For quite a while, I've seen people belittle or insult others art, simply for not being "good." But think about it, there is no such thing as an art quality scale! Art is perceived both by the creator and by the audience, and both reactions are usually very different. Usually, the artist thinks that the art piece is horrible and the audience thinks it's great, or vice versa. Art comes in multiple, possibly endless forms! Art is a craft, and people will always tell you that you need to master that craft. The problem with that notion is that art is a continuously evolving craft and there is no limit to how much it or you can improve! Mastering art is not a true concept, there is no set definition of mastering art! Mastering art is once again a perception that you put on your finished pieces! Your perception of whether you have mastered art is an ever-changing river that will never be satisfied with one direction. One year you may think that you want to make your art look cartoonish and simple, but the next you may decide to work towards realism. Congratulations my friend, your River of Perception has just changed direction.

"Well I can't shade and that makes my art bad!"
The Egyptians never used shading. People still look back at their art and admire it's story and simplicity.

"Everyone hates my art, I should just give up!"
Walt Disney, the father of imagination himself, was not accepted into a newspaper business because he was deemed uncreative. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter was rejected time and time again because it was decided that no one would like it. The Beatles were told that they had no future in music. They didn't give up. Neither should you.

Don't believe me? Look at an old piece of art, perhaps from 2-3 years ago. Let yourself remember how proud you were of this piece. Now look at your most recent piece. What has changed? Has your style gone more cartoonish or realistic? What was your goal when you had first drawn that old piece? What is your goal now?

Why don't I show you an example of my own? This piece was finished on January 29th, 2016.

As you can see, the arms are thin and the bodies are lanky. Back then, only a measly one year ago, I had wanted to have a cartoonish style. Therefore, I did not bother with texture or detail at all.

This piece was finished today.

While I do still have some remnants of a cartoonish style, I have gone slightly more towards realism. The character in question has a much thicker neck, the body is no longer a straight line, and I've begun to experiment with liquids and texture, as proven by the presence of the ink and scales.

In conclusion, the idea that your art is bad is absolutely wrong. Instead of comparing your own art with others by saying "his/her art is so much better" instead compare by saying "he/she has done the texture and lighting differently, so if I want to make my style cartoonish/realistic, then I should experiment with different techniques." Share an old piece of art next to a recent piece of art below and show us how your River of Perception has changed direction.