Retired. Navy veteran, Construction Superintendent. But art major in high school. Always creating art. Now a watercolor painter. Love drawing and painting and just doodling all the time. Thanks for sharing your insight and inspiration with your students with us.
I work as a CNC programmer/operator on a LASER cutter. Though I don't technically work as an artist it's the closest thing to it since I do get to occasionally draw things for people by hand and cut it on sheet metal. The smile and shock on people's faces when I send them the proof and then the actual finished product is well worth the effort :)
I absolutely think that anyone who works in design/manufacturing is an artist of some flavor. Drawing is the shorthand for so many types of output. I’m not surprised that sketching is a part of your flow. I’m actually known in my school district for making really detailed and easy to follow Google Slideshows, and my secret is that I do thumbnail sketches before I start making them. It’s so silly, but it works.
I always thought you’re an art teacher 😅. You’re totally right, SM makes you feel that there’re people who magically can have a perfect “sketch book “ with no mistakes, no pencil marks or whatsoever, no regrets, which it’s a complete lie. I’m learning to draw and now I just accept that I’ll ruin hundreds of pages before I can get better at it.
I agree that art should be something you enjoy (at least if it's a hobby, I suppose if it's your job it'd be normal to not *always* enjoy it), but what should you do if you feel like you've lost that? I feel like over time my enjoyment of art has degraded a lot. Mostly I think due to the way social media has progressed, but even after abandoning all social media I still have trouble enjoying it. I realized that without that I don't have anyone to share art with anymore which makes it feel kind of sad and pointless to me...I don't know. I miss being a part of a community, but I don't think I can find the kind of community I want online anymore. And I've no idea where to find something like that offline...
I’ve got to say I’ve felt the way that you feel before. And I think most artists do from time to time. One of the best artists I personally know was going through that to an intense degree a few years ago, and my advice to him was the same I’ll give to you, and it’s the only thing that worked for me (and it also worked for him): Let it go for a while. Make a new identity for yourself. Find something you really like (reading, knitting, video games, writing, comic books, volunteering, board games?) and see what might fit. Force yourself to take a break, and see if that passion comes back, or if it evolves into something new. I think for those of us who have our identities tied up in art, we feel the need to build our artistic bodies up lest they wither away, but sometimes what we need is rest. I haven’t always been a fountain pen artist. I have been a painter, poet, (bad) musician, filmmaker, and lately I have been playing around with computer programming. Maybe doing something new will help you discover a new passion. Maybe it will help you re-discover your old one. Your identity defines your art, not the other way around.
This abstract guy likes to believe that his drawings say things and tell stories that can't be expressed in words. With that position, it seems kind of beside the point to talk about it, much beyond technique. Also conveniently absolves me from requests to explain a drawing.
I absolutely hate explaining what my art is about. I once had an argument that lasted days because I refused to explain the “meaning” behind one of my silly little cartoons.(not my fault, spotted a persistent douche in the wild) I would actually much rather hear what other people think my art is about. I once wrote a children’s book about a bear talking to the moon, and my dad thought it was a metaphor for death… not my intended message, but I have made sure that no children read that book… just to be safe.
A postcard from you? Yes, please! Anytime! ❤❤❤ They are amazing!
Congratulations! Your comment has been selected for a postcard. Email me at stephen@stepheninks.com to let me know where I can mail it!
Retired. Navy veteran, Construction Superintendent. But art major in high school. Always creating art. Now a watercolor painter. Love drawing and painting and just doodling all the time. Thanks for sharing your insight and inspiration with your students with us.
I think the best artists bull from unusual (or at least unexpected) backgrounds. Thanks for sharing yours!
Congratulations! Your comment has been selected for a postcard. Email me at stephen@stepheninks.com to let me know where I can mail it!
I work as a CNC programmer/operator on a LASER cutter. Though I don't technically work as an artist it's the closest thing to it since I do get to occasionally draw things for people by hand and cut it on sheet metal. The smile and shock on people's faces when I send them the proof and then the actual finished product is well worth the effort :)
I absolutely think that anyone who works in design/manufacturing is an artist of some flavor. Drawing is the shorthand for so many types of output. I’m not surprised that sketching is a part of your flow. I’m actually known in my school district for making really detailed and easy to follow Google Slideshows, and my secret is that I do thumbnail sketches before I start making them. It’s so silly, but it works.
I always thought you’re an art teacher 😅. You’re totally right, SM makes you feel that there’re people who magically can have a perfect “sketch book “ with no mistakes, no pencil marks or whatsoever, no regrets, which it’s a complete lie. I’m learning to draw and now I just accept that I’ll ruin hundreds of pages before I can get better at it.
Not only will you (and I) ruin hundreds of pages, but it is our right, and sacred duty to do so!
Congratulations! Your comment has been selected for a postcard. Email me at stephen@stepheninks.com to let me know where I can mail it!
I agree that art should be something you enjoy (at least if it's a hobby, I suppose if it's your job it'd be normal to not *always* enjoy it), but what should you do if you feel like you've lost that? I feel like over time my enjoyment of art has degraded a lot. Mostly I think due to the way social media has progressed, but even after abandoning all social media I still have trouble enjoying it. I realized that without that I don't have anyone to share art with anymore which makes it feel kind of sad and pointless to me...I don't know. I miss being a part of a community, but I don't think I can find the kind of community I want online anymore. And I've no idea where to find something like that offline...
I’ve got to say I’ve felt the way that you feel before. And I think most artists do from time to time. One of the best artists I personally know was going through that to an intense degree a few years ago, and my advice to him was the same I’ll give to you, and it’s the only thing that worked for me (and it also worked for him):
Let it go for a while. Make a new identity for yourself. Find something you really like (reading, knitting, video games, writing, comic books, volunteering, board games?) and see what might fit. Force yourself to take a break, and see if that passion comes back, or if it evolves into something new. I think for those of us who have our identities tied up in art, we feel the need to build our artistic bodies up lest they wither away, but sometimes what we need is rest.
I haven’t always been a fountain pen artist. I have been a painter, poet, (bad) musician, filmmaker, and lately I have been playing around with computer programming. Maybe doing something new will help you discover a new passion. Maybe it will help you re-discover your old one. Your identity defines your art, not the other way around.
Noooooooooo I came late, the giveaway is over! I'll keep watching your vids though
Whenever I take a break from posting, the algorithm buries my next upload. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do it again!
Postcard time! Put my name in the hat!
Congratulations! Your comment has been selected for a postcard. Email me at stephen@stepheninks.com to let me know where I can mail it!
Yes, please! Not a good artist... Sometimes doodle... Usually a fountain pen nerd... Love urban sketch more...
It’s all about what enjoyment you get out of it!
This abstract guy likes to believe that his drawings say things and tell stories that can't be expressed in words. With that position, it seems kind of beside the point to talk about it, much beyond technique. Also conveniently absolves me from requests to explain a drawing.
I absolutely hate explaining what my art is about. I once had an argument that lasted days because I refused to explain the “meaning” behind one of my silly little cartoons.(not my fault, spotted a persistent douche in the wild) I would actually much rather hear what other people think my art is about. I once wrote a children’s book about a bear talking to the moon, and my dad thought it was a metaphor for death… not my intended message, but I have made sure that no children read that book… just to be safe.