Hey ,
Ever feel like your work is nowhere near as good as it should be?
You know what good art looks like. You know what being good at a video game looks like. You can recognize quality—but your own skill doesn’t seem to match your taste.
That gap can make you feel like a fraud.
As we get older, our taste becomes more refined. We have a clearer idea of how things should look, sound, or feel. That makes our opinions more meaningful—but it can also make learning harder on our confidence.
When we’re kids, everything is new. We don’t have much of a point of reference for what’s “good,” so we’re usually just excited to try. The goal is doing the thing—not being great at it immediately.
But when our expectations become more advanced than our abilities, every imperfect result can feel like proof that we’re failing. The more our skill falls short of our taste, the more discouraged we become. That disappointment can turn into a negative feedback loop.
I first heard about this while watching videos on how to draw, and suddenly a lot of my own frustration started to make sense.
The problem isn’t that your ideal is too high. Your taste is simply ahead of your skill—and that’s a normal part of learning.
How to close the gap
1. Pick a realistic, immediate goal.
Don’t lower your ideal standard. Just be honest about where you are right now. If you’ve just started drawing, you probably can’t recreate the Mona Lisa perfectly yet. That doesn’t mean you won’t improve.
2. Be consistent and intentional.
Choose something specific to improve and create a game plan you can stick to. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
And remember, you’re not a robot. You’re allowed to take time off. I give myself one day of grace and try not to miss two in a row.
3. Make learning fun.
Instead of doing drills and putting in reps just for the sake of it, turn the process into something rewarding. For me, drawing boxes and cylinders became Pokémon shape studies.
As long as you stay consistent and keep showing up, your taste and skill will start to match. It’s only a matter of time.
I break this down more in this video:
Watch it if you’ve been discouraged by the gap between what you can imagine and what you can create.
See you inside,
Nate | Liberated
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