For the next several posts, I’m going to be giving you an inside look into my new series “Uniform Pets”. I’ll be sharing the insights and inspiration behind each piece.
The series as a whole came about as I was thinking about how we identify and categorize, specifically, dress code pertaining to jobs/organizations, as well as breeds of pets. We know a police officer in a crowd of people because we’ve identified their uniform.
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I have a hard time stopping and celebrating the good things that have just passed. I'm not talking about birthdays or special occasions. I'm talking about celebrating those milestone moments in personal achievements. To put it plainly, I suck at celebrating.
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What do you do when you feel like you're doing everything you possibly can to advance in your art and yet there seems to be a lack of opportunity? Typically, you have two choices...
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I was recently listening to a Burning questions video by designer and art thought leader, James Victore. Something that he talks about on a regular basis is the importance of “saying something”. Having an opinion that matters.
One of the things about having an opinion, and saying something through work that matters, is that you need to know yourself, before you can really share yourself. It sounds elementary but it's true.
And how do you get to know yourself? Time. Effort. Miles. You have to keep showing up. Process. Think. Discover. There are no quick routes. The goal isn't in the destination but in the road traveled. And on this journey you not only discover more of who you are, what your passions and abilities are, you'll also discover that maybe, just maybe, the things you thought you wanted (the things you pleaded and prayed and begged for) weren't the things you really wanted after all. Sometimes not getting what you want is actually the best thing. Because over time you realize that there's something better. More true to who you are. And you didn't settle for Good when Best was just ahead on your journey.
That word, Journey. That's a word that I've been thinking about a lot lately. My journey as an artist. Where I’ve been. What I’ve seen and experienced. What I have to share.
I saw this quote on Instagram the other day from Leonardo Da Vinci (I'm pretty sure it wasn't his account...): "The First step toward getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are."
“The First step toward getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
At this point in my journey, do I want to keep striving to create great art? Yes, but it's bigger than that. Bigger than Pet Portraits. Bigger than Pop Culture Art. Bigger than Graphic Design. Bigger than 100 Day Projects and 365 daily art making practices. Bigger. Bigger. Bigger.
What is it then? What's bigger than all of that? It’s ME. My life, insights, the way I see the world - my Journey. It's seeking to be a help and an inspiration to others. And currently, learning to embrace writing so that I might blog, or speak, or maybe even write a book about my journey and experiences (the thought of that sounds crazy to me, but maybe that's proof that I sound be leaning into it). So I'm doing my best to push my fears aside. I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for opportunities. Part of that is starting to blog again.
So here’s your invitation: to walk alongside me. As we travel together, I’ll let you in on what I’ve learned and what I’m thinking about. And hope it encourages you. And maybe, in turn, you will share with someone else.
Meet me here on Wednesdays!
Is there something about my journey as an artist you would like to know?
You're at a wedding. Or family party. Suddenly that sound starts. Everyone on the dance floor. Now. Because Kool and the Gang knows how to celebrate.
The other day I was talking with a fellow artist friend saying how hard it is to remember to celebrate. I paused for a moment wondering why that is.
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Let's face it, we all have our fair share of work that is uncreative. Pushing pixels. Work that doesn't tap into our full potential. Work that's dictated by someone else. And honestly it can leave us feeling rather flat (and frustrated).
If I had one pearl of wisdom to share with the next generation of artists (or maybe some in this generation too), it would be to hire yourself. Yes, take yourself on as a pro bono client. Every day.
Now before you start slinging the excuses (trust me i've used them all), understand that you NEED to do work that maters to you. Work that pleases you. That's where the good stuff comes from. Your voice. Your style.
You might not be in a place where you can only do this, but that's not the point. The point here is to take steps to create work that matters by hiring yourself, then keep rehiring. Become your own best client.
Wish you could do a certain type of work that you're currently not hired to do? No problem. Hire yourself. Your portfolio of work doesn't display your true abilities or interests? Hire yourself.
If you need to, set up a contract. Spell out hours & expectations. Are you someone who feels like they need permission? Then hear me - YOU HAVE PERMISSION! You know yourself and how you operate and what you need to do to get around the internal nay-saying. Do what you need to. Trust me. Something in your soul will come alive again. And when your soul is alive, it affects all of what you do and how you do it.
So what are you waiting for? Go HIRE YOURSELF!
Over the next week, I'll be sharing "3 Rules for Creating". Rules? Yeah, maybe they are more like guidelines (because rules are meant to be broken right?).
Only 3? Honestly, there's probably more, but let's face it – that's the number that made you land here to read this. That's what we all want - "3 easy steps to..."
And while I'm not "selling" you anything here, I hope these thoughts challenge you where ever you find yourself on this journey. So on to #1...
I know. Sounds basic, but you might be surprised how many people, when it gets down to it, really just don't want to work at "it". They want to get paid (well, I might add), get fame and recognition, but all while traveling the path of least resistance.
While I'm all for working smart, there is no substitute or shortcut for putting in the work. That's where the magic happens though. As an artist, that's where you explore, find your voice & style, and grow. Why would you want to short change that process?
I have been told repeatedly that I am so lucky to be able to paint so well. Funniest thing, the more I paint, the luckier I get. ~ Anonymous
If you are going to be an artist who has something to say, and the ability to say it in a skilled way - plain and simple – SHOW UP & WORK!
It's the ol' one-two-punch. One: SHOW UP. Schedule it. Get out of bed. Go to that specific place. Two: WORK. Sweat. Then sweat some more.
Rinse. Repeat.
No on with it! Dive into your craft!
"Don't think about making art. Just Get it done. let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they're deciding, make even more art."Andy Warhol
What do you do if you feel like you're doing everything you possibly can to advance in your art and yet there seems a lack of opportunity? You try and try and yet it's like there's no traction. Where is that "lucky break"?
You have two choices:
1. Complain about the lack of opportunity and become jealous of those around you who seem to be succeeding with such ease. I could so do what they're doing, you think. But you're not. To be honest, you're barely doing what YOU are doing. It's not luck. It's hard work on what is before you right now, no matter how small or big.
2. Make opportunities. Yeah I know. I hear the push back. The truth is though, if you are HUNGRY enough you can take advantage of opportunities all around you. They just aren't those sexy opportunities that thrust you into the public eye with accolades and acclaim. And let's be honest. If we're going to bust our butt, we want it to count for something BIG right?
What I have found is that you might have to redefine your idea of what great opportunities look like.
If opportunity hasn't knocked, start going door to door.
Are you doing work you love? (If not - then get to it. Stop waiting for someone to ask or invite you to do it).
Ok. I'll use myself as an example. Would I like to have my art valued, hung in galleries and sold for a lot of dough, and soak in all that goes along with being a "successful" professional artist? Sure. But I'm not waiting for someone to come knocking. I keep taking the right next step. TODAY (That's my mantra, as you know well if you frequent my blog).
Practically here's what that looks like:
- I committed to a drawing or painting a day for an entire year. April 4th will be an entire year. I have held to that. And even done more some days. Did I do this because some one asked me to? No. I did it to kick to the curb the lie I believed for too long that I because I couldn't draw in a photo realistic style my art was no good. This experience is more valuable than your could possibly imagine.
- I have taken advantage of FREE (and cheap) opportunities. Visit the Sketch book project. Sign up to not only do a sketchbook but every so often they have other projects to join in on. Most recently it was The "Dreadful" Project and it was free to enter. Sign up for a class at a local art center. Take a class from Craftsy.com
- A fellow artist i follow on Instagram decided to do a #100dayproject and asked who might want to join in. (see my previous post) So for the past 21 days I've posted an iPhone sketch of someone else's photo in my Instagram feed. This has been great because I get to keep myself sketching and benefit from brightening up someone's day when I tag them in my post. They often are flattered & think it's way cool. And I even won a t-shirt from one post :)
- A few weeks ago I joined up with the NYC Urban Sketchers group. These are people who just love to draw. They meet up every Saturday in NYC and sketch in various places. Urban Sketchers have groups meeting world-wide. And it's F-R-double-E except when there's an admission to a place they are sketching (like the Central Park Zoo, which was $12 admission).
- Make things for other people. Give your art away. Give some to friends and family. Surprise someone with a handwritten letter and draw on the envelope. You'd be surprised how this could make someone's day. I did a watercolor painting of my daughter as a surprise for her 11th birthday. Your art is a gift, and while you need to make money if this is a career, there are also times when you need to gift it.
- Use social media to share your art. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest - you never know who might be exposed to your art, like it or even share it. It's todays networking. And if you're an introvert, this is great news as you don't have to have the personality of a mayor to connect.
- Look for local venues to display your work. In april, I will have one piece in a show at a local library. In August, I'll have my first solo show at another library. While it's not a SOHO gallery in NYC, it's getting your work out there that counts!
I don't say all this to brag. On the contrary, I say it to show that everyone has opportunity. Sometimes you just have to get creative, or change your perspective. And before you tell me it's easy for me because I'm a "creative professional" - all that I mentioned above has nothing to do with my full-time graphic design job. This is extra.
So, still think there's no opportunity? Get to creating...
The other day I tweeted out "Taking a Shortcut cuts short your opportunity to become who you need to be on the journey." This statement came to me after reflecting on a biblical account in 1 Samuel 24 where David had the opportunity to kill his enemy, King Saul, who had been pursuing him. But David chose to forgo the easy path. The obvious path, and what some people (especially those around him) would have said was the RIGHT path. David knew better. It wasn't the path to becoming who he needed to be. What does this have to do with creating your ART?
Following that, I came across this nugget from James Victore:
Do the work. The process is everything. If you cheat it, you compromise your transformation and come out unchanged - a knucklehead. And if you don't like doing the work the first time, you're gonna hate doing it again. Do the work.
Do the work. Become who you need to be, in the process. Without it, your Art, like your character, will be hollow.
When I was in High School I remember a few kids in my art classes who's work was just stunning. They were so talented and made it seem so easy. It was hard not to be either disheartened or jealous. I remember one day, my Art teacher telling us all that "you couldn't make it on talent alone". At the time I thought that was such a dumb statement.
But the reality of that statement started showing true through my years in art school (2 different ones even). We all started out bright eyed, eager, naive... along the way the crowd was thinned. Some people couldn't hack it, others lost interest. I remember one sad extreme example vividly.
There was a fellow student we'll call "Steve". Steve was so naturally gifted. His work was always praised, and seemed to need little reworking following our critiques. I would have bet he was on the fast track for success. Yet he started to miss some classes here and there. And soon he was absent more than present. Rumors of alcoholism surfaced. And one day sitting on a bar stool at a local pub, I saw this first hand. He confessed he had no hope. His addiction swallowed him. And Steve disappeared for good one day.
I remember thinking that was such a tragedy. From outward appearances he was this shining star, ultra-talented artist. But his demons got the best of him.
Other Art School dropouts just seemed to be victims of wayward passions, dead-end jobs, financial situations... the normal stuff of life. "You can't make it on talent alone." Now I got it. But what do I do with it?
Keep showing up. Make the best of YOUR situation. Take YOUR experiences and create your art in them, through them, and even in spite of them. Keep learning and growing.
For a long time I didn't. I got sidetracked. Lost. Buried with other responsibilities, false identities, believing lies about myself and my art. But it's never too late.
You can't make it on talent alone: A beacon of hope for those who feel talentless; A tale of warning for those who rely too much on their natural giftedness. Take it as you want. But either way - Just show up. Do the Work. Be yourself. Offer the best you can right now. Keep following the path before you.
I heard Will Smith make a statement on the first episode of the Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon. When Jimmy asked what advice Will gave his kids who are in show business, Will's answer was to make their Art a gift to others. As artists we have the opportunity to make someone smile. To brighten their day even just for a moment. Don't make your craft about pursuing success, but rather a gift to the world around you.
Talent gets you noticed and opens doors. Character and hard work lay the track for your best work, work that impacts your life and the lives of those around you.
Stop lamenting your lack of talent or opportunity. Give your gift of Art today. Someone in your world needs it.
{Photo Credit: Louis du Mont}
Hobby.
It's become a dirty word.
"I'm not a professional, or even an amateur. I'm a hobbiest."
I don't know about you, but growing up the word hobby always had a "lesser than" connotation. People would say things like "Oh it's great you like to do that. It makes a great hobby. But what are you going to do for a career? To make money". It was all very patronizing. And then the strong internal sense of responsibility comes along and puts hobby in a stranglehold. Because really, who has time for a hobby? There's too much to do. Too much to accomplish. There are bills to pay.
The problem with this thinking is that you end up eliminating something that feeds your soul. Something that make you feel alive. And in turn, that effects your work life, relationships - the whole of your life.
I think sometimes Art is put into this lesser than category by well intentioned adults when speaking to kids. After all, the world doesn't need any more "starving artists". Perhaps art should be kept as a hobby. (Which there's nothing wrong with, as not everyone should become an artist as a career). I know far too many people who like to create art in some way, but it got sequestered to the back burner of hobby only to no longer see the light of day. Perhaps, once in the proverbial blue moon, it comes out and is met with comments like "You know, I really should start doing this again. Perhaps someday..."
I love the way Austin Kleon describes a hobby it in his book "Steal Like an Artist":
It’s so important to have a hobby. A hobby is something creative that’s just for you. You don’t try to make money or get famous off it, you just do it because it makes you happy. A hobby is something that gives but doesn’t take.
Kleon, Austin (2012-02-28). Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative (Kindle Locations 334-336). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
Even though I'm a "professional" artist, there are some art forms for me that I consider hobbies. And I have learned the art of doing them just for me. And I'm much better for it.
What about you? Do you have a hobby (or hobbies) that you keep up with regularly? What makes you feel alive?
Something inside of me started to die. It was a slow death. Barely noticeable. It went on for years. Somehow, I think I knew something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I've spent years using my art (mainly graphic design) to support the cause or endeavors of others. That's what I get paid to do. To use my art to create a logo for someone's product, someones else's message slides, someone else's company and ideas. Nothing wrong with that. But, I finally realized what had been slowly dying all these years. My personal art expression. My message. My voice in my art.
Doing design for others isn't the correct place to insert your personal message/expression. I'm hired to communicate their message, their identity. BUT I came to realize that I had stopped pursuing avenues of my own expression. And it slowly began shortly after graduating art school.
Earlier this year, I began a journey back to my passion - creating art "just because". Creating because my soul needed to. Creating art not for the masses but for personal expression. And something wonderful happened. I felt the cold dead place inside start to come back alive.
I made a fatal error early on in my design career. I don't even know if it was conscious (I don't think it was). I took on an either/or approach to my art. Either I could do commercial work (and get paid for it), or do personal art expression (and not get paid for it). And just like the carpenter who lives in a home where the carpentry needs go unmet - I felt like after doing "art" all day long who had time or energy for more when I got home?
When it comes to creating commercial and personal art, it isn't about either/or but rather and/both. Both are vital to creative health. Who knows, maybe one day the two lines will blur more for me and I'll get paid to create my personal expression art. But until then, I'm making sure I don't loose sight of pursuing both.
What about you? Do you ever feel that tension?