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Now, tackling the psychological stress involved in drawing is quite tricky. This requires full honesty from oneself.

One must realize for himself the truth in him and the truth around him. If a student possesses a tension related to anxiety in skill excellence, he must accept the fact that skill is a matter of physicality and must be learned through time, not at the moment he wants it.

Awareness of the fact that drawing a particular aspect needs a skill at a certain level, and that he is below that level, will automatically spur the student to practice, rather than forcing himself to draw at that level and getting frustrated in the end. A student must realize that a good artist draw using muscle memory acquired through years of practice, and expecting the laws of the body to be non-existent for him is quite ridiculous.

Psychological tension, or pressures, on ourselves must be exposed for what they are; illusions of the mind which does not reflect reality.

Another example is from one who comments “I’m too old to start practicing and pursuing drawing again,” this is just a tension that in all reality limits the person to start drawing, but in fact the person wants to, and all he is left with is the feeling of missing out. A student must realize how he cheats himself psychologically, unaware that it is not necessary for improvement. If you are 40 years old yet draws like a 9 year old doesn’t mean “you suck”, it actually means you need to practice. See how the mind create judgmental attitude that automatically hinders growth rather than a truthful analogy of what must be done.

The idea of practice also creates psychological tension. Practicing is “the improvement of skills” like doing your doodles, curves, lines, strokes. Drawing is the “application of skills.” Practicing is different from drawing; a student who draws entertains himself by his expression, while a student who practices improves his skill for better expression.