My Art Philosophy
Let me pop off about art real quick.
Art is teachable. You can’t argue to me otherwise.*
Craft and Art go hand in hand, anyone who tells you art is better can get bent.**
Criticism can bite the dust if it is not constructive.***
Art is not near as fun without a community or art buddy.****
* Like any other skill or hobby, art can be taught and learned by anyone. The basics and the technical skills are the most important first step, starting this backwards (trust me, learned this myself) will hinder ability to learn. Once you got your basics down, your craft begins to be polished as time goes on. Time + Making = Craft If you look at some of your old drawing or your old sculptures, you should see your technical skills progress even if it is just a little. Everyone is on a different timeframe - don’t compare your progress to others!
**Craft is the technical skills you have on your handy toolbelt; drawing, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metals, etc. The more time you spend honing this skill the easier art can be. Sarah, how can art be easy? Well, it’s not, but boy howdy having craftsmanship under your belt is the biggest hurdle in the race. If you can’t create the piece you are envisioning, it will be very difficult to create your art. Now once you have that beautiful craftsmanship up to the desired expectation (yours and yours alone), that’s when you can focus on the ‘art’ part. Art can literally be anything. It can have a concept, it can talk about politics, it can be a way to express feeling, it can also mean nothing at all, it could also mean that you love making jewelry boxes and no other reason. Art and craft, to me, are the same. If you’re hitting master level in woodworking and create a beautiful rocking chair, that’s art baby. Others may disagree because ‘what does it mean’ or ‘it’s just a chair’ and it is something that the art world tries to keep separate - but setting up these boundaries are for the birds.
***I said what I said. If it’s not helpful and is hurtful, ignore it and keep living your life.
****This point is my own personal opinion, and others may agree, that community or art buddies really get you through it. Community is our social structure, it is something that everyone needs in order to prosper as we are social creatures. Sometimes being an artist is very lonely and can bum you out so much that you stop making. Reach out to an online art community, go to gallery shows, go to art fairs, make art friends! Art friends can help by critiquing or listening to your art woes - having an art buddy can motivate you to get the damn thing done. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
