. . . A seasoned artist might take this pain and translate it into something devastatingly beautiful. I am not a seasoned artist. And right now, art is the last thing on my mind. . .
The dreaded job search. . . where do I even begin? It really has a way of shattering your sense of self-worth. Maybe it's the act of condensing who you are onto a sheet of printer paper, only to have it tossed into the recycling bin. Or knowing that AI software combed through your application and deemed you thoroughly unworthy to even be assessed by a living, breathing person. . .
Watching your art improve over your first couple of years is an exhilarating experience. It's full of anticipation and wonder—and makes you feel like you can take on the world. This video showcases my art improvement from the very beginning, until the end of 2018. In other words, I go through every single drawing in my infamous "crappy Walmart sketchbook". Yes, the sketchbook I purchased during a fateful summer afternoon when the fan-art driven desire to learn how to draw slapped me in the face (RE: My Coming of Age Art Journey (Part 1) – Finding Inspiration).
Art is born from self expression. It's essentially an outlet used to make sense of your thoughts—especially when you're feeling just a tad neurotic. It's a form of storytelling. Of…
There aren't many perks to being an amateur artist; however, it does come with one clear benefit: An inflated and unearned sense of confidence in your (lack of) abilities. So when my mom, of all people, asked me to paint a huge "masterpiece" to be hung in our living room, I of course told her that I could handle it. "It'll be easy breezy!" I thought. So I went to the nearest Dollarama and picked up a couple of large paintbrushes. . .
What are your goals for developing as an artist? Which mediums would you like to explore/improve at? Which drawing skills would you like to develop? Where do you stand right now in your art development? Are you happy with the progress you've been making lately? What do plan to do to level up in your artistry? What ways are you hoping to challenge yourself for the rest of this year? What are some of the most recent art projects you've completed? Which projects are currently in progress? What projects do you have planned for the future? . . .
Let's be real for a second here. What is it like to learn art as an adult? When you ask people how long they've been drawing for, they typically answer with "for as long as I can remember". And don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful thing to pick up on your creativity at a young age. . .
But this world is littered with imperfection. It's a shame that it takes a global pandemic for us to realize this. I've been reaching out to a wide range of people. Some I'm in contact with on a regular basis, and others I haven spoken with in a while. Tense times bring about social unity—even during a time of social isolation.
. . . I didn't feel 100% about my love for art, and was afraid to fully come to terms with what this experience meant. So before deciding to jump back into creativity, after what I labelled a moment of "artist block", I purchased a Parisian paint-by-numbers set and slowly chipped away at it. Note, that it's been about 3 months and I'm less than a quarter of the way through. . .
I'm convinced that 90% who've made it this far are bound to complete the entire challenge—I mean, we're already in so deep, it would be ludicrous to turn back now. So far, I say that Sketchtember made for major improvement in my ability to illustrate. Since I'm currently inking my sketching, the process is just making what already exists more permanent. Huevember, on the other hand, will be quite the adventure. Coloring isn't exactly my forte, so it'll be interesting to partake in the challenge.