Ask Niall! "Niadvice" isn't really that catchy, is it?

How do I improve my confidence in my drawing and writing skills so I don't curl up into a ball of despondency any time I'm actually required to use them?

Firstly, be aware of that little voice that tells yourself that you're no good and make an attempt to counter its arguments. Whenever you hear that voice in your head, counter it and tell it that it's being overly critical and irrational. Simply being aware of that voice, the one that uses infinitive and hyperbolic adjectives like "horrible", "sucks", "bad", etc., will take it from your subconscious and bring it to the forefront of your consciousness, which will be enough to interrupt the thought pattern and prevent you from internalising your own bad criticism.

Next, attempt to ascertain what it is about a piece of artwork you don't like. No art ever just "sucks". Perhaps the phrasing in a sentence is inconsistent with the rest of the paragraph or the line-work in a drawing has differing weights. You may agree with that voice that your drawing/writing needs work, but the difference between constructive criticism and that voice is that the voice doesn't have a sense of perspective. If you have negative feelings towards a piece of work that voice will personify your feelings without having an accurate gauge of the talent in said piece. When you have deduced what is about your art that you think needs improving, you'll be able to approach your art from a budding artist's view: "This is what I need to work on to improve my skill." It becomes less a case of viewing yourself and your art in the moment here and now, but viewing yourself as an improving artist. Make a list. Writing down things confirms things in your brain and brings it to your consciousness. When you write this list, make sure to also write down a couple of things you were happy with in that work, for balance.

Never take your criticism personally. I see a lot of people who's voice says things like "This drawing isn't very good, so I'm not a good person." Even when people give themselves constructive criticism, they'll sometimes translate their skill as an artist to their value of self-worth as a person. If you find yourself saying things like "I suck" or "I'm not very good" then you're making sweeping statements about yourself that will affect your general confidence overall when it comes to artistic ability. If you sit down to draw/write and feel crippled into inaction by self-doubt before you've even done anything, it's possible you are doing this. If so, try to separate your self-worth from your artistic ability. "I am not doing a good job" does not equate to "I am a worthless person". This sounds like such an obvious thing to say that it seems silly I need to say it, but you'd be surprised to find that you are doing it without even realising.

Finally, let's do something that isn't a mental activity. Let's do something tangible to kick your brain into gear. I'd like you to do a Retroactive. After an artist has been producing work for a period of time, they start to feel like they stagnate without realising they continue to improve in their work. So here's what I want you to do:

• Pick a piece of work you drew/wrote a year or two ago. A character study, a still life, whatever.
  Attempt to replicate that work now. The same pose, the same expression, the same scene.
  Don't attempt to just create a perfect copy of this work. Create this work again with the skill you have now. Here's an example. You can find a whole group on DeviantArt based on this concept here.
  Compare the pieces.
  Congratulate yourself. Go ahead say a bunch of nice things about yourself. You've earned it!
  List the things you like and the things you think you've improved on. Don't be modest.
  Go as far as to speculate what next year's work will look like if you keep working hard on your art. This will give you cause to continue practicing and growing.[/list:u]
  
  Hopefully, this advice works for you. If it doesn't, please tell me. Let me know what angle I should have taken with this advice instead. I'd love to know how to improve. Post some feedback on the thread or send me a PM. You're not the only one looking to extend their talents after all.
  
  This is Niall signing off, wishing you a good night and happy advice.
  
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  SpoilerDo you think my sign-off line is too silly. "Happy Advice" is purposefully written to be bad grammar, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it if I'm answering serious questions. Let me know. (These are the things I worry about :eyeroll:)