Frida Kahlo. Pablo Picasso. Vincent Van Gogh. These three people have one distinct similarity between them besides their fame; they were all famous artists.

Of course, not every artist is born with a paintbrush in hand, crafting masterpieces before they can crawl. Although these artists have accumulated a large amount of fame they clearly had a natural talent and had to work at their craft to become true masters. Becoming a successful artist takes hours of work and practice. Although the idea of spending many hours and late nights dedicated to one specific thing may seem daunting in the beginning, it’s worth it when the end product comes together.

Even artists who aren’t destined to be admired by all of the world similar to Kahlo, Picasso and Van Gogh continue to create art because it’s rewarding and enriches their lives. It all starts simply with a pencil, an idea, and drive. Beginners aren’t confined to a specific style or medium since there are a plethora of them to discover. Even though the three artists I mentioned are known for their paintings, that is only a small portion of the world of art.

The biggest obstacle for people in trying art is the self-doubt that makes them feel like they lack skill. Of course, some forms of art require skill, but even those forms don’t solely rely on having a perfect skill. While innate skill and vision are helpful, creativity, passion, and curiosity are just as vital in becoming an artist.

Contrary to popular belief, it is actually possible to have a multitude of ideas interesting, creative ideas without even putting a paintbrush to canvas. But it all starts with the first stroke.

Everyone drew when they were younger; it was probably a universally fundamental activity in many preschool and kindergarten classes. Children are the most imaginative artists, they fearlessly let their ideas flow as they put their waxy Crayola crayons to paper. Creating abstract images with oblong shapes and figures to represent the world they see around them is almost innate.

But what happens to this thinking? Why do many people simply stop doing art and steer clear of art or anything involving creativity? What happens is that people ultimately become aware of their artistic limitation, their lack of skills, and they stop.

However, what these people need to realize is that even though they can’t really draw very well, they can still appreciate art. And, we in the D.C. area have the luxury of numerous free museums and galleries that offer a diverse selection of artistic genres to feed the artistic soul.