In this blog post you will find out where you find your "POP". What grabs your interest and why. This is a blog post that can be found on thevisualartacademy.com blog.
If someone asked,"What is your artistic style?" Would you know what to say?
There's a difference between artistic style and favorite medium. Many artists, especially newer creatives struggle to "find their own style" or artistic voice.
Many times when we first begin learning the basics of art we focus on the use of the elements and principles to practice and create pieces of artwork that go along with an assignment. Sometime we also "copy" the style of a master artists because we are drawn to things we like in their style. Some artists struggle with this idea of having their own style even farther into their career I have been there for sure. We tend to see what has been popular in the past and try to recreate those popular styles ourselves. It's important to have knowledge of the past and what other artists have created in history. What time era they were in and how it affected society. But you too need to listen to your inner voice. What is your heart telling you to create and how? Listen closely!
Where is your "POP"
You may be good at drawing horses but what is the story you're heart is trying to tell? What is your message? Where do you find the "POP"? You may be good at drawing horses, but is this where you find the joy in your art? If the answer is no, then that subject matter has little influence on your style. Keep digging to find something that gets you excited. Your style should focus more on what you want to say than what you feel you are good at.
Art Is A Risky Business
It's scary to take risks. Even in art you have to be able to get through the fear and once in a while take a leap of faith. This was something that took me a long time to realize. For some reason, I seriously am not sure why, I thought there were certain steps you needed to follow and I waited to find these "rules of art" that I thought existed. People were successful because they did something in a certain way and until I figured out what that was, I wasn't going to be very successful. Seriously, that's absolutely ridiculous! Until you start to create what you want to create you will be stifled and will not feel the true flow of creativity. You're living someone else's art and that is no way to create.
Creative Problem Solving
When we get into creating art many times we start rolling and things go pretty smoothly until we hit a problem. Many times artists who are new to creating work tend to give up on a piece and start something new. Try NOT to do this. Consider this a challenge and part of the art making process. If something doesn't work right away, change directions. You may need to set the piece aside for a day or 2 to think about the next move, but do not abandon it. Feeling uncomfortable means you are growing and learning. You are out of your comfort zone and that is a really good thing!
Here's a piece I have been working on for a long time. I almost said, "Forget it!" But I didn't. I kept working and problem solving. It's far from finished, but I'm getting closer and closer to liking it!
Mixed media sculpture Brenda Mullard 2017
So What Are You Saying?
When you are trying to figure out the message you want to give through your work, you may want to actually write your message out. I really like to do a "Brain Dump" on a piece of paper and just write down as many ideas that come to my head and get them on paper. Even if the ideas don't make a whole lot of sense, I still get them out and on paper. Doing this helps me to organize my thoughts and turn my thoughts into artwork. Before you start your next piece of artwork answer these questions.
- What do I love?
- What subjects draw me in? Colors? Mediums? Time Era?
- How do I feel when I am around these things, using this medium the way I want to use it?
Your Style Will Evolve Over Time
- Weeping Woman 1937 Pablo Picasso
The Old Fisherman (1895) Pablo Piccasso
The paintings above were both done my the well known Master Painter Pablo Picasso. You can see a distinct style difference in the two paintings. You can also see by the dates that his style changed over time. As he found his inner artistic voice his confidence changed from a realistic style to a style called Cubism. It took him practice and courage to change from the very accepted realistic portrait style to his own cubistic style.
Let's Recap
Learning from other artists styles is important in developing your own. It takes a lot of practice and problem solving to figure out what your own style is. You need to stick with artwork even when you aren't really happy with what is going on at the time. Don't give up on a piece. A solution will come to you eventually for whatever it is that doesn't feel right. Ask yourself where it is you find your "Pop". What makes you truly happy, what are you trying to tell your viewer? What do you want to world to know? With time and experience, you too will find you're inner voice. Listen carefully! Bottom line... Keep working, keep creating and keep telling YOUR storey!
