Dear Internets,
It has come to my attention that many people worry about this thing called
"style". How does one find it? Will people respond to
mine when I finally figure it out? When does this nefarious styling
choices surface so I can quit thinking about it? And other such questions...
As this is "to the internet", and most of the talk on said
internet is mostly....99%.....blow-harding-nonsensical-look-at-me-pay-attention
rhetoric, I will add mine to the list as well.
In my opinion, young artists are far too concerned with the word
Style. We use it as if it's a stand alone word and something you
obtain. Like a pet rock…….. or gangrene. We yearn for it, we get judged
by it, we get neglected or get accepted by it, and it dictates far too much of our
time.
I believe motivations, Yes, motivations have a good portion to do with this
idea.
A client wants it to be more like
this "style". The visual development should be more like Mary
Blair. Jobs and mostly, money seem to have a way to tell the artist how
they should in fact, be an artist. All of which breaks down to
motivations and choices. Why did YOU become an artist? Is it to
work at that particular studio? If you are largely motivated by ego (I
need to work at Pixar or Disney or Dreamworks or Ghibli) then your “style” will
steer directly to drawing like all the artists you already see there.
Working off ego and “liking” a studios visual
aesthetics are different, please understand that.
I am not claiming that because you like a major studio you are driven be your ego, but some are. But not you, I like you. You're reading this....
There are 2 other motivations I wish to address.
One is awesome and one is, in my opinion…not.
The, I just want a job, motivation.
I would say 85% of my students or artists I
meet are predisposed with that idea.
That your artistic self worth is neatly tied up in a bow made of 100
dollar bills.
Now, I myself, would love a Grover (not Sesame Street) neck tie, but
as a motivator, there is nothing
to motivate.
Not artistically.
It’s hard to find something to say
artistically when your only motivation is monetary gain.
If this is you, there’s no problem with it,
but you CAN find a better solution.
Your
motivation can be slightly seen as I want to make my living as an artist.
And as that artist I want to make
_________.
You’ve side stepped your
notion of “just get paid” and now can be the individual who started out on this
journey in the first place. Many artists don't need to continue learning or getting better or influenced because, they already "made it". IE, paid. Psst, they get let go first FYI. And in this day and age of no one working at any company beyond 2 years, it's a trend that wont be stopping.
The other motivation is just plain, I NEED TO MAKE ART!
I literally CAN’T be anything else.
This opens yourself up to be influenced by
many different ideas, places things, smells, experiences and anything else you
drum up or think about.
It frees you from any constraints of “style”
or concern of it.
And you’ll find that
the more you take in, the more it will influence and morph into something truly
unique.
And when you find what you want
to say, an audience will find you.
It just
takes time and hard work and persistence
It is extremely hard to be original and self motivated.
The world from day one is telling us to
conform.
Too many young artists are
simply regurgitating information other artists already came up with.
Finding YOUR voice takes years and years.
AND IT SHOULD!
It’s like wine and cheeses not you tube and
twitter…..
Be ok with failings and hard
knocks and time.
It will come.
Time is wonderful and should be appreciated,
especially in this day and age where everything is 5 minutes ago.
Let's get back to style.
When you put so much effort into finding a certain style, you may very well
be putting horse blinders on towards another influence that would elevate your
understandings and knowledge. We should stop worrying about what style we
have, and ask the real question, what do I want to be influenced by
today? It's a simple perspective shift but frees you from concerning
yourself with finding an answer. I truly believe there's not an answer to
the question, which makes life and sometimes art, tiring and defeating.
Wherever you are right this minute, well not this minute unless you can read
and draw at the same time in which case I say Bravo. But right now is
your style.
Take solace in knowing that anything you paint today, is your style.
That 5 years down the road the art you make will still be "your
style". But it's yours, not a companies, not a brand.
Yours. And that's the most important thing to remember. Be
influenced, change things up, paint wrong, try something new and amazingly
different. All of it is your style. What I am saying to you in as few
words as possible (too late), is you are your style. Your influences (and
they should NOT just be other artists), your life, your experiences, how your
hand moves, the music you listen to, and everything else that genetically makes
up YOU is your style. It should, I repeat, SHOULD change, evolve, become
blatantly simplified or dazzlingly complex over the course of your career.
People will find you. Fans, peers, regular folk will find what you have to
say visually. It may take them time to find you in this black hole we
call the internet. And not everyone will gravitate towards your style,
but the ones who do, will be interested if you have something to say. You
do not have to be anyone other than you. Just be open, be ready, work
hard, and don't sweat style.
I'll also note, the more you let in the more you get out. If you are
looking to freelance if you are no longer concerned with "your style"
it makes it easier.
Not to be confused
with easy…. Being able to work within a broad range given a client’s needs or
constraints is important.
Well, my brain hurts.
Hopefully there’s at least one nugget of
knowledge someone somewhere on the internet takes away from this.
Please let me know in the comment section if
you want more of these shenanigans or just plain artwork.
Your wish, my command.
Thanks Internet, that’s my writing on Style….
Just remember, Dumbledore had it, and so do you.
Cheers,
Brett "2d" Bean
