I think you IRL stuff will be asome X3 good luck!

I had a....eh... run in a few years back.

I had my deer art posted to a blog solely made to make fun of badly drawn deer. The art was; two very personal vent pieces about my gender dysphoria. Tbh I reacted badly, and I was also dealing with shit at home. So it was ultimately the rock that made everything fall down. I found out that it was someone who I used to look up too who posted my art there. I just.... couldnt handle it. I was able to close that chapter after I found out who, but still.

Anyway, I pretty much close my self up and didnt post online after that. I was in so much fear that my art would be made fun of again, that I stopped commenting, posting, ect. I would have panic attacks when uploading my art, often times I would take it down an hour later. Even to this day, I still struggle to post here on FA. I found that just posting to my private twitter was enough for me to work around it. While it could be shown to others, I have control on who sees my art.

So I know that you, my gf and other friends can see my art. While others that I dont personally want seeing my art cant. It's not 100% safe, and by all means it could get reposted by a friend. But it's /something./ I suggest just taking baby steps really, show a friend or two, but never push your self. If it makes you feel sick; stop and try again later!

It SERIOUSLY took me 4 years to get over this and get back on my feet again. So dont get discouraged! Just keep trying, you'll get there!

Thank you so much for such a great reply!Im thinking if all goes well once I meet one of my internet friends then maybe I will show him my art but not sure.Just gotta do what I gotta do I suppose.

Hello there. Random person just passing through and saw this; I used to have this problem too (and still do, to some extent).

In all honesty I think it's... Okay not to feel completely comfortable showing others your art. Sure it would be great to be 100% confident, but most people don't see the positives in their own work. Showing it to others can really help reaffirm your talents.

It bothered me too for the longest time. I'd feel super self conscious about showing any of my friends or family my art. Heaven forbid someone come up to me at school or in a public place and comment on something I was doodling (immediate social freeze-up on my part). I also always hated showing my art to non-artist and getting that generic, "Wow, that's really cool," or whatever. It's like... do you like it? Do you not? What do you like about it? Give me some feedback, people! XD

I think though that when you find like minded people (be it irl or online), things get easier. If you decide to pursue art school or something you'll be sharing your art with people who are genuinely interested and can help you grow (and who you can help grow). There's always going to be people who like to bring others down, but I think the amount of support and constructive critism others have to offer is worth wading through the jerks. Find just one or two good people you feel comfortable with and start there. You don't have to go showing everybody everything all the time, go little by little.

A good way to approach it is to open up with the idea of, "Hey, I made this thing and want to know your opinion. What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? How do you think I can make it better?" It's also really helpful to try to embrace a growth mindset. Instead of worrying so much about rather something is a great work of art or not, focus more on how to make things better. Nothing is ever perfect, and personally I know I always feel like I could do better. But that's like... totally okay. It's okay not to be perfect and to make mistakes. All part of growing and becoming a better artist.



So yeah, tldr; find some good people online or irl and start talking to them about your art (and their art, if they're artists). The more you show your art, the better it'll feel, but you don't have to force yourself. :3

Hug