My advice to young artists all around the world, first and foremost, is: don't get jealous. I cannot tell you how many times I sat at this very laptop and stared at some other artist's work and thought "why can't I draw like that?" or "why don't people like my art as much as they like hers ?" or even "why didn't I think of that?"
As if you can't be inspired by someone else's work. Yes, worry about not copying, that is a legal matter, but Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci could be working from the same model and come up with two COMPLETELY different pieces. Because of who they are and the way they liked to draw or paint.
Don't get jealous. Don't get sad or angry or discouraged. Get inspired. Get motivated by the people you see around you. It doesn't matter if they're half your age or twice your age. As long as you are creating new work, you are growing.
Which leads me to my next point: create work as often as you can (without stressing yourself out.) I aim for six drawings a week. No, not all of them are complete individual pieces, sometimes that six fits into one piece, working on six different sections of the same piece.
As long as you are creating as often as you can fit into your schedule and actually finishing pieces you will learn and grow.
Thirdly: try new things. If you usually work with pencil try pen, if you like acrylic paint try watercolor. If you normally draw people, work on backgrounds and landscapes. If you usually draw small try a big piece and vice versa.
Play around with styles, look at an art history website or textbook and pick out someone different, like Van Gogh or Magritte, draw with a different style because you may just find something you like.
There are so many possibilities, so don't try to pigeon-hole yourself into one particular style. Ever. Van Gogh's early works were very realistic and only in his late twenties did he develop his signature style. Another thing: don't beat yourself if you don't find "instant fame" or sell any of your works. Van Gogh never sold a single piece in his life. He only "found" fame after his death. Life is a learning experience. Decide your course for yourself: go to college or don't, major in art or don't, work in an artistic career or don't. No one can decide your future but you, and no one really knows what's best for you.
Other people may think they know best (including, and especially family members) but a lot of that comes down to "projection:" thinking that someone else should like something because you do. Parents are especially guilty of this. It can be intimidating for non-artistic parents to learn that their child is "facing a lifetime of living off of ramen noodles," but that just isn't reality. Push for your dreams, because dreams can and do become reality. Parents will come around eventually. Success will come around eventually. Growth will come around eventually. Just give it some time.
