How does one art?
A wise friend once told me contemporary artists sit on their canvasses with crayons under their ass till they melt. I don't doubt someone out there has tried this...
As for me, my medium is spontaneity. It starts with a flash in my mind- a visual or a sentence, and I go from there. I used to map out an entire story before I put my pencil to paper, but I've since grown out of perfectionism.
I took an interesting class in printmaking with a brilliant professor. Though I'm not spectacular with the art form, it opened my eyes to a new take on the creative process. Nothing I or anyone else sends into the press bed comes out exactly as what we've mapped out. I've learned to become comfortable with that.
I go in with a small idea or fragment of the desired final product, and I let the drawing progress naturally. That's part of the reason I adore watercolor, it's a medium permissible to freedom. Watercolor will paint itself, it moves in a way that's as controllable as it is untamed. I like to let my thoughts wander as I draw. It's a structure-less structure.
You know what they say about great expectations? You'll get let down when things don't go perfectly, and sorry person reading this but life isn't perfect. So why waste precious brain cells fretting over a piece that's not turning out exactly as expected? Knock it off and find pleasure in what you create, planned or unplanned~
Don't get me wrong, it's admirable to see that seemingly flawless photo-realistic work people can pull off, but that's just not where my style and interests lie. I think there's something beautiful about how art can bend reality. I'll draw someone with a chin the size of a mountain if I wanna.
There's nothing wrong with revisiting something and expanding upon it either. I do this all the time with stories I've written too, I'll post one next time :o
Keep up that sweet creative flow buds,
xoxo Rose