How can i start using my art supplies despite being afraid of wasting them because of chronic pain, clumsiness and OCD?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but the best way I've been able to get myself to use my supplies is to bite it. Literally. Just a quick bite to the end of a paintbrush or marker or the corner of a sketch pad. Tiny bite = no longer precious and pristine and untouchable. It has a mark now that doesn't damage anything, but it makes the item usable for me

Art isn’t just about what is ‘pretty’ or ‘good’ or ‘complete’. Art is learning. It is self expression even if you don’t get it right. Your good art supplies are also meant to be used for learning and making mistakes, just like they’re also meant for complete pieces where you can apply all that you learned :) There never has to be a ‘good enough’ to make art. You just have to try 🫂 that’s all that art needs to be

If you feel like your inner child needs to start out with some cheaper crayons, get the crayons. Some children’s art supplies are even much easier to grip with less pain. They have markers that look like little eggs and can be held in the palm instead of with a finger grip.

Don’t forget to hang your art on the fridge and admire it when you’re done. Be kind to that kiddo and tell them they’re doing a great job, because they are.

It's never a waste to get your emotions out with art :) Sometimes that emotion will end up being frustration with the lack of control stemming from your condition(s), but it is worth it to get those feelings out into your craft. It is better to use the supplies than to let them sit in the corner. I am making a junk journal for a TTRPG right now. Is it pretty? no. Does it use up art supplies? Yes. Does it make me feel good? Yes.

You are worth making art for.

Using them to create ANYTHING (including a mess) is what they’re meant for. Sometimes when my inner task master/perfectionist/asshole critic is screaming at me not to do things I love, I’ll rebel by trying to do things the messiest and ugliest way possible. Do these colors go together? No? Cool, that’s our palette for this piece. I’ll use my non-dominant hand, finger paint, smudge, rip, etc so there’s nothing even close to the expectation of doing “a good job” or making “a proper art.” Sometimes that’s enough for me to get past the terror of messing up. Plus, art supplies expire! Not using them is a far bigger waste than creating a mess. 

Huge respect for you asking for help and recognizing your inner child/inner self’s distress! That’s a massive hurdle for most people. I hope you can give yourself some artistic play time soon. ❤️

Good tools will help beginners learn. Bad tools are never worth the savings...

And quality of art isn't really a thing. There's technical correctness, but a lot of great art has been made that's technically awfully made.

Hey inner child, sending hugs. I absolutely get it. I thought I didn't deserve good things either. But you know what?

You DO deserve good things. You deserve all the things.

I officially give you permission to break the seal on all the best art supplies. Use them up. Make something messy and imperfect and uniquely You. Enjoy the process and hang the results. Be proud of it, even if it's not what you expected. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

And share what you made! We believe in you. Hugs.

If you feel you can’t use your nice things, then use shitty ones until you are ready. I do this sometimes.

Saw this immediately after reading your post, so I had to share it – and this isn’t even commenting on how important it is to create whatever joy we can when we’re ill!

Have you done any self guided ERP? The NOCD app has a function for it as well. Maybe start with thinking about using your supplies. Just hold the thought, say maybe/maybe not it will be a waste, but you deserve to try.

I had to do 18 weeks of ERP last year. It can be exhausting but honestly the only thing that helped.

I don't know, but I am attempting to make art again. I have two things: a meaningful project, and a willingness to cheat (tracing, asking my professional artist friend to finish it for me.

One good use of quality supplies is project-driven: you can use them to make a great project, like, a beautiful sculpture.

Another good use of quality supplies is process-driven. You can enjoy the process of creating something with them regardless of outcome.

Using your supplies to make something can be great, even if the outcome isn't super high quality. Focusing on the process, whether to learn and advance skill, or just because you enjoy it, is a totally valid use of quality supplies.

You must waste supplies to make art. AND you must make art you're unhappy with before making things you're happy with. That's just how it goes.

What helped me was when a very expensive pice of air dry clay dried and then molded long before i could use it and as someone with chronic illnesses i threw it out because i wasnt willing to let the mold damage me more than it had. I was so mad at myself for wasting it and never getting around to using it. I became more concerned about my art supplies expiring before i could use them. I let my yarn be stored in a garage for 4 years and mice got into it. Thats tens of thousands of dolloars as its a big enough tote for two assembled 6ft christmas trees to fit in. There will be a point in my life where i may only be able to hold 2k in my savings so each item of craft supply needs to becared for properly so i can sell it or i need to use it to bring joy back into my life as the transition from healthy to ill is brutual.

Ps that no one asked for, Im going to be taking it out and washing it outside and hanging it to dry then wrapping it in skeins and better storage. I will probably have lost a lot of yarn that held "sentimental" value while i wasnt able to knit due to De Quervain's tenosynovitis, which i recently have had surgery on and have been having to slowly build up my Knitting tolerances but i taught my husband to knit so its more important to clean it and use it so we can learn again together.

I've had the same issue. You don't get better with your art if you don't expirment and try new supplies. Let that poor baby create! 💖 If it wasn't for trying expensive supplies, I wouldn't have found my art style. I'm making art I genuinely love now and it's been such a huge boost to my self-confidence and has helped with my perfectionism.

Hey I have been in the same spot. You need to just kinda let go of expectations. I have a piece of inner child work on my profile, I hoard stickers and just needed to have a reason to use them. I also have learned to really fuck around with different materials and mediums!! You got this my friend, I hope you can create and get some relief :) !!

I'm OCD too. doing ceramics and crocheting has helped me a lot with the fear to waste materials. you can unravel/frog something, still have all the materials and start over! it's great and it's taught me not to get attached to something I'm not satisfied with. also if you have the money a drawing tablet is great, you can start over infinitely

I also have "the special watercolor paper" waiting to be used again and "the good acrylics" that might expire before I get to them . . .

If I'm anxious about a painting, I'll plan it on cheaper stuff first, like the back of an envelope or my commonplace book. Then I'll iterate on tracing paper, do a half-size sketch, try colors in digital if I'm indecisive. By then, I'm already in the art zone & ready to paint.

Sometimes, using free stuff is all I can manage. That's okay, too. It's fun to make ridiculous collages out of newspapers or draw castles around the text on my energy bill.

If using any kind of paper is too much, I do a digital sketch. Sometimes, it'll end up as a digital painting. Or it'll be there in case I'm ever out of ideas.

Also, try miniatures. Tape off a little square on that nice paper and work on that. Or get one ball of yarn, one little embroidery kit. Anything small and manageable.

the time we have is all we really own and is of any actual value.

reality is messy, our brains are messy, the imperfectness of it all is proof of living.

what is the worst that can possibly happen? it helps me to weigh worst/best outcomes.

worst is your supplies actually get used and you don't feel entirely satisfied. maybe some mess to clean or feeling sore from sitting in the same position too long.

the best is that you feel like you have created something, you have expressed something, your inner child is happy, you have spent your time on something tangable, you are getting some gentle physical movements.

if you hate it, you now have a better idea for what you would have done different. it sure as hell beats doom scrolling.

Thank you for asking this question. It helps me too. I screenshotted some of the answers so I can read them when I need it ♥️ I hope it will help you too!

I used to struggle with this a lot, and still do sometimes. The thing that helps me the most is remembering that 99% of the supplies I have can be re-purchased if I use them up. Unless it's a discontinued product or something, you can always get more of it.

if you don't use them, then they will dry out, get lost, get damaged, go in the trash when you're 90 and go into a home.

the only way to not waste them is to get using them as soon as possible

Do you hear yourself?? This is a ridiculous question. Make the fucking art.