Tuesday 10 May 2011

1,2,3

These are the best three pieces of advice I've had all year:

1. "Careful not to look at other artists work too much"  Jo

This was a point that Jo made quite recently when I was obsessing over trying to get my work to resemble that of the artists I admire; to the point where I was stuck: unable to move forward with too many influences and not enough confidence. But it all fell into place when Jo made the above quote. It made me realize that I have to find my own style, my own working method and have confidence in my own abilities. 

2. "Just forget about it and move on, dude"  Jordan

Jord said this while we were looking through our newspapers for 'The Wellspring'. I was looking at my own illustration and going through all the issues I had with it. That was when Jord gave me the above advice, and he was totally right. I know fully well that given half the chance I could spend months obsessing over one piece of work, never being quite satisfied with it. Or I could take Jord's advice, decide that the piece is finished and move on.

3. "You'll create your best work when you're having fun." Jack Teagle

It seems obvious enough, but often in all the stress of meeting a deadline it's easy to forget about enjoying the process of creating. And of course, that lack of fun is reflected in the work. It’s not difficult to distinguish work that was created with enthusiasm from work that was forced. I genuinely believe that if your having fun creating your work, then it will show in the illustration and your work will reflect the fun you had making it. I suppose this point connects to the previous two: if you enjoy your work and you approach it in a confident manner and avoid worrying too much about what you or the artists you admire may have created in the past; then your work will be all the stronger for it.

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