i want to say that i strongly disagree with the rhetoric that and artist should draw every day and just keep pumping out art, thats one way of doing things but its ok to be slow, study things around you, spend time on other interests. growing as an artist should not be separated from growing as a person.
@ultimape @TorbjornLunde thanks for the link ultimape, i will try to watch this later.
i definitely see the use for people telling each other to just keep drawing, and not giving up on themselves and their art.
but i also think people need to remember that its okay to go through rough periods where they're not drawing. when i see successful artists talk about how they got to be where theyre at, generally all they have to say for themselves is 'just keep drawing.'
i very rarely see people talk about their artistic insecurities at length. i cant help but notice that we would rather have an idealized but dishonest sense of what it means to be an artist.
@ultimape @TorbjornLunde i do not view creative work differently from other lines of work and i do think they would all benefit from stepping back from the specialization society strives for and let things blend together more.
when you're able to set aside time to learn about different things it gives you a new perspective when you come back to your line of work that i think is invaluable.
i think we are a detriment to ourselves when we force ourselves to focus on any particular thing, be it art, politics, or science. they all play off of each other. that is why i do not appreciate "draw every day" as advice to nurturing artistic skills.
@ultimape @TorbjornLunde and that doesnt even account for how we view resting periods and self-care, but i believe that argument has been well-spoken for time and time again on mastodon.
@eifie @TorbjornLunde very much agree with this framing. in my own life the only thing that's helped me progress is the rejection of the normal advice that Successful People Say. Sometimes going so far as to completely invert a process. There's a sort of survivorship bias, those who make it don't see what caused the others to fail. And as you said it applies to way more than art.
Realizing this was happening all the time was an eye opener.
@ultimape thats so true about those who succeed not being able to see where others failed. i see this a lot in art especially because its viewed a lot pess traditionally and people think its easy or just a natural gift or talent, when its just as much of a discipline in fact.
@eifie I’ve always seen it as a solution to a very specific problem: being stuck for long periods of time without creating anything (while presumebly wanting to).
I often feel like what starts out as pragmatic advice get’s converted to ‘moral’ statements.
@eifie when i was taking an art class, the professor had us do 50 drawings in less than 2 weeks. that is roughly four drawings a day. we were supposed to explore new and creative styles while still working on a drawing a day in our sketchbooks. it was hard work and it ended up being more of "what kind of shit can i do in ~10 minutes that is 'new'"? you didn't really get to think about the drawing or how you'd approach it, or even spend any real time per drawing. didn't do anything for me.
@eifie i think for most people, its unrealistic to think someone should draw even once a day. i also imagine my professor and others are trying to train students into being able to pump out artwork in madhouse industrial conditions. its sick how some of the most free-minded and creative people can become slaves to an industry like this. i imagine some people love what they do more than they despise it though, so maybe i'm outwinded when i try to express my own disdain for the "draw a day" crowd.
@skintobone like i get why this is useful and im not discrediting how studies are important for technique, and i know college is specifically geared towards industry and whatnot, but i just disagree with the idea that artists all have to perform at industry standard to be taken seriously.
theres way too much pressure to be successful, or quick, or consistent, or machine-like in some way. i just want to be moderately happy and enjoy myself when i draw. there's no class that can teach you that.
@eifie Theres a great TED talk that explores this idea in depth by referring to certain aspects of creativity require that sort of passive growth. It frames it as "sabbatical", but it's a powerful way of thinking about it. https://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_the_power_of_time_off
I tend to frame rhetoric you mention as targeting people who want to make art but struggle with technical skills to create it. Or rather, that there are different audience for that kind of advice?
Its an interesting social phenomena wrt creativity.