it. I never stopped, really.”

This continuous development, often supported by feedback, was crucial in Hockney’s evolution as an artist.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 Apply: Consider joining an art community or finding a mentor who can offer you constructive feedback. Regularly review your work with fresh eyes or share it with someone you trust. If you have a trusted online space you enjoy sharing your work feel free to share it in the comments below.

3. Athletes Are Always Learning:

Athletes constantly learn new techniques and strategies. Whether through reviewing playbacks, analyzing competitors, or staying updated on the latest trends, they are lifelong learners. This approach keeps them adaptable and sharp.

When you look at artists across history, you can see so many artists we admire today evolved over time. It’s because they constantly challenged themselves, they were rarely complacent with the art they made; they hungered for more. We can actively incorporate learning into our practice to ensure we consider new techniques, approaches to material AND concept, and more. 

Personally I find that not only learning about art informs my practice, my life lessons and learning I do outside of the sphere of art also heavily influences my work.

A recent example of that was becoming a mother in 2020. It changed who I am, my priorities, and opened my eyes to the world of caregiving and just how badly systems support caregivers. I would not have my project @Primary_Caregiver_Art nor the series of drawings I’ve done in colored pencil, that were born of my need to work with a medium that is easy to pick up and put down.

It’s not always about signing up for a class, sometimes it’s taking time to reflect on your life and the lessons you learn from living it.

As an artist, how are you continuing to learn?  

– Do you study the work of other artists, both contemporary and historical?  

– Are you open to experimenting with new materials, styles, or concepts?

– How might the other learnings in your personal life influence your artistic choices?

The art world is ever-evolving, and staying curious will keep your work dynamic. Learning doesn’t stop once you’ve mastered a particular technique—there’s always more to discover.

One notable female artist who emphasized the importance of constant learning in her art is Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010). Bourgeois, a French-American artist known for her large-scale sculptures and installations, often spoke about how her art was a lifelong process of learning and self-discovery.

Bourgeois’s work spanned over seven decades, and she continuously evolved her practice, experimenting with new materials, forms, and ideas. She was known for saying,

“Art is a guarantee of sanity. That is the most important thing I have said.”

This quote reflects her belief that art was not just a means of expression but a way of understanding and learning about herself and the world around her.

Bourgeois also embraced the idea of art as a tool for self-education and emotional exploration. Her ability to keep learning and evolving as an artist is evident in the wide range of mediums she worked with, from wood and marble to latex and fabric, each chosen to explore different themes and ideas. This constant learning and experimentation allowed her to stay relevant and innovative throughout her career.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 Apply: Dedicate time to study other artists, attend workshops, or explore new mediums. Keep pushing the boundaries of what you know. What learning have you already done you can apply to your art? Tell me more in the comments below.

4. Athletes Visualize Their Performance:

In the book Peak by Anders Ericsson, he discusses how top performers across disciplines use mental representations to excel. Athletes visualize their routines, mentally rehearsing every movement before executing it physically. This technique helps them refine their performance and reduce errors.

I recently had a student ask me about visual representations and how artists might apply this idea to the work. And I immediately thought about the 2024 Olympics and American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. I watched him visualize his routine for pommel horse in preparation for his event. You see him walking through the routine as if he was actually doing it then and there.

If you want to see this for yourself, I’ve made sure to embed the video of this in my full article for this post, which is linked below.

@nbcsports

Practice makes perfect for Stephen Nedoroscik. 😲 #usagtrials24 #parisolympics #gymnastics #trials #usa #olympics #practice

♬ original sound – NBC Sports

For years, I took big breaks from my art and always came back amazed at the growth in my skill, not understanding how or why a break would improve my performance. But I was ignoring the constant and endless visualizing I performed.

When I would go for a walk, I’d think about how I would draw the unique birdhouse a neighbor recently hung, or the squirrel perched precariously on a beautiful fence… and then I would imagine drawing it. I would draw it in my mind. I bet a lot of you do this without even thinking about what it is you are doing.

This is visualizing our performance as artists. 

Now imagine how much more powerful that will be when you consciously use the process to improve techniques, observational skills, use of color or composition, and more?

You can also apply this to visualizing the finished work you wish to create. The more specific you can be with that visualization the closer you can reach to the outcome you seek. This can also be a great way to get creative, think outside of the box, and allow your mind to intuitively guide your work.

As an artist, do you visualize your creative process?

– Before starting a new piece, do you spend time imagining how it will unfold?  

– Can you mentally walk through your composition, colors, and techniques before you begin?

– Do you “practice” drawing/painting/insert technique in your mind’s eye?

Visualization can be a powerful tool for artists as well. It allows you to anticipate challenges, plan your approach, and stay focused on your vision. By mentally rehearsing your creative process, you can approach your work with greater clarity and confidence. 

Salvador Dalí, the famous surrealist painter, was known for his vivid imagination and use of visualization techniques. Dalí would often enter a meditative state where he visualized his paintings in great detail before even touching the canvas. He believed in the power of the subconscious mind and used visualization to unlock creative ideas. Dalí’s meticulous mental preparation allowed him to bring his extraordinary visions to life.

He once remarked,

“I don’t do drugs. I am drugs,”

emphasizing how deeply his mental visualization influenced his work. His entire creative process was rooted in the visualization of surreal worlds that he would later meticulously recreate in his art.

Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her iconic large-scale flowers and desert landscapes, often visualized her compositions before she began painting. O’Keeffe had a clear mental image of her work, which allowed her to focus on the minute details and create powerful, expressive pieces. Her ability to visualize helped her maintain control over her creative process, translating her vision into striking and unforgettable art.

What do you wish to improve upon right now and how could you practice with visualization? Tell me in the comments below. And a special thanks to Lydia for sharing and reminding me of this important concept!

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 Apply: Before starting a new project, take a few moments to visualize the process. Imagine the steps, the materials, and the final outcome. This mental preparation can help streamline your creative flow.

Artists can learn a great deal from athletes. By incorporating regular practice, seeking feedback, embracing lifelong learning, and visualizing success, you can enhance your artistic journey. 

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 Tell me → what’s one thing you’ve learned about the practices of athletes today that can help your art?

Whether you’re just starting or are a seasoned artist, these principles can help you push your boundaries and elevate your work. Remember, the path to mastery is a marathon, not a sprint—stay committed, stay curious, and keep creating.

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As always, thanks so much for watching. Remember: proudly call yourself an artist.

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