Things Artists Wish You Knew
If this is part of your life story, please share your insights! What would you like the rest of us to learn? What should we know about people in this community? How would you like people to interact with you? Should people ask questions? What’s the best way for people to learn about this? Do you have any resources (books, movies, YT videos, etc) that will give us greater understanding and empathy and kindness toward people who experience the same things you do?
If you’re not on this journey, we welcome you to listen, learn, and ask respectful, good-faith questions! Open-ended questions are highly encouraged, as they give people the space to share their unique experiences in their own words. While this is a safe space to learn about things you’ve never experienced, please remember to be sensitive, and avoid sharing harmful stereotypes or debating someone's lived reality. If you have a question, ask it with empathy. If someone gently corrects you, please be open to learning. Let's have a gentle, fun, friendly conversation where we support one another, because it takes all sorts to make a world!
Fail. A LOT. And then fail more. It’s ok <3
I’m learning this while teaching myself color theory (not quite “official” color theory, but how to use and mix colors), and failing over and over again leads to learning <3
@jesusredeemedme2425
I love these threads, thank you so much for making them :)
Here's mine. I'm a multi-discipline artist. I do something technical that is sort of art-related in my day job and draw, paint, photography, and (as of very recently) make costume accessories on the side.
* Please don't ask us to monetize our hobbies if we're not already choosing to do that. Making art and operating a small business are two very different skills and I would struggle a lot with the latter. Also the demands and pressures can cause burnout in a lot of us and take the fun out of it. My day job "works" because I developed the skillset for it while studying art, but I don't "love" it enough to where it bleeds into my passion work, so I can turn my work brain off at the end of the day. And, in my case specifically, the ADHD kicks in hard to where I'll stick with one type of hobby art only for a few weeks or so before bouncing onto something else - and it is HARD to make a living when you're not consistently making the same genre or specialty of artwork. I have mad respect for people who do and excel at it because I do NOT have that kind of focus lol.
* Being good at one type of art does not mean being good at all types of art, even if some skills carry over. I can paint a picture of outer space, I'm alright at drawing animals, but please don't ask me to draw humans lol. I am trying to learn but don't feel solid enough to show it to others yet or to take on those kinds of requests. < /3
* Most of us hate generative AI and we aren't interested in hearing about AI art or seeing what ChatGPT made for you. AI steals artists' work and it takes away opportunities from those of us who do have art jobs because business owners think it's cheaper/easier to use AI than pay someone a living wage - even if the AI work has mistakes or looks cheap. If AI art appeals to you because you don't feel you can do art yourself, anyone can learn with time and effort just like any other skill. "Born artist" is a myth. Go to YouTube, search up drawing tutorials, and practice for a couple of weeks. You will probably surprise yourself with what you can accomplish, and it will feel so much more personal and rewarding than typing in a prompt. Or, search online for artists who have commissions open and pay them to create the image in your head. You'll get something cooler and more unique to you than AI can make anyway :)
* There was a time where I would get a lot of requests from friends and family to do free art for them, and from my community to do volunteer projects. You won't offend me by asking and I might accept sometimes, especially volunteer work if the cause is important enough to me, but please respect if I say "no." Usually it's due to lack of personal time, not feeling I have the right skill set for what's being asked, or to knowing that the circumstances of the ask mean that I can't appropriately ask for/won't get compensated in the actual cost of my time and materials. Art supplies, gas money if it requires leaving my house, and my time all factor in, and I am unlikely to take on anything that doesn't pay more per hour of work than my day job (including editing time if it's a photo shoot).
@JackalopesExist
Oh, one more I just thought of. Though I don't know if it's outdated nowadays 😅
When I was in high school, my art teachers were very strict about "no anime art." They felt like it was a lesser art form than realism and abstract art, and like it wouldn't translate well to getting a job. Also like learning it would take away from learning the fundamentals of "real art."
I love and respect them always, but DANG were they wrong about that specific thing. Anime, cartoons, video games are more popular than ever now. You can work in a studio that makes this type of media, you can be an independent artist that sells character merch online or at conventions, take commissions to draw peoples' original characters, be a self-published comic artist, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Don't be ashamed if you enjoy making an art form that is treated as "lesser" by people who don't understand it. Encourage everyone - kids and teens especially - to draw whatever they're actually interested in. I've found that the real, best, true way to improve at art is to identify something you're extremely passionate about and want to do and figure out how to make it happen. If you're learning a skill just because you feel like you have to and not because you actually care about it, you'll burn out quickly. Like learning how to draw realistic people just because you feel like you "have to" to be an artist even though realistic art of people bores you to sleep. If you like anime art, or cartoons, or furries, or whatever though, it WILL motivate you to properly learn anatomy fundamentals the correct way and study the human form because it's the only way you'll actually get to draw your favorite character in the specific way you visualize them in your mind and have that drive to translate into a tangible art piece.
I wish someone had told me this many years ago. I'm going through it right now at a late age because I've gotten very attached to a certain fictional character and got frustrated that I can't draw them the way I want to lol. But hey, better late than never and it's never too late to learn.
@jesusredeemedme2425
We feel things on a different level.
How so?
