What is the Secret to Art?Truly? It's a lot of things, but one biggest part to art, or really anything for that matter, that many people overlook is quite simple! Dedication That is really the biggest, most important part of creating art- and it's both the easiest and hardest! The below photos showcase my first ever crochet projects. I bought a case of various hooks, this book, and got to work. That was it. In fact, I was doing it completely wrong for three months! I was hooking the yarn wrong, I thought sew meant to take a sewing needle and actually sew it with thread, and I didn't know how to FO (Fasten Off) the entire time. As you can see, they didn't hold up well. I was even unsure how to attach eyes so I simply didn't.   To me, after all this time, they look like monster factory pieces- yet I thought they were the most adorable things when I finished them! It's not that they aren't, they certainly have the charm of being first projects and they still have the love I put into them- but I honestly couldn't tell at first what they even where. I had just finished my latest project (which also happens to be my favorite right now!) and I stumbled upon these in a box. I won't ever get rid of them simply because they inspire me to keep doing what I do. Take a look at comparisons!
Dratini is my latest Pokemon, and one of the best I've made! Compared to the second item I ever made, a seal.
A new version Vulpix with the third item I ever made, a lion.  Some of my newest items (as of Jan 2017) and my VERY first item, a rather beat up hippo. So for real, how long ago did I make these? I started around 2004 and took a two year break from 2013-2015. As of this post, I have been dedicated to the crafts for around 11 years! To be honest, I was mostly doing so many different crafts and never really challenging myself, that I feel only in 2015 have I really tried to improve. In 2015 I dedicated myself only to crochet and to improve my skills. HOW DO!?Young Padowan, the biggest problem with dedication isn't the lack of want- it's the lack of time. How do I get enough time? How do I dedicate my full attention? How do I start a regiment? Unfortunately I have no answers for you, again, art is all about individuality. What works for you? Does a schedule? Does a certain music, or environment, or even cup of tea, get you in the mood to create? I struggle myself to get the motivation, for personal reasons I cannot set a regiment and I struggle with schedules- so I try to think up workarounds. Since schedules don't work, I do spontaneous. If I have time, and the other things I do aren't 'beyond important' then I do art. Dishes in the sink? I can wash them later. Laundry to do? I can start that in a few hours. It won't work for everyone- but I think of it as I DO need to do art. I DO need to create. So making art is just as important to me as laundry or dishes. It's just choosing what important task you need to do and organizing them in a way that works. Why do some people do better than ME!?There always will be someone that has better skill, naturally. We're all different. But it's useless to compare. Some people just happen to understand lighting better. Some people understand colors better, or shadows, or measurements. It's totally unfair and I hate those people too. :) /joke That doesn't mean you can't try to be as good or better- or even use them as your rivals. I personally have a few Gary, and they inspire and ignite me- it's important to respect everyone's talent and skills while simultaneously using their work to motivate yourself to a higher level of you. Again, dedicate yourself. Lose yourself and love it. Don't compare but be inspired. But don't steal. Stealing designs is totally wrong. It's Worth It. My adorable Dratini is the latest item I've finished that really showcases my changing skill. Art is worth it, it really is. Just setting aside fifteen minutes to read up on new techniques, or setting aside an hour to start something, or shopping sales to look for inspiration. It's all part of dedicating yourself to learning- if you want to get better, then you have to try.
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It’s hard being an artist, of any kind. There are many factors that keep people from doing it, and those that do struggle every day.
Artists have to be creative, and not just thinking up ideas. They have to have ingenuity, be able to see ways to do things. How to work with what they have, ways to get an effect without really knowing how to do it. It costs lots of money…lots. Most of the time they buy all their supplies and machinery out of pocket, they become hundreds or even thousands of dollars in debt. They hoard pieces of scraps just because they may be able to use it later…ten years down the road they may still have it just because it would be a shame to get rid of it and need it even later down the road. They struggle trying to be seen at all. They’re in a flood of other artists with more experience, greater ideas, better looking products, or people with access to machines or supplies not even available to the general public. They try to keep their head above the tides and appeal to people, but sometimes they can’t compete at all, they want to share their soul but it’s not as pretty as someone else’s work or it’s too weird. And most people don’t appreciate the work they put into products, whether it’s not as pretty or weird or doesn’t speak to them personally. For hours on end most artists brainstorm, they spend days thinking up ideas and talking themselves out of things or beating themselves up over what they can’t do. They create something and it doesn’t turn out the way they want it so they throw it all away, days or weeks, maybe years of work. And the suffering of destroying something they thought they knew how to do or thought was coming out so prefect breaks their soul and their heart but the very thought of looking at something that ISN’T what they wanted hurts worse. Then most just give up, they appeal to the masses by simply copying what is already done or straight up stealing work and they become famous. Or rich. And those that have integrity are yet again under the water of those that don’t care about being an individual artist, or don’t care about creating their own special work. And those that keep to their own work and try their damndest to create their own visions and their own work get told by others that don’t make anything that their work looks weird or doesn’t look like anything at all or is way overpriced or they could do that themselves. Without a single thought of what that artist might have gone through just to make that piece. That is why most artists are depressed, have anxiety, are tortured and feel like giving up every day. What they love is ground into the dirt and the days or weeks of work they put into something can be dismissed by a simple, "that’s overpriced." Please appreciate artists…even if it doesn’t look nice, even if it’s overpriced, and even if others could do it better. That artists isn’t them and won’t be. That artist probably took twice as long or longer to make the item and it didn’t turn out as nice but they still took the time. They still had a vision and tried to share it. They still wanted to create. Creating something with their own time should be acknowledged. They could be another person just sitting on the couch entertaining themselves. Instead, they’re trying to contribute a piece of their time and heart for others to see and maybe own. If anything, please appreciate that. |
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