What a week it is turning out to be, artistic output practically zero and the side-effects of not being visually creative are beginning to show as I feel my body slowly deteriorate at all levels, I jest not, without the peace and harmony of being of another world I am beginning to look and feel absolutely drained despite being awake for far less hours than when creating!
Office work, computer work, words, words, and more words, mailing lists, the production of and the posting out of marketing material sending me slowly but surely into boredom!!
That being said however it is not without both reward and satisfaction as a plan comes together and I start to see the fruits of my labor my only respite being the yahoo answers site that allows me to afford others information, it is not just the giving that is proving fruitful for me but also the ability for self affirmation and I have noticed that in the provision of information I am able to see through words some understanding of myself, does that make sense, probably not however to put it another way, I get so carried away with the 'doing' that I dont really understand what it is that I do until I get the opportunity to answer a question adequately without having to resort to research to find the answer.
So, to end this BLOG Post I provide you with another Q and A from the yahoo answers site.
QUESTION;
What do i draw to impress?
i have a sketch book now and i don't know what to draw. im into sports and graffiti. I like drawing peoples names but im bad at the designs in the back because a plain name looks boring. what do i draw in the blank areas. people will be looking at this so i would like to impress them. Any sites that show ideas will help to
MY ANSWER.
I do understand fully what it is that causes you some vexation with your first sketch-book, I was the same and that was about 15 sketchbooks ago.Before I answer however I would suggest that you are confusing a sketch book with a portfolio for it is the latter that you show to potential clients and ' others' as you call them, it is the book that has your completed and finished work.
Your sketch book is your journal.
When I first saw the headline to your question I had an easy answer for you ( at the end of the text) having now read the rest it has to be a bit more.Your sketch book is FOR YOU, it is your thoughts, dreams, ideas, it is not and should not be neat and tidy full of perfect drawings, designs or anything like that, each time you open it to use what ever goes in there should be unplanned and spontaneous.
I understand that you want it to look nice for others but ' others ' dont matter at all, really honestly and truthfully.. scribbles, doodles, shopping lists in fact anything and everything, it doesnt matter if you fill the page with a single or many pictures, it doesnt matter if you scribble a couple of lines and then cross it out, really truthfully and honestly.Your sketchbook is YOUR source of inspiration, it is for you to go back over the years and yes, I do mean years........ and years, stick things in that you find, try out different things, pencil, pastel, pen, ink, anything.
As a practising and professional artist I never go anywhere without my sketchbook and still I look back through them all on a regular basis, in fact the answer that I had planned for you comes from a page in one of my 2007 sketchbooks where I had written down a quote, I have it here in front of me now and the page open, dated 07.08.07, the quote is..' Any work of Art created in hope of profit is unhealthy ' by Oscar Wilde and was the quote that inspired the answer that I was going to give you and that is, dont create to impress, create because that is what you do.
Seriously, dont fret about how neat beautiful and tidy it is for other people, those who look at your sketch books for the right reasons are not looking for beautiful and intricate drawings they are looking to see inside your artistic head, to see what makes you tick, by understanding you through your book they will understand your work that you place on canvas, paper, in frames, your sculptures or what ever medium that your artistic journey takes.
I am passionate about my sketchbooks and without them I would be lost, my works come from my sketchbooks my sketchbooks from my brain, my mind, my soul. have fun with it and take it everywhere and whatever comes into your head that interests or inspires you get it into your book, eventually you will realise that your book has a beauty all of its own, it will take on a special smell and the pages will become soft and tactile and ' others ' as you call them will see and feel that beauty for it will have a visual identity THAT IS YOUi know this is a long answer but it is of such importance for anyone and everyone to understand that the artists sketchbook is more than a book of sketches, it is a journal of your artistic journey, a visual diary
Take care and good luck with your journey, be the artist you want to be and dont worry about others because if you are trying to please them you will not be pleasing yourself and that is what art is all about, not being a sheep
Best wishes andrew.
