I’m pretty satisfied with the way this digital graphic turned out. I just added the finishing touches today. I’ve noticed the past couple of months I’ve been making good personal strides as I go along this career path in art. I notice as I go along, I’ll take a variety of techniques learned over the years, more and more combining old and new aspects into single pieces of work… This is part of what makes every artist unique and their own. All subject to different experiences and represent those through our work. It’s what allows us to grow and further us along.
Pull from your past as you push toward your future.
When was much younger, I’d sometimes hear people say “art as a career is very difficult” or you hear about the “starving artist.” Words like this can be discouraging to adolescent ears… They may hear it, make a split judgement and throw out any ideas of pursuing their creativity altogether.
I didn’t start taking art/design/photography seriously until I came back to VT ~2017. I grew a little bit in that time, and made a solid choice to pursue it and see what I could make of this path that I seemed to already be on. It’s something that made me happy, and there is an industry in it, so why not?
Well I pushed myself and made many sacrifices that I felt would help to accelerate this pursuit. The past few years are currently a bit of a blur, basically I got a
new roommate in summer of 2018. With him also becoming a more determined artist (specifically
jewerly making, so we spent much of our daylight creating. We made an art studio in our living room and made a ton of progress together. He moved to California at the end of the fall, but I’ll always be extremely grateful for the ~18 months we had creating, growing, motivating, living, stressing and surviving.
There are so many individual and one of a kind days in the year. All with their own feelings, tasks, and creations and concerns. There are also so many phases that we go through. Whether it’s mediums of art, people we spend time with and talk to, foods we eat, etc. Life is a series of waves that we ride. They come and go, though some go and are never seen again. We must accept that.
To be honest, I haven’t really stopped since I started. I’ve become set on an intuition where I create a life I want to live; a life of progress, personal growth, and creation. Where I do what feels right, while maintaining a certain balance of creativity, introspection, socializing, and of course adventure. You can go as much into your passions as you want, so long as you balance that out with an extent of relaxation, which can come in several forms and can be different for every individual. For example, you may have a passion that is trying on your mind, so to relax you would take a half hour to meditate, exercise, or both.
With this non-stop lifestyle of course there have been strings of days where I wasn’t quite with it. I’d be discouraged,as I got caught up in frustrations of not making sufficient progress, attaining praise, or what have you (expectations on Instagram were also a factor). During these times I felt uninspired and slept a little too much and watched comedic of motivational YouTube videos from the comfort of my bed. It all helps get through the day. I learned a lot from the challenges, the shortcomings and achievements. There was certainly a long period of time where I took it all too seriously and just needed to give myself a break.
When it came down to it, I was in one place, whereas I wanted to be in another (in a sense that I wanted to be further along in my career). I would actually even search Craigslist for new places to live, or new jobs to take on, in hindsight because I wished to escape the reality that I was in. The thing is, I wasn’t actually taking the physical steps needed to further myself. Sure I was taking tons of photos, having great outdoor adventures and creating based on those. I was throwing my work out into the world in hopes that somebody important would catch it and offer me a grand opportunity. And sure it works this way sometimes. maybe .1% of the time, but with that small fraction, you REALLY have to stand out and create something remarkable. Let alone, the right person has to see it and the odds of this are extremely slim.
So it seems this is what I was basing my success on; that and Instagram stats. Not. Good. I wasn’t definitely putting unnecessary pressure on myself, which is still bound to happen here and there.
Another factor in the mix is coping mechanisms, like alcohol or marijuana. Sure these seem slightly harmless, especially used sparingly, but even for me just one 6 pack a week would get in the way of my goals. It begins with cracking open one beer toward the end of the day, by the last drop of this bottle, of course you want another. But also at this time is where you begin to lessen the ability to be productive. It also can affect the following day. The same with smoking, you gradually become more out of it; groggy but awake without progress being made.
To sum it all up… During this time I worked to take life seriously in such a way that I had to be successful as soon as I could. I wasn’t being patient with myself, but I was also taking part in habits that were inhibiting me from progressing with my goals. It was a time of back and forth, leaving a few jobs to pursue art more seriously, inner turmoil of not being where I wanted to be.
Today is drastically different from this period of my life. I’ve grown a lot as a person, arguably a lot even in the past 2 months. On February 3rd, I was really keen on making strides, progress and change. I wrote on a sticky note:
NO WEED
NO ALCOHOL AT HOME
CLEAR MIND
OFF COMPUTER: 9:30PM
NO CAFFEINE PAST 1PM
GRATITUDE TODAY
GRATIFICATION LATER
The note is still there stuck to my Mac, so I see it everyday. Since I wrote the note, I cut those out completely for 6 weeks. I did some beer product photography so I allowed myself to taste some of the brews. I’ve also had a hard cider here and there (3 total), but since not been buzzed or drunk. I have also smoked a few times, but ultimately this was a decision day. The decision to take accountability for my daily actions for the greater good of my future self. Also, with a shoulder injury that I sustained in November, I begin each day with movement/yoga/mindfulness. I take healthy breaks from my work to decompress, have a nice meal, relax my mind. I am excited to use summer bike rides in this way… A healthy escape that’s good for my well-being.
Lately I am taking it all one day at a time. It’s ultimately most important to live in the present moment and not succumb to unrealistic expectations. Voice your goals to people in your life, as they may have a good suggestion of what you can do to get there. Make a to-do list every night so you’re ready to go the next morning. Create what you like to create, and don’t focus on whether it’s good enough or if people react to it. Some you create will strike invidividuals for a moment and other for a period of time. Don’t dwell, just move and keep creating.
Keep creating. Consider what you can do better for next time. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you’re drawn toward something or have an idea on how to “connect the dots,” pursue it. Try it out and release any expectation of an outcome. You may see surprisingly good outcomes that will propel you toward where you wish to be. Only by taking action can you see what happens.
And with that, it’s good to have goals to guide you, but remain patient and open among all of this, because you will change, you will make realizations. As you keep going, you will direct yourself, and your projects will direct you. Hold onto your goals and ideals, but don’t skip ahead as they are simply a guide, not a point in time.
There is no time; there’s only you, what you do…how you feel…how you feel unto others.
Feel it out, reel it in. It’s only real, if you begin.
You’ll never get there, for so long as you keep going, you’re already there.
If you read this, please let me know in any which way! I appreciate feedback of any kind. Thanks!
-Aryk
<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/designframeofmind/posts/1922873231191070" data-show-text="true" data-width=""><blockquote cite="https://developers.facebook.com/designframeofmind/posts/1922873231191070" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><p>After making a digital illustration in Adobe Illustrator, I find that adding a little extra style in Photoshop makes all...</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/designframeofmind/">DFOM</a> on <a href="https://developers.facebook.com/designframeofmind/posts/1922873231191070">Tuesday, May 19, 2020</a></blockquote></div>
art.of.a.rock 
Leave a comment