An Introduction to Visual Arts
Originally, I was going to have two sections on this site; one called ‘Film’, and another called ‘Art’. I thought those would be substantial enough category names to cover everything that I’m interested in. I was wrong. Where would theatre belong? What about crafting? Interior design? Filmmaking? Performing arts? It simply wasn’t good enough. That’s when the term ‘Visual Arts’ came to mind, and it stuck. It’s a term that provides a mind that is captivated by the arts in all its forms an allowance to speak about whatever the latest obsession is. And move swiftly on to the next without context or consequence.
It's a strange thing to describe to others how miniature stage designs captivate my mind so, or how although I currently have no interest in becoming an interior designer, I will take a moment to appreciate and speak my devotion to a thoughtfully designed chair. I have no knowledge of filmmaking and yet a well-dressed and spectacularly lit set satisfies my soul in a way that I have not yet attempted to articulate into words but on this section of the site, I hope to do so. I think you’re getting a picture of how broad my interests are in this area and just how nice it would be to explore them further with those of you who are interested in similar things.
If I had followed my instincts I would, by now, be deeply entrenched in a career that was creatively fulfilling for me and served me as much as I served it. And yet I thought I would choose the sensible and acceptable route that would make me money. The adults around me told me that what I was wanting to do with my life would be very difficult so for once I heeded their warnings. They weren’t wrong at all, but it wasn’t the right decision for me. I know it wasn’t because I went to university to study International Relations, (how that was going to make me money I don’t know) and I sat in those classes thinking this is entirely too dull of an existence for me to have over the next couple of years and swiftly dropped out.
If I had followed my instincts I would, by now, be deeply entrenched in a career that was creatively fulfilling for me and served me as much as I served it. And yet I thought I would choose the sensible and acceptable route that would make me money. The adults around me told me that what I was wanting to do with my life would be very difficult so for once I heeded their warnings. They weren’t wrong at all, but it wasn’t the right decision for me. I know it wasn’t because I went to university to study International Relations, (how that was going to make me money I don’t know) and I sat in those classes thinking this is entirely too dull of an existence for me to have over the next couple of years and swiftly dropped out.
If I had advice to give anyone that felt a little unfulfilled in their current career or education situation, it would be to revisit their childhood and really understand what they enjoyed and why, because you truly come round full circle to those same interests and passions. I would also say that the comfort of a steady income and an established career can work hand in hand with your creative hobbies and passions. Your hobbies and out of work interests don’t have to become a source of income. They can absolutely be something you just do for your own personal joy and not because you’re trying to sell a product or service.
After years of fighting with myself over it, I have finally decided to let my artistic explorations lead the way into the next stage of my life. I think it is sensible to earn a living from something that I am skilled at whilst making room in my life for printmaking explorations, graphic design, photography and filmmaking, textiles and sewing, sculpture, drawing etc. and pretty much anything else that I am directed towards. I say directed because I am really giving myself over to the universe’s stage directions and will follow them obediently… and occasionally disobediently.
Any creative exploration (money seeking or otherwise) needs some sort of management and discipline. With that in mind, I wanted to sit down to decode any behaviours that don’t serve me and steps that I can take to overcome them. The first thing I have struggled with, is the discipline of sitting down consistently enough and doing the thing I want to do rather than endlessly thinking about the thing I want to do and never letting the idea find a place in the outside world. Instead, the ideas collect dust in the filing cabinets of my brain and the accumulation of ideas is now preventing new ideas from flowing to the surface. I have resolved to make at least one thing a day for the next few weeks so that I can clear some of this space, build the habit of creating something everyday and the discipline of doing something… anything, even when I don’t feel like it. This first step is called ‘doing the damn thing’.
The next thing that I have noticed is that even when I do the damn thing, I almost never experiment with it and take the idea further. Is that because the first iteration is so perfect and beautiful that I could never do better? Of course not! But doing the damn thing at some point became a checkbox exercise and once it was done, it was done. Whether or not it was done well was something to look at another time. I’m no longer accepting that as it prevents me from truly creating, iterating, and having fun with my work. It would be fun to see how much I could develop and push a concept. I am committing to ‘experimenting with the damn thing’.
Lastly, I know I am not alone in having a pile of unfinished projects. There’s a myriad of reasons why this can occur, most are excuses I come up with to justify their existence, other times it was burnout, and mostly it was because I didn’t have the time to continue pursuing it. By the time I did come round to picking the project back up, I would convince myself I was bored of it only to want to reattempt the same project a month later but having a desire to start fresh. It’s a tale as old as time but I really need to start ‘finishing the damn thing’.
I thought these simple three steps would be enough but as I finished the last paragraph, I thought of a bonus one which is equally as important as the others – ‘sharing the damn thing’. This is largely a fear-based area for me but the older I am getting, the more I realise that it really does not matter. Whatever I create, it is made to be shared and whether someone likes it or not, isn’t my concern. I will share my work and let go of it after I have. Art by design should be seen, shared, and iterated upon. The opinions and critiques that follow, good or bad, are insignificant in the bigger picture.
The steps I’ve outlined seem like a great place to start for me on my journey and I’ll focus in on the discipline aspect of just creating consistently first, with video updates on Instagram and written updates on the site. This is the part where I need to be brave, trust my instincts and go forth confidently. I’ve never been much good at that but I’m learning that this current cycle is encouraging me to break the patterns I’ve become accustomed to.
Here goes something!