So much of a successful school year is set in motion at the beginning of the school year. Building confidence should be a top priority, especially for middle school students and introductory classes at the high school level. By this age, students often already have a sense of whether they are “good in art,” and much of our job is to break down these preconceived notions and help students find their inner artist. After all, Pablo Picasso’s quote, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” suggests that adult rules and societal pressures stifle children’s innate creativity, and that growing up often means losing that sense of wonder, abandon, and uninhibited creative spirit. How do we best build both their skills and their confidence?

Normalize Mistakes as Part of the Process
It’s ironic, but to build confidence, we have to teach students that making mistakes is part of the process. Rather than being opposites, confidence and mistakes can be viewed as interconnected; accepting and learning from mistakes strengthens confidence, whereas the fear of mistakes can hinder it. 

Middle School Art and TAB – choice based art teacher Shaman Cain Gosnell reports, “I go nuts if they try something I’ve never seen before. If I know they really stretched their comfort zone, they get a shout-out and lots of praise.” See her shout outs and awards for bravery which she sells on her website. She has also blogged on the topic and uses this video, Bravery in the Art Room: Teaching Students to Take Creative Risks to help encourage students to be creative risk takers.

Normalizing mistakes is important, and you might try some of the phrases below in your art room to encourage students to see the value in taking risks.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas Edison
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. – Thomas Edison
We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents. -Bob Ross
The greatest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making one. -Elbert Hubbard
Mistakes are the portals of discovery. -James Joyce
Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. -Zig Ziglar
Wrong turns are as important as right turns. More important sometimes. – Richard Bach
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new- Albert Einstein

More Greet phrases here.


Be sure to let students know that even the greatest artists made mistakes. Here is a great article that explores how some of the most beloved paintings in history were born from happy accidents and artistic blunders.

Start with Low-Stakes, High-Expression Activities and Play
Kick off the year with quick, non-graded or lightly assessed projects. You might try:

Blind contour drawings
Collaborative doodle murals
30-minute “Finish the Scribble” challenges
Mark Making
Opposite-Hand Drawing
Speed Drawing
Mindful Doodling 
Neurographic Art

Build time to play and practice in art. Doing so builds confidence by creating a safe, open space for exploration and expression without fear of judgment or failure. Play in art class can be incredibly beneficial for grade-conscious students — not because it abandons rigor, but because it supports deeper learning, creativity, and well-being in ways that actually enhance academic performance.  I have found that practicing a concept first leads to better results which is a confidence booster as well.

Art Teacher Susan Woodliffe did this collaborative grid project as a start of the year confidence builder. The projects goal is to “build student confidence that everyone can draw.” 

Celebrate Effort, Not Just Talent
Many students have been labeled “not artistic” by the time they arrive in the art room. And, unfortunately, they believe it. It’s a process to change how they perceive themselves. Be sure that you praise effort, growth, experimentation, not just successful results. 

Examples of praising a student’s effort

  • “I can see how much time and thought you put into this—it really shows!”
  • “You really stuck with this piece, even when it got challenging. That’s the mark of a true artist.”
  • “Your persistence here is impressive. Keep going—this is how great things are made.”

Encouraging Growth

  • “Look at how much your work has evolved since your last piece—amazing progress!”
  • “You’re developing your own style, and that’s exciting to see.”
  • “This shows real growth—you’re thinking like an artist and problem-solver.”

Encouraging Experimentation

  • “I love how you stepped out of your comfort zone!”
  • “It’s wonderful to see you focusing on the process, not just the outcome.”
  • “Using [material/technique] in that way is so inventive — I haven’t seen that before.”

Rewarding process can be reflected in your rubric as well by developing categories like Idea Development and Exploration, Experimentation and Risk-Taking, and Engagement and Persistence. Including process in an art rubric is beneficial because it shifts the focus from a potentially subjective final product to the student’s creative journey, effort, and growth.

Use Art Journals or Sketchbooks Regularly
Use of sketchbooks in the art classroom is a great way to support many of the above concepts. A sketchbook is a safe space for experimentation and learning. Since it’s informal and personal, students feel more free to try new things without fear of being judged. This helps reduce perfectionism and fear of failure, both major blocks to artistic confidence. They are great tangible evidence of growth as well. 

Introduce Diverse Artists and Styles Early
Show students that there’s no one “right” way to make art. Feature a wide range of artists (in age, race, style, ability, background) so all students can see themselves reflected. Showing diversity in artists not only validates their personal identities but it fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion, promoting empathy and understanding of others, encouraging creativity and self-expression, and creating a positive, validating classroom environment where students feel seen and valued.

Model Vulnerability and Experimentation
Draw or paint in front of your class—and talk through your decisions, doubts, and “mistakes.” Let students see that even experienced artists struggle sometimes. Art 21 has a great article on this topic, Fueled by the Classroom: Being an Artist and Educator. Artist, teacher and author Joe Fusaro found, “While showing one’s art to students is a gamble and humbling experience, it gives street cred to the things we discuss and share in the classroom.”

Keep the Early Pressure Off
In the beginning, avoid diving to deep into grading rubrics and keep your beginning projects fun, motivating, and even -dare I say- crowd pleasers. The projects should have high success rates. Let the early weeks be about building trust, comfort, and curiosity. Build up to those challenging complex assignments. 

Related Articles:
Practical and quick ways to respond to “I can’t draw”
How to Build Students’ Creative Confidence
How to build your creative confidence | David Kelley

How do you buld confidence in the art room? Share in the comments!