Finding Your Artistic Path
People have always told me how lucky I am, lucky that at an early age I knew what I wanted to be. Friends of mine, friends with inherent artistic leanings, have expressed their envy over my focus when it comes to my artwork and the ease I take in finding my subjects. Where I walk confidently along my path of visual communication deep in the dark underpinnings of surrealism, they still struggle to understand their artistic gifts and their compulsions towards artistic expression. Worst of all, they’re still trying to figure out the best way to release it.
Cath, my lovely girlfriend is going through this turmoil right now.
I paint anywhere between 30 and 40 hours a week, maybe more if I’m not blogging. The other day, Cath sat down with me to do some of her own painting . After working at it for several hours, going through many small canvases and a variety of different ideas, Cath threw up her hands in frustration and defeat. What she was working on was not resolving itself into anything she cared for. Canvas after canvas, idea after idea, nothing she was working on felt right to her and she felt no satisfaction in the work she was completing. At the time she felt compelled to express herself through the medium of painting but the externalization of that expression wasn’t leading to any kind of resolution, physically or emotionally. This generated a lot of angst towards the work and towards herself.
We had a long chat after that which brought up a lot of great questions.
How does an artist choose exactly which subject to depict and in which media to depict it? Out of the vast panoply of things to talk about, out of all the feelings, thoughts, stories and ideas to communicate which ones are the right ones for any individual? Of all the visual mediums known or unknown which one will capture the subject the best and deliver its message with the proper impact? How do you choose the right path to walk upon?
I’ll give you the same advice I gave her.
It all comes down to personal preference. What subject you choose to work with and which medium is best suited to depicting it comes down to what feels right for you. Figuring out exactly what that is is the hard part.
So how do we decide on what we prefer
Step 1: Mediums – Try Everything.
If you’re new to the art game you’ll have to spend a bit of time trying out different mediums to see what resonates with you. You won’t know what you like until you try it so try everything (or at least as many mediums as are available to you).
Some mediums are simple such as drawing. Grab your sketchpad and an HB pencil, curl up in your favourite chair and go to town. Some mediums are more process oriented such as printmaking. You’ll spend most of your time engaged in making the printing plate, not the prints, and chances are you’ll have to take a course or two to engage its positive attributes.
Some need almost no equipment to be explored. For painting, a simple easel and a quiet corner will get you started or do it on the kitchen counter and skip the easel. Bronze casting on the other hand requires a studio full of equipment to be accomplished and, again, you’ll probably need to invest in a course to experiment with this one.
Some mediums require an investment in time. Stone carving will probably require several weeks worth of working hours to complete one piece. With watercolours on the other hand you may be able to pull off half a dozen paintings in one day.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can still play around with most art mediums from the comfort of your own home. Basic sets of paints and canvases are inexpensive and you can purchase cheap brushes too. Drawing is also relatively cost effective. Or pick up a box of clay or a block of wood and start your very first sculpture. Whittlers don’t need much to get started.
If you’ve got a bit of spare cash and time, pick up a course at the local college or university. You may even be lucky enough to find a course which specializes in art-medium diversity. Courses like that give you the chance to try painting, drawing and sculpting in one convenient course. Roll them all together. Maybe mixed media is your forte. Easy, huh?
After you’ve tried out a selection of artistic mediums either known or unknown, separately or mixed together, you’ll find something that fits you. It’ll be like someone turned on a light and for the first time you can see clearly.
I was very lucky when I went to high school. Bowmanville High had five art teachers and an extensive series of courses that allowed me to try just about everything. Screenprinting. Computer art. Collage. Pastel drawing. Charcoal. Life drawing. Everything was made available to me.
At sixteen, I was first introduced to acrylic painting in Mrs. Eccles’ art class. After I’d completed my very first piece, I knew I’d found my home. The day I picked up that brush it just felt right. The tumblers in my artistic lock fell into place and the door to my artistic path was unlocked. This can happen for you too.
Step 2: Subject - Seize the Day! …to Soul Search.
Picking a subject isn’t as easy as trying out a variety of mediums. You could try painting landscapes for awhile. You could try drawing portraits. Doing a still life block print might not be a bad idea but then again random free association and imagery from the subconscious may be for you. Go ahead, spend some time on that too. No, wait. I have a better idea. Don’t. Don’t do any of that.
Spending a lot of time and effort (and probably money too) messing around with a bunch of subjects that you inherently already know you won’t like is an inefficient and ineffective waste.
For example, when was the last time you were asked to do a job you didn’t want to do? at home or at the office – doesn’t matter. How did that go? I’m willing to bet that you’d probably get a subpar rating on your performance of the task, that it was definately stressful to you and maybe others around you and that it took a lot longer than it needed to. Is that how you want your artwork to go? Why make it a chore? The more out of sync you are with the subject you’ve picked as the focus of your artwork, the more difficulty you’ll have bringing it to life.
Your preference for subject matter is already inside you and it has been growing and honing itself ever since you were born; it just needs to be unveiled. To do that, spend some time…with you.
Getting to know yourself first will be immeasurably helpful in the long run. Before you jump into creating your first masterpiece, spend some time getting to know the real you.
Ask yourself some questions. When you last saw an artwork in full on 3D, real life, what was it? Did it move you or did you hate it? Emotions — What makes you happy? What makes you sad? What do you like? More importantly, what don’t you like? How does the subject of landscape make you feel? What about embracing the world of the unconscious and free association? Is that something you’re likely to enjoy? What kind of literature do you like to read? And movies, what’s the most common topic in your video library? Politics – Do you lean to the left or to the right? Maybe you’re totally bent? Environment – Do you recycle ardently or do you still drive your gas guzzler beater from the 70’s? Leave no question unasked.
The more you know about you, the more likely you’ll understand what motivates you, what keeps you driven and where you’d like to see that drive take you. Learning about yourself and truly understanding who you are as an individual will lead you to subjects that you’ll enjoy depicting. Couple that with the medium you’ve found an affinity for, and you’ll have the makings of successful artwork on your hands.
The more you enjoy a subject the more it will show in your work. Your brush strokes will flow. Your line work will be confident and definitive. The colours you choose will be powerful and emotive. You’ll have fun doing your work and others will see that you’ve had fun doing it. Even if the subject is morbid and macabre referencing the darkest corners of the human psyche, people will find it approachable and will gravitate towards it.
Clive Barker is my favourite writer. Horror and sci-fi movies make up the bulk of my movie collection. I feel very strongly about the workings of the mind and the soul over the workings of the body. Do you think it shows? I’ve had a precognizant level of understanding about what I like from a very early age and that’s why I’m confidently on the path I currently walk. I’m sure I freaked my parents out more than once.
Get to know you. Even if you’re itching to start in on your first canvas or to pour your first bronze, you’ll be cheating yourself if you rush in without having that subject matter piece of the puzzle in place. You’ll be a craftsman without a direction. You’ll hate what you create and that’ll flare into anger towards yourself. I guarantee it. Get to know you. You’ll thank yourself in the end.
Find your medium, find your subject matter and you will find your artistic path. It’ll be up to you to choose to walk it.
Last but not least, please don’t misread this article. While I may make it sound easy, finding your artistic path isn’t. This process takes time and effort with sweat and tears being shed in copious amounts but in the long run, you’ll be a better artist for it.
For now, that is all. Goodnight.
Article of interest: Help! I Have Too Many Ideas!
May 28th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I read through your article a few times and I have to say, it sparked my sense of creativity back to life. I was always a negative thinker when I was younger and didn’t believe that I had it in me to advance. People would tell me how talented I was and how far I would go with my art when I was just in elementary school, but there was so much pressure. As if I didn’t succeed soon, or if I didn’t get the guts to grab onto the right opportunity, I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I’ve been doing art for years now, and like you, I started before I had any real cognitive memory. My problem has always been a vague sense of direction. I feel like I have to do everything! I become bored easily and I have to try something different, usually before I ever get the feel of what I was doing before. I’m just sharing the same turmoil as your partner as of now. Summer begins tomorrow, then soon I’ll be starting my senior year and then off to college. There is so much work to be done, I’m trying to keep focus as best I can while trying to be the best at what I do. I apologize for the rant, but I appreciated the entry! I don’t feel so alone anymore on my journey to better myself as a person and an artist, Toodles
May 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Hey Olivia, Sean told me about your comment and you know what? It doesn’t get any easier out of college/university. Let’s say you do become a full time artist with income (which neither Sean and I are yet), you’re time will be split between doing the art and finding ways to deliver your art to the world. All of sudden you’ll be learning small business–accounting, web marketing, advertising, possibly some web design, and so on. If you are serious about becoming a professional art student, start taking the courses that will help you, and just remember no matter what you learn, a lot of it is made out to be more complicated than it needs to be or actually is, so keep everything simple so you can spend the best of your energy on art making. As for the focus, it comes with practice.
May 30th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
*I meant professional artist not “art student”–Geesh, my typing skills need some love!