3 Lessons I learned while making art during the first year of the Pandemic in 2020
Bloodshot eyes and a heart of stone
Never again, I’d rather be alone
Think I’m gonna just stay home
And make art, not friends
-Sturgil Simpson
We made it through a depressing 2020 and into a highly productive January 2021 at Darkhat Studios. I suffered the loss and separation of both friends and family last year, and it seemed like survival was a focus again. We have come out of the experience with renewed determination and are still moving towards our vision: producing games, art, and stories. If you are at all interested in learning something new, self improvement, or watching people struggle valiantly against all odds, then this is the place for you.
I think the start of any journey is always the hardest. There is no effort and energy to look back on, to reinforce your being where you are.
We are posting art on Instagram @azelzor and @zoltess so please come and follow us if you want to see what we have been making. I was trying two social media art challenges in October called #Inktober and #Washtober. These challenges involve creating artwork based on a list of daily prompts. I felt like this would be a good way to build some habits and improve quickly through doing, so I went to work October 1st and started making and posting art. I am trying out the idea of “Action before motivation” so theoretically by creating art I would develop the motivation to create more. I did not fully think through some of the consequences, so I wanted to share those with you. Trying to complete two daily art challenges was a reach.
Lesson 1: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin
I needed to create 62 pieces based on a series of words with really no art training and post them. I did not have time to properly plan a layout, get reference photos, or really even decide on a subject. I currently can’t just sketch out a drawing of “hope” on a whim. If I happen to have an idea and reference photo that lines up with the prompt, excellent! I didn’t have time to plan ahead and it may be one of the biggest impacts on painting a picture I think is garbage and a picture that I looks like something I was trying to achieve.
Takeaway : Poor Planning= Poor Quality and no consistency. Plan ahead, improve basic skills.
Lesson 2: Expectations
I eventually painted a picture people thought was quite good. Making something people think is good can also be a problem. Let’s dig into this issue.
I went from learning basic art skills and developing new habits to expecting I make my next picture look as good as the one I made the day before. It changed my approach from a growth activity such as “try this other size of pen maybe” to a subjective goal such as “I need to make this look better than…”. As a sports analogy it’s like planning and stressing about trying to play like you did that last game instead of more productive actions, like being focused on practicing plays, and getting stronger and faster. The best way to improve my art, the subjective goal, is intentional daily practice, unfortunately, by focusing on achieving the goal itself I am less likely to succeed. This is because I am not approaching my art with the intention of growth but trying to perform to an expectation and therefore, I am not working on actions to expose my gaps, take risks, and push myself.
The second issue is that quest for the feeling of success through the wrong channels can become an unproductive rollercoaster of external influences, either positive or negative, and this won’t just affect your learning. The desire to succeed is the ultimate driver to progress, provided the efforts are put in the right place. Chasing acceptance/likes/status/fame/pride will drive one down a path that, most likely, will not result in any level of mastery. Examples of self talk that chases external influences: I have this great job title now, so I feel good about myself. My parents will finally be proud of me. I do not have any followers so I must not matter. I lost followers I shouldn’t have done x.
I think the best way to deal with this is to compartmentalize the feeling into a limited space. Give the monster concrete boundaries and remember that letting others impact your feelings works with positive and negative emotions.
This sums up Lesson 2: I expect nothing. I accept everything.
Lesson 3: The Internet can be a positive place.
I have been connecting with other artists, studying art, and learning. I am new to Instagram and I have found the process of creating a picture of a “car” for example rewarding because a group of people are posting their pictures of cars and I can watch their youtube videos of their painting process. To refer back to the Sturgil Simpson song, you can make art and friends.
The great artist Vincent Van Gogh’s letters reveal a young man struggling to learn art, fundamental drawing concepts, and fight the limitations of society and his role in it. He had a blacksmith build a tool to help him create a drawing grid. I have attached his drawing of the design. I can’t help but think about the advantages I have today and imagine what kind of an artist he would be if he was born at the same time as I.
I can watch the videos of thousands of artists from all over the planet while they paint, instruct, and demonstrate techniques. Art materials show up at my door and I have access to thousands of free images. I can also take amazing photos with my phone and paint and draw whatever I see. When I think about art in human history I am astounded by how much more power and opportunity we have right now. I learn watercolor from a man in Israel and someone from South Korea follows my posts. It’s a very unique time in human history and we need to try our best. As Dojocat would say, “What a time to be alive.”
I hope these 3 simple lessons provide you with a bit of insight you may not have before or possibly they inspire a new idea or action. In either case I hope you have an amazing start to 2021.