Progressing in Art

I have surprised people with the speed of my progression in art. I kind of resembled a Tesla, going from 0 to 60 miles in 1.9 seconds. So how did I manage to progress so fast so quickly? First, you must listen. Listen to every artist you know, because even the artist who seems to be lacking behind you will know something you don’t. Some artists become too confident, or don’t take constructive criticism well. This is a must. You must listen to others, try your best to understand where they are coming from or what they see that you don’t, and try not to get your feelings hurt. They are HELPING you. Even if you don’t want to hear it. Secondly, humble yourself. You are not the best. Nor will you ever, ever be the “best” artist. How come? Because everybody has different taste. Keep yourself as humble as you can, because the more humble you are, the more room you are leaving for growth. There are many, many great artists out there. Just get on a world-wide internet art group and you will be humbled as fast as that Tesla goes. It’s okay to take your ego down a notch. Maybe you are the best artist in your family, heck, maybe in your town, but you are not the best artist, and that’s okay, because it means you must learn. People that think they know everything never learn anything. Being humble is the key. Thirdly, do not rush your artwork. This isn’t a race. If you are rushing your artwork, you have not found your key. If you don’t know what I am talking about, go read the blog about painting animals. It will explain the duty of finding your key. Once you find your key, you will not want to rush, you will enjoy painting, hours and hours will go by, and you will be sad that you must stop in order to eat something, go pee, and go right back to painting. Enjoy the process, above all, I stress this the most. If you can’t enjoy the process, it will show on your paintings. Other people will see that you don’t enjoy painting. They may see technique, great shading skills, maybe even great perception but it won’t mean a thing if you didn’t enjoy the process of painting. Painting is an extension of your soul. I talk a little bit about this in my bio on aprilsalleycatart.com. If you haven’t read it, please feel free to see what I view art as. It is who we are, splattered on canvas, lovingly, soulfully, with intention and emotion, deeply fond of the experiences in our life and how it shows on the canvas. Embellish this! Celebrate this! The things in life that hold emotion should never be rushed, but only delicately caressed until it gently slides into the finished outcome.

Click Here for More Information