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The *secret*
Sep. 12th, 2003 01:53 pmYou have not been wasting your time.
When I was in junior high I wanted to be a writer, badly, and I did a lot of research, reading books on how to submit, where, what format, and also reading articles by authors, looking for that *secret* that would make me a real author.
More recently, I've become more focused on visual stories, comics, manga, and have been researching how to do that, how to break in, learning things like better visual storytelling, layout, design, techniques, and reading articles by authors and artists, looking for that *secret* that will make me a real artist.
And they all say the same thing. The most important thing is... to do it. If possible, every day, if you want to write, write, if you want to be an illustrator, draw. Over and over, focus on your passion. Shine it, hone it, sharpen it.
The work is never wasted. Ever. Every word you write, and every line I draw is a step, in a series of steps to the goals we aspire to. Many other people feel the same way you do sometimes, I certainly do, but several things keep me going.
a)I am not the best artist around, I know this, but, a simple google search shows I'm not the worst.
b)more importantly than comparison to other artists, compared to my earlier work, my recent works are better. Progress! Hey, how did that happen. What makes me excited isn't where I am now, but wondering where I'll be in three years!
c)An aside, I seem to learn more by doing, than reading all these books and articles, and am coming to a point where I just have to experiment, and teach myself these techniques I'm lusting after.
d)There is always a Golden Child. Someone who is better, more prolific, more noticed, or just more aware of their own talent. I remember the one I knew in high school, she was an amazing artist, very encouraged by the staff. I was very jealous... but... looking back, I can see that she was the one putting in all the extra work for her pieces that were often displayed. So, she started a bit earlier, she had more encouragement. She was still working through the same process we are, the hard way. There is no substitution for pure insane stubbornness in pursuit of your art.
That said, you can learn lots working on short stories/exercises/koan's that your prof sets up for you. His job is likely to push you and your art in directions you may not have thought of before, and you can bet he's going to try challenging Golden Child as well.
I know you can do it, and do it well. Now it's up to you to show the world what the rest of us already know about you.
(originally posted in response to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gamerchick )
When I was in junior high I wanted to be a writer, badly, and I did a lot of research, reading books on how to submit, where, what format, and also reading articles by authors, looking for that *secret* that would make me a real author.
More recently, I've become more focused on visual stories, comics, manga, and have been researching how to do that, how to break in, learning things like better visual storytelling, layout, design, techniques, and reading articles by authors and artists, looking for that *secret* that will make me a real artist.
And they all say the same thing. The most important thing is... to do it. If possible, every day, if you want to write, write, if you want to be an illustrator, draw. Over and over, focus on your passion. Shine it, hone it, sharpen it.
The work is never wasted. Ever. Every word you write, and every line I draw is a step, in a series of steps to the goals we aspire to. Many other people feel the same way you do sometimes, I certainly do, but several things keep me going.
a)I am not the best artist around, I know this, but, a simple google search shows I'm not the worst.
b)more importantly than comparison to other artists, compared to my earlier work, my recent works are better. Progress! Hey, how did that happen. What makes me excited isn't where I am now, but wondering where I'll be in three years!
c)An aside, I seem to learn more by doing, than reading all these books and articles, and am coming to a point where I just have to experiment, and teach myself these techniques I'm lusting after.
d)There is always a Golden Child. Someone who is better, more prolific, more noticed, or just more aware of their own talent. I remember the one I knew in high school, she was an amazing artist, very encouraged by the staff. I was very jealous... but... looking back, I can see that she was the one putting in all the extra work for her pieces that were often displayed. So, she started a bit earlier, she had more encouragement. She was still working through the same process we are, the hard way. There is no substitution for pure insane stubbornness in pursuit of your art.
That said, you can learn lots working on short stories/exercises/koan's that your prof sets up for you. His job is likely to push you and your art in directions you may not have thought of before, and you can bet he's going to try challenging Golden Child as well.
I know you can do it, and do it well. Now it's up to you to show the world what the rest of us already know about you.
(originally posted in response to
gamerchick )
