We recently connected with Kevin VanEmburgh and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kevin, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Building confidence and self-esteem as a photographer and artist for over 20 years, despite facing many rejections, is no easy journey, but worth it. I believe I have a passion and dedication to my craft that keeps me coming back. Passion for your craft is often the first step in building confidence. Dedication to consistently has helped me more than anything else. The more consistently you show up, the more skill you build and as you hone those technical and creative skills, you see improvement. I hear this Neil Gaiman quote in my head almost every day “Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art”.
Rejections and criticism can be tough, but they are valuable. Learning to separate constructive feedback from negativity is key. This allows you to adapt and grow, increasing confidence in your work. The ability to bounce back from rejections is a testament to your resilience.
I’ve always found that setting goals as an artist is important. I love the quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “A goal without a plan is just a wish”. At the same time, looking back is a powerful tool for artists. Documenting your artistic journey can be a powerful reminder of how far you’ve come, instilling confidence in your growth as an artist.
Don’t doubt yourself. Just keep moving forward and keep making art.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an artist with a background in photography. This helped shape how I approach a surface to paint. Always in love with light, strong contrast and color that shapes the page, I paint with an intention that is based in abstract work inspired by the ocean and nature. As a person who must create every day, I strive to make many mistakes so that out of a pile of work I’m not happy with, I have a few pieces that I love and feel are worth sharing with the world. It is a process that gives and takes and keeps me showing up every day.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities that have helped me in my career are consistency, the ability to take feedback and use it to improve and positive self-talk.
It’s truly a gift to be able to create art every day, even when I don’t feel like it. My life would be incomplete without it. I feel like I don’t have any “natural” talent, so my gains come from putting the work in and showing up every day consistently.
I put my work out there and try to get in front of people whose opinions I value. When I do hear back from them, I use whatever they say in my process to help lift my art to another level. There’s a lot of noise in this space so be careful whose opinions you let in.
I’ve had a lot of negative self-talk in my past and when I realized how destructive that was for me, I put the work in to change it. If I’m not supportive of myself, I can’t expect to give my best effort. Besides, when you are building yourself up rather than tearing yourself down, it just feels better.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
There are so many books that have helped me along the way. Two that I love and read a paragraph or chapter in the morning and before bed every day are “Awareness” by Anthony de Mello and “Zen And the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.
They are different books in a lot of ways, but if I had to boil the ideas down in each, they are the world happens around us, nothing is good or bad, it’s how we react to things that makes them what they are. If you choose to see something as bad, that’s what it is. If you choose to see the positive, that’s what it is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kevinvanemburgh.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvanemburgh | https://www.instagram.com/palkev
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kvanemburgh
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kvanemburgh
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvanemburgh
Image Credits
All images belong to me, Kevin VanEmburgh
