I remember once, when I was an older teen, my mom telling me that I had an overdeveloped imagination. She didn’t mean it as a compliment. I’m 70 now, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t even related to art. Whenever I think of that moment, I think “Like that’s a bad thing?”. It still stung.
In my mid-60s, I am just now getting back into art. My childhood was one of constant fighting, shouting, rage from a parent so powerful that I always felt I was on the edge of imminent annihilation, and some violence. I can definitely relate to your description of being hypervigilant about the nuances of those in control. I was also, for many years, extremely withdrawn. I took drawing & other lessons as an adult, always hating what I produced but continuing because I wanted so badly to be good. I had some successes including a stone sculpture accepted into a juried art exhibition (60 chosen out of 600 entries). Years of illness and physical problems interrupted. I find your videos very helpful. Your voice and energy are so encouraging, calm, reinforcing that I feel calmed by listening. And I am just starting to do drawings again! So exciting. I thank you for your encouragement, your acceptance, your permission-giving, your gentle, joyful presence. I would like for you to know that you have helped me.
Thank you for sharing your deeply personal story. For what it's worth, a lot of the kids on the other side of the glass felt like an outsider as wel, you just didn't see it. . I would know from experience: I grew up in a stable and very creative home, but was then forbidden to do art - for various reasons. One of the biggest was ending up in a very strict and narrow minded Catholic school, where it was frowned upon to do anything a tiny bit different. Then I went to a faculty that was slightly artistic, but I was laughed at for not being artistic ENOUGH (by peers, not professors...) - and I just gave up. And this very moment I am realising how I just gave my secret power away - the one thing that always got me through anything, my life force - to people with zero imagination! And how being on the other side of the glass is actually a good thing. I ended up fighting for myself, entered a REAL artistic academy and for the first time found myself amongst friends. Just recently, I actually went freelance and decided to face my deepest and oldest fears about being too weird and not artistic enough. And your channel and your insights are giving me immense motivation and inspiration. Thank you so much. ❤
The observer role is something I can relate to growing up in a chaotic household. I see how it shows up in my art as an ability to focus on one thing as I’m sketching a busy scene. I also relate to perceiving what is happening below the surface of a situation. I would not trade that for anything!
My mom exposed me to art. She took me a ceramic painting when I was little. I started drawing and I didn’t know I had talent. I’m retired and I went back to college and I had 2 good drawing teachers. I want to be an illustrator and be a surface pattern designer. I like watching your videos. It boost me.
I can identify with you. In my case, my mother was married and widowed three times and we moved around a lot. I did often feel like an outsider. Never belonging to any group since I didn’t stay in that school for very long. But I learned to be with myself. To be my own motivator, my own encouragement, and seeking my own desires to be better…not for other people but for myself.
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience in life, and blessings in disguise. You have a beautiful way of expressing yourself, so full of compassion and understanding. I can fully identify with your story. Creativity has always been my coping mechanism for dealing with the many struggles and challenges I had to face in my life. It was part of my survival kit, I’d say No 1! To this day creativity is my life line. As a result of this video I have a clearer understanding of why I look at things differently now! Thank you for your encouragement, I love what you do and how unselfish you are ❤
Your stories and the way you tell them are wonderful... Inspiring for those of us who really feel what you so generously offer here. Being outside, not fitting in, expressing it for oneself... Thank you for being here. Now.
Oh WOW.... I have to watch this video again! Thank you... I remember growing up and moving from country to country every 3 years because my dad worked in the oil business. Traveling was our life. I was always the misfit in the schools. since I came in the middle of the school year (reason why there were International Schools everywhere). I was picked on, bullied, made fun of, outcasted. Longed to go home fast after school so I could immerse myself in drawing. That was my escape. My parents never understood the ugliness of being an outsider in schools. My father was very strict and harsh in our upbringing. (He escaped Poland with my grandparents during WWII). My grandfather survived a concentration camp and my grandmother was a nurse in a hospital in France. Now I can see why.... when I draw I am looking for perfection (which doesn't even exist). I stopped painting and drawing some months ago because I got tired of copying references. I now sketch only. and I feel free!!!! there is a lot more work to be done and I think I am following the right individuals for my healing.... You being one of them. Thank you for this eye opening video.
I am from a family and extended family of creatives! Father was an architect, mom a teacher and artist! Grandmothers were crafters and masters of needlework. My uncle was an artist and a chef. There is more so I came into the environment of creativity and dare I say the genes for it. But I got locked into the idea I was not good enough and settled for a life that had creativity on the fringe fed but not my sole focus. Now that I am retired I am still not where I want to be but I am working on it.
Your story is so very similar to my own, thanks for sharing as its helped make sense of a lot of things. I'd never lived in the same place (or rarely the same people) for more than 3 years until I eventually bought my own house - I saved up nearly six years of pay from a military job to pay for it. I've lived in USA, UK and Eastern Europe and worked in the middle east. I've lived in caravans, houses and barracks. Nowhere feels "not foreign" and I'm always looked at as an outsider. Creating something new is fun, but it often feels like people need permission or to be told what fun is before they'll engage in it.
Love your story, mine comes from my grandmother, I'm so much like her. I'm a lifetime learner. I taught myself guitar, knitting, canning and gardening . But my first love it art. In 2nd grade I discovered art class and wanted to be an art teacher...I'm not tho. I loved the smell, the colors, the tools, all of it in art class. My cousin and I would have a drawing challenge or spend time tracing. I fall in and out of drawing and painting but since I found your channel I have a new perspective and vigor. Thank you Danny! I'm excited each day to pick up my pen.
Thank you for sharing so deeply of yourself with such warmth and compassion. What an interesting life! Creativity from chaos is a theme today in my art experiences. What I learned is that chaos can be joyous, like confetti. Like art.
Wow your childhood sounds like mine. My mom divorced my dad when I was 10 and after that we were constantly moving around and my mom was in one relationship after the next. I was always the new kid and went to 5 or 6 different high schools before finally graduating. Creativity was my only constant and way of making sense of the world and my way of expressing myself. It definitely has helped me be more resilient.
Thank you for sharing your story! As a child I loved using my crayons daily. One day a new family moved in next door. The lady was an artist who took note of my doodles and saw my passion for art. She gave me so much encouragement. From there I ended up with a career in Cemetery and Veteran War Memorials throughout the Southeastern part of the US.
Creativity is the place where you havr control. I really like that train of thought. While I can't relate to yourself story of moving around, but i can relate to be somewhat of an outsider. Creativity allows us to make sense of the world and allows us to tap into our true selves.
Thank you! I have a similar story, albeit it a domestic one. I never really thought about how it fueled my creativity, but I think you're right! Obeservation skills were honed during that time. I'm going to ponder this for a while...thanks!
Thank you for sharing your personal story. I can relate to some of it being an immigrant at a time when there were very few immigrants from my country. Appreciate your videos and books. Would love to watch you do more drawing too. Thank you
Thanks for watching and for your kind words! I draw on this channel a lot. Join me ea h Thursday at 9 am Pacific for Draw with Me. And become a channel member and draw with me a few times each week!
I remember once, when I was an older teen, my mom telling me that I had an overdeveloped imagination. She didn’t mean it as a compliment. I’m 70 now, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t even related to art. Whenever I think of that moment, I think “Like that’s a bad thing?”. It still stung.
In my mid-60s, I am just now getting back into art. My childhood was one of constant fighting, shouting, rage from a parent so powerful that I always felt I was on the edge of imminent annihilation, and some violence. I can definitely relate to your description of being hypervigilant about the nuances of those in control. I was also, for many years, extremely withdrawn. I took drawing & other lessons as an adult, always hating what I produced but continuing because I wanted so badly to be good. I had some successes including a stone sculpture accepted into a juried art exhibition (60 chosen out of 600 entries). Years of illness and physical problems interrupted. I find your videos very helpful. Your voice and energy are so encouraging, calm, reinforcing that I feel calmed by listening. And I am just starting to do drawings again! So exciting. I thank you for your encouragement, your acceptance, your permission-giving, your gentle, joyful presence. I would like for you to know that you have helped me.
It’s inspiring to hear that you’re back to drawing.
Thank you for sharing your deeply personal story. For what it's worth, a lot of the kids on the other side of the glass felt like an outsider as wel, you just didn't see it. . I would know from experience: I grew up in a stable and very creative home, but was then forbidden to do art - for various reasons. One of the biggest was ending up in a very strict and narrow minded Catholic school, where it was frowned upon to do anything a tiny bit different. Then I went to a faculty that was slightly artistic, but I was laughed at for not being artistic ENOUGH (by peers, not professors...) - and I just gave up. And this very moment I am realising how I just gave my secret power away - the one thing that always got me through anything, my life force - to people with zero imagination! And how being on the other side of the glass is actually a good thing. I ended up fighting for myself, entered a REAL artistic academy and for the first time found myself amongst friends. Just recently, I actually went freelance and decided to face my deepest and oldest fears about being too weird and not artistic enough. And your channel and your insights are giving me immense motivation and inspiration. Thank you so much. ❤
Your self-awareness is a gift!
The observer role is something I can relate to growing up in a chaotic household. I see how it shows up in my art as an ability to focus on one thing as I’m sketching a busy scene. I also relate to perceiving what is happening below the surface of a situation. I would not trade that for anything!
My mom exposed me to art. She took me a ceramic painting when I was little. I started drawing and I didn’t know I had talent. I’m retired and I went back to college and I had 2 good drawing teachers. I want to be an illustrator and be a surface pattern designer. I like watching your videos. It boost me.
I can identify with you. In my case, my mother was married and widowed three times and we moved around a lot. I did often feel like an outsider. Never belonging to any group since I didn’t stay in that school for very long. But I learned to be with myself. To be my own motivator, my own encouragement, and seeking my own desires to be better…not for other people but for myself.
Thank you for sharing, Danny.
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience in life, and blessings in disguise. You have a beautiful way of expressing yourself, so full of compassion and understanding. I can fully identify with your story. Creativity has always been my coping mechanism for dealing with the many struggles and challenges I had to face in my life. It was part of my survival kit, I’d say No 1! To this day creativity is my life line. As a result of this video I have a clearer understanding of why I look at things differently now! Thank you for your encouragement, I love what you do and how unselfish you are ❤
I'm so glad it was helpful!
Your stories and the way you tell them are wonderful... Inspiring for those of us who really feel what you so generously offer here. Being outside, not fitting in, expressing it for oneself... Thank you for being here. Now.
Thank you so much!
Oh WOW.... I have to watch this video again! Thank you... I remember growing up and moving from country to country every 3 years because my dad worked in the oil business. Traveling was our life. I was always the misfit in the schools. since I came in the middle of the school year (reason why there were International Schools everywhere). I was picked on, bullied, made fun of, outcasted. Longed to go home fast after school so I could immerse myself in drawing. That was my escape. My parents never understood the ugliness of being an outsider in schools. My father was very strict and harsh in our upbringing. (He escaped Poland with my grandparents during WWII). My grandfather survived a concentration camp and my grandmother was a nurse in a hospital in France. Now I can see why.... when I draw I am looking for perfection (which doesn't even exist). I stopped painting and drawing some months ago because I got tired of copying references. I now sketch only. and I feel free!!!! there is a lot more work to be done and I think I am following the right individuals for my healing.... You being one of them. Thank you for this eye opening video.
Thanks for sharing your story.
I am from a family and extended family of creatives! Father was an architect, mom a teacher and artist! Grandmothers were crafters and masters of needlework. My uncle was an artist and a chef. There is more so I came into the environment of creativity and dare I say the genes for it. But I got locked into the idea I was not good enough and settled for a life that had creativity on the fringe fed but not my sole focus. Now that I am retired I am still not where I want to be but I am working on it.
I'm glad you're rediscovering your creative potential.
Your story is so very similar to my own, thanks for sharing as its helped make sense of a lot of things.
I'd never lived in the same place (or rarely the same people) for more than 3 years until I eventually bought my own house - I saved up nearly six years of pay from a military job to pay for it.
I've lived in USA, UK and Eastern Europe and worked in the middle east. I've lived in caravans, houses and barracks.
Nowhere feels "not foreign" and I'm always looked at as an outsider. Creating something new is fun, but it often feels like people need permission or to be told what fun is before they'll engage in it.
That's a great observation. And thank you for your service.
Love your story, mine comes from my grandmother, I'm so much like her. I'm a lifetime learner. I taught myself guitar, knitting, canning and gardening . But my first love it art. In 2nd grade I discovered art class and wanted to be an art teacher...I'm not tho. I loved the smell, the colors, the tools, all of it in art class. My cousin and I would have a drawing challenge or spend time tracing. I fall in and out of drawing and painting but since I found your channel I have a new perspective and vigor. Thank you Danny! I'm excited each day to pick up my pen.
That's fantastic! I'm happy you're rediscovering your artistic passion.
Thank you for sharing so deeply of yourself with such warmth and compassion. What an interesting life!
Creativity from chaos is a theme today in my art experiences.
What I learned is that chaos can be joyous, like confetti. Like art.
Wow your childhood sounds like mine. My mom divorced my dad when I was 10 and after that we were constantly moving around and my mom was in one relationship after the next. I was always the new kid and went to 5 or 6 different high schools before finally graduating. Creativity was my only constant and way of making sense of the world and my way of expressing myself. It definitely has helped me be more resilient.
Thank you for sharing your story! As a child I loved using my crayons daily. One day a new family moved in next door. The lady was an artist who took note of my doodles and saw my passion for art. She gave me so much encouragement. From there I ended up with a career in Cemetery and Veteran War Memorials throughout the Southeastern part of the US.
That's such a cool story!
Creativity is the place where you havr control. I really like that train of thought.
While I can't relate to yourself story of moving around, but i can relate to be somewhat of an outsider.
Creativity allows us to make sense of the world and allows us to tap into our true selves.
My imagination is where I DON'T always have control, it's literally a nightmare.
I have ADHD. When I draw, I calm down and I am in a different world.
Thank you! I have a similar story, albeit it a domestic one. I never really thought about how it fueled my creativity, but I think you're right! Obeservation skills were honed during that time. I'm going to ponder this for a while...thanks!
It's amazing how life experiences can shape our creativity, isn't it?
Thank you for sharing your personal story. I can relate to some of it being an immigrant at a time when there were very few immigrants from my country. Appreciate your videos and books. Would love to watch you do more drawing too. Thank you
Thanks for watching and for your kind words! I draw on this channel a lot. Join me ea h Thursday at 9 am Pacific for Draw with Me. And become a channel member and draw with me a few times each week!
Love the title Greg.
Thanks! - Danny Gregory.
PAKISTAN MENTIONED RAAAAAAAA