Recognize Your Accomplishments
Feb 24, 2010 Art General, Creativity
I’ve been sick for the past couple of days. First it was a sore throat, then a cough, and now sinus congestion. Not fun!
Because I’ve generally felt like crap, I’ve had to put a few of my projects on hold for a little while so that I can rest up. Which annoys me.
I, and many other artists, put a lot of pressure on myself. To produce work, to research, to learn, to blog, to network, to teach, to market. It’s overwhelming and exhausting. At any one time, I might be working on ten different projects, with another thirty floating around somewhere in my brain. Maybe I’ll get to them tomorrow, maybe in five years, maybe never. Either way, there is always a feeling of having not enough time to do everything I want to do.
Any time taken away from the pursuit of art is a frustration. It’s an opportunity that might be missed or an idea that may never come to fruition.
Whenever I feel this kind of pressure building up, I try to remind myself of all the things I’ve already done.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. It’s easy to focus on all the things we have yet to accomplish. And it’s easy to compare ourselves to those we see as more successful. But what about the things you’ve already done? Have you given yourself enough credit for those things?
No matter where you are in your art journey, you have accomplished something. For many people, the decision to pursue art is a major accomplishment in itself!
Take some time to think about the things you have done and what they mean in your life. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, just focus on yourself.
- What obstacles have you overcome?
- What challenges have you faced?
- What are your successes?
- What do you feel proud of?
Before you turn your attention back to all your future projects, give yourself a pat on the back for all the things you’ve already accomplished!
Tags: Creativity, motivation
If You Think It, Do It! - Advice for Artists
Jan 28, 2010 Art General, Creativity
A common misconception about artists is that they can see things in their minds. They can envision colour combinations and imagine the way different patterns and textures go together. While this is true to some extent, we shouldn’t always make creative decisions based on these visions. As artists, we are visual and it’s essential for us to see.
As a teenager, I did a lot of sewing. The most difficult part of that process for me was choosing the fabrics. I would be overwhelmed by the choices and, to my poor mother’s frustration, would have no idea about what colours and patterns would work with each other. I relied mostly on her judgement for this, and it wasn’t until my garment was finished that I was able to see that she had been right.
People seem to think it’s really strange that an artist can’t tell what colours and patterns should go together, but without actually seeing them in a composition, it’s impossible to know how they will relate to each other.
This is the reason that many artists do thumbnail studies. It allows them to see several different compositions before choosing the one that is right. Some artists even do colour studies before starting on a painting to work out the best colour combinations. How many times have you gotten deep into an artwork and realized, “that yellow is the wrong yellow.”
And that’s not a bad thing! A big part of the artistic process is identifying and fixing problems, which is where today’s advice comes in: if you think it, do it
Sometimes, as the artist, we become so attached to a piece that we are afraid to change it. The artwork becomes precious to us and this limits our creativity to the point where we avoid anything that we think might “ruin” it.
Have you ever finished a piece and had a niggling thought in the back of your mind that something should be different? That an area needs to be darker or lighter, that there should be a splodge of blue somewhere? A thought that just won’t go away no matter how many times you tell yourself the piece is done?
I think we all have! The question is: do you act on these persistent urges?
If you don’t, you could be missing out on something new and exciting.
When you have a thought that just won’t leave you alone, when you get that urge to do something dramatically different, act on it. Don’t worry about ruining your piece. You need to have the confidence that if you’ve done something once, you can do it again. If whatever change you make detract from your work, you need to know that you will be able to fix it.
Don’t rely on your imagination to make aesthetic decisions. You need to do it, see it, and evaluate it.
If you’re really and truly concerned about making any permanent changes to something, consider using an alternative method. With the painting above, it started out as all reds and pinks. I had this thought that it might look more interesting with some bits of blue peeking through. Instead painting over my piece, I painted blue on some paper, then glued it in different places on the painting. This allowed me to find the places where the blue would be most effective.
Also consider using digital means. With a program like Photoshop, or Corel Draw, or Gimp, you can edit and make changes on the computer without affecting your finished piece. This lets you change colours, change composition, change whatever.
The bottom line is this: don’t ignore those persistent ideas in the back of your mind. Run with it and see what happens because it could be the thing that sparks a whole new series of work. If you always do the same old, you’ll always do the same old! Art is about change and growth, so don’t hold yourself back. If you think it, do it!
6 Tips for a Stress-Free Sketch Book
Dec 13, 2009 Creativity
I recently wrote a guest post for Lori Mcnee’s blog Fine Art Tips. I didn’t want you guys to miss out on it, so here is a condensed version! You can read the entire article at Fine Art Tips for more details.
Most artists recognize the value of a sketch book: it’s a place to practice, a place to experiment, and a place to keep track of your ideas. The problem is that there is only so much time in the day! Regularly using a sketch book can be difficult. It’s something we want to do, something we feel we should be doing, and yet we don’t always have time for it. Hence the stress!
Here are six tips you can use to help make your sketch book time less stressful and more enjoyable.
1. Indulge: Buy an exciting sketch book that will inspire you, or make one of your own.
2. Get Portable: Use a mini sketch book so that you’re ready to draw anywhere.
3. Get Strategic: Place a sketch book in the places where you’re likely to have down time to remind you to use it.
4. Be Open-Minded: Let your sketch book be a receptacle for whatever idea happens to strike you that day.
5. Set Limits: Spark your creativity by setting limits on colour or medium.
6. Cheat: Recognize that the doodles you do throughout the day are also part of your creative process.
These are some of the things that work for me. What strategies do you use to make keeping a sketch book easier?
Tags: sketch books, time management
Maximize Your Drawing Time with a Mini Sketch Book
Dec 8, 2009 Art General, Creativity
One of the biggest challenges for artists is time. There is never enough of it! When you have a day job, a family, homework, chores and other obligations, it can be hard to fit creativity into the schedule. One way I’ve found to cope with this is with a miniature sketch book.
A mini sketchbook is portable, so you can take it anywhere. You can practice your shading, cross-hatching, contour drawings, gestural drawings and whatever else you can think of! Drawing from life is one of the best ways to develop your eye and this is an easy way to do it.
I found my little guy in the clearance bin at Chapters. It’s only a few inches in either direction and is absolutely perfect for those rare moments of down time. I keep it in my purse and can whip it out whenever I have a minute. The pages inside are a cheap newsprint, but that doesn’t matter. The point is, I have an accessible drawing surface whenever I have the time to use it!
Keep it in your purse, your briefcase, your laptop bag, your glove compartment, whatever works for you! When you have a minute, you’ll be prepared!
Here are some examples of the sketches in my mini-book:
This cross-hatch drawing was done at work on my lunch break.
I did this gestural sketch while stuck at a red light.
This is a blind contour drawing I did at the doctor's office.
Tags: Creativity, drawing tips, sketch books
The Art of Deconstruction
Sep 2, 2009 Art General, Creativity, On my Easel
Speaking of taking risks…
I just had my meeting today with my prof from art school. He told me exactly what I expected he would: I’m not getting anywhere, my paintings were mediocre at best, I needed to take it to the next level.
Okay, he wasn’t quite so mean as that, but that was the basic gist of it.
He also had some very nice things to say about me and my work in general, he just felt like my recent work wasn’t up to snuff. And I agree.
I’ve known it for awhile now. That’s not to say that what I was doing wasn’t relevant or useful. It’s been a great learning experience for me and I’ve definitely gained a knowledge of paint and colour in the process. However, they weren’t strong works in an intellectual and contemporary view point.
So what did I do? I took the canvas off the stretcher and tore it into pieces!
How good did it feel? GREAT!
You have no idea how liberating and freeing it is to destroy your own art! If you’ve never tried it, you should!
Deconstruction was what started me on the path I’m on now. During my last year at art school, I was farting around painting shapes on doors. I didn’t know what I was doing. One of my teachers said to me, “do something extreme! burn it, or tear it apart!” So I did. I tore that door into pieces, then used the pieces to build a whole new painting. The ideas snowballed and soon I had a process that freed me from my pre-occupation with the final product, but also used my strengths as a logical, systematic thinker.
Back to today… My teacher basically told me I had too much going on in each painting and that all these elements were fighting for attention. He said that I was too wishy washy: I had to either get really clean, or really messy. He hinted at destroying the paintings and going back to a collage/assemblage style of work.
Well, it was the kick in the butt I needed to make me do what I knew I had to do! Before I lost my nerve I got out my pliers, pried the staples out of the back of my painting and tore the canvas up. I must say, it looks better already! I’m not sure where I’ll go next, but that’s the beauty of the process! I think I’ll start with some sketchy lines and then paint out some areas before rearranging the pieces and building it up.
I’ll keep you updated on the progress!
I will admit, I chose one of my least favorites to try this on, but the rest of them will have their turn, I’m thinking! Here’s the original piece pre-deconstruction. What do you think? Improvement or not?
Tags: art, Creativity, oil painting, paintings
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