As an educator and an artist, I’ve learned that creative confidence is the hidden engine behind great art. Confident artists trust their decisions, share their stories, and invite others to experience their ideas because they believe it’s worth it. Learned this first hand from Issa Rae’s masterclass. The only person that can share your story is YOU.
But creative confidence is tricky. It’s an abstract skill. Hard to define, hard to build, and hard to keep. Over the years, I’ve worked with many students who didn’t think of themselves as “artists” yet. Helping them believe in their own ideas has taught me that confidence and creative productivity go hand in hand: the more sure you are of your voice, the more you create, and the more you create, the more sure you become.
Here are six ways I build creative confidence in others…in the classroom and beyond.
1. Make Feedback a Normal Part of the Process
Affirmation: I make feedback a common and familiar part of my creative practice.
A lot of people fear feedback. They worry it will tear down their confidence instead of build it. But good feedback, given with care and balance, is one of the strongest tools for growth.
I teach students to get real comfortable with me and their classmates sharing our thoughts about their work. Welcome feedback, filter it, and use it…IF it’s aligned. Not every piece of advice needs to be taken to heart, but hearing different perspectives helps any creator make clearer decisions. In my own practice, I ask for feedback often. On lessons from students on collegaues, and on art I decide to share. I model what it looks like to listen, reflect, and grow. When feedback becomes familiar, it stops feeling like judgment and starts feeling like creative power.
2. Spending Time To Consume Other Art Builds Creative Confidence
Affirmation: I am inspired and connected to other art.
Confidence grows when we see what’s possible. I always encourage students to experience other people’s art. Explore museums, music, fashion, food, sports, design. Art and creativity is literally everywhere.
Creative productivity isn’t just about making, it’s also about collecting. Ideas spark when we see how different forms of creativity collide and feed each other. When students realize that art lives in poetry and sneakers, murals and recipes, they start to see their own ideas as part of a bigger, connected world. My sole goal as an art educator is to help someone discover these ideas, and then act on them.
3. Creative Confidence Thrives on Collaboration
Affirmation: I know my ideas can grow through others.
Collaboration builds confidence because it reminds creators they’re not alone. I show students how different art forms can blend: music with painting, storytelling with sculpture, design with community events. Beyond traditional art, I love pointing out creativity everywhere: a beautifully plated meal, a perfectly executed play on the soccer field, a TikTok edit that makes you stop scrolling. When we see art as wide open and collaborative, we’re more willing to share and trust others with our ideas.
4. Celebrate Small Wins and Give Real Reassurance
Affirmation: I give and receive genuine encouragement.
Nothing builds creative confidence faster than real, intentional praise. Not fake compliments. Real ones. I stay alert for moments when a student makes a brave choice, explains an idea clearly, or experiments with something new.
It doesn’t have to be big: a simple “I see that,” “I get that,” or “I love how you did this” goes a very long way. And when you model giving authentic praise, students naturally give it back to each other. It creates a creative culture rooted in kindness, safety, and trust.
5. Document and Reflect on the Process
Affirmation: I understand my creative process and trust it.
One of my favorite things to do is help students see how far they’ve come. We document ideas in sketchbooks, journals, and portfolios. Taking time to revisit these documents once a project is done is SO powerful.
There’s power in saying: “Look where you started. Look what you made happen. Look how you problem-solved. Look how you trusted changing your mind ” It shows that a thought, scribbled on paper, can become a finished piece.
This builds deep trust in the creative process and in themselves. When students see that their early ideas match the final result, they realize how capable and intentional they really are. That fuels future work. That’s creative productivity.
Bonus: Give Creative Confidence Time
Affirmation: I know time is on my side.
Maybe the biggest lesson of all: Confidence takes time. So does good art. I remind my students that ideas need time to bake and so do we.
Rest is part of the creative cycle. I teach my students that stepping away is as productive as painting. I make time for students to still learn and explore other things in the middle of a project. When time for thinking, trying, failing, and pausing is built in, confidence grows naturally.
🖤 Why This Matters
At ByBriAdams, I care deeply about preserving Black art and nurturing the artists who make it. Creative confidence is what keeps our stories alive. It keeps us showing up at the canvas, the notebook, the lens, the studio.
So whether you’re an educator, a parent, an artist, or a creative just trying to believe in your own ideas — protect your creativity the way you’d protect your art: give it room, give it feedback, give it praise, and give it time.
That’s how we build legacies — one confident artist at a time.