Today, I'd like to share with you my secrets to creativity and possibly distill a little hope in your art carreer. but first, a quick background story for you if you don't know who I am. I started fast in my career. I was fortunate enough to be where I was when I started too. My daughter had a friend in ballet class and her mother worked for a design company whose biggest client was Tokyo Disneyland. Well, as luck would have it, she and my wife were out one night and she told her that I was planning on becoming an illustrator when we move back to the states. She was intrigued. We set up an interview and I got the job right away. "My first big client is Disney?! Dang!!", I thought. Although it is still only part time, I enjoy the work even though it is really stressful and I REALLY need to be creative at times. But I have a few secrets as to how I handle such a big job. Of course, when I say secrets I mean skills. Creativity is not something that can be taught. Rather, it's something that has to be cultivated. That being said, let's dive in. Here are four things you can do to be a more creative. This takes time and effort so don't expect to be the Einstein of cartoons (or whatever niche you're getting into) just yet. It has taken me nearly 35 years to come up with this short list. #1 Just Start!! Getting started without a real plan is the quickest way to get over writer's block or in our case, artist's block. When I start drawing a new picture without a plan or any idea of what I want to draw, I start by drawing eyes. Everything stems from the eyes in my opinion. When we meet someone, the first place we look is at their eyes. Imagine your paper (or whatever medium you're using) is a person. Look them in the eyes and greet them in your mind. Get to know the paper as you go along. It sounds a little fruity but a little practice goes a long way. It also motivates you not to disappoint yourself, your client OR your work. I've done it this way since I was five years old. It's the main reason I love drawing so much. I would go so far as to say I have a personal relationship with every piece of work I have ever seen or made. (If you've seen my work in middle school or high school, you'd question my sanity on this) Consider this THE main source of creativity. Everything else from here is a supplement. #2 Find That Peak Time of Day. In recent years, I've noticed there is a peak creativity time for me between the hours of eight and eleven in the morning. During those hours, I get extremely easily distracted by my thoughts which I use for fuel to guide me towards my next goal. Upon this discovery, I decided to keep a piece of paper and a pencil in my pocket and write down everything I was thinking given I had the time to do so. A few months passed and I looked over the notes and found that I had written a novel. There were probably a good twenty chapters. Sadly, by the time I had started making the art for it, I lost interest because I already knew what it would look like ultimately turning me off from it. From then on, I decided to draw the ideas first because I had no intention on becoming a novelist. There is too much grammar to worry about. Bleh! Thus, I decided that illustration is my calling. That's just me talking though. If making graphic novels, manga or comic books is your thing, then go for it. Finding that peak time is a life saver. If you notice your mind racing and you can't get out of your head to save Granny's casserole, take note of the time. There is most likely a three to four-hour window open to show you all those ideas you were looking for. #3 Copy Your Favorite Artists... I Mean... Find A Mentor or Two I say "mentor or two" because having one path in life is extremely limiting. Don't worry. There will never be anything truly original. Everything anybody has ever done was a collection of thoughts generated by their experiences and custom tailored to meet their ideals. Napoleon Hill called it "synthetic imagination". This is the creativity we have all come to know and love. Sounds discouraging at first, to think that everything you see as original has always been around, just arranged in a different way but don't let it get you down. That being said, my favorite thing to do when I was little was record my favorite shows on a VHS (yes, I was born in the early 80's) and pause the video when it got to a scene I really liked so I could draw it. I like to think of the artists and works of art that I admired as my mentors. It helps to think back at all the things that inspired you and who or where they came from. You can research and see how they got their inspiration and how it could possibly benefit yourself. For me, my first inspiration was the genius that is Looney Tunes. I also soon found a love for Ninja Turtles, various anime shows, especially Naruto and Dragon Ball and pretty much anything produced by Disney. But my all-time favorite is Ren and Stimpy. You can probably tell by the sense of humor and stylization in my character art. Maybe not all the time but I do have all those other influences that I unconsciously honor in everything I do. To clear things up a bit, a mentor doesn't have to be a person that watches over you constantly. A mentor can come in the form of a book, a character that you feel you connected with, a favorite uncle or a historical figure. In some cases, folks see a person that disgusts them and strive to be the opposite of that. #4 Know The Way When you feel you've run out of ideas and your peak creativity time is over, take a break. I'm lucky because I work at home so after I feel my peak is up, I stop what I'm doing and either space out or do something else for a while. Then, I have lunch and the ideas start slowly coming back again or I look back at what I've done and edit it. At first, I thought I had the peak time because of energy from food but I don't really eat breakfast very often and I still get that high every day but I also discovered that I just don't have the same enthusiasm after lunch. Now, after everybody goes to bed and I'm by myself again, the ideas start pouring out and I stay awake a little while longer to listen to music and let my mind wander until I drift off to sleep. Why is that important? I'm glad you asked. Everybody has a "calling" and a "thing". What's the difference? I'm glad you asked. If art is your calling AND your thing, people will see it and suggest you consider art as a career. Oddly enough, not everybody whose calling is art actually has any talent. Some people are terrible artists but end up having a successful art career. You know the ones I'm talking about. You pick up a best-selling book and the art is just crap but you get the message of the text within the art. Relaying a message with pictures is exactly what an illustrator does. You don't have to be good at drawing at all as long as you know how to turn text into a picture. In this case, art is your calling. For art to be your "thing", it has to be what you are known for. If somebody sees you on the street and says, "Check it out. That's Jerry. He's pretty good at drawing. Can't do nothin' else though.", art is your thing. Okay, that's an unfair example but you get the picture. How is the story at the beginning of this section relevant? I'm glad you asked. I would consider art my calling and my thing. When I'm at my peak, I'm thinking of something art-related. When I'm just goofing off, I'm watching and listening to what's going on around me and wondering how I could render that into a cartoon. The artist in me is always at work. I mentioned listening to music at night and letting my mind wander. I do this and depending on what kind of music it is, I create a cartoon in my head and let the scene play out with the song. I always feed my imagination during my waking hours. These are just my examples, of course. Your calling and your thing are unique to you. Mine just happens to be pretty basic for an artist. You also may consider poetry your thing but your calling is to drive a train. Knowing how to blend these two seemingly uncommon things is what I like to call "The Way". Let's use another example. Lisa wants nothing more than to sit at home and write blog posts but she loves her job because she gets to travel around the world. Lisa realizes she doesn't have to give up one to have the other and buys a laptop and a high-dollar camera. She blogs day and night wherever she may be. She gets a big following. She gets sponsored by a travel agency and continues what she does best. She has found The Way. Of course, getting sponsored shouldn't be your ultimate goal but you're probably wishing you could. If that life is right for you, go for it. Some just want to enjoy their gifts with friends now and then and go about their lives happily. So let's recap, Nugget of wisdom #1: Just start. A journey starts with a single step. You just have to take the step. Nugget of wisdom #2: Find that peak time of day. There's a reason your upstairs neighbor always hosts a one-man dance off in his room at 3:00 in the morning. Nugget of wisdom #3: Find a mentor or two. Creativity is nothing but taking what you know and making something out of nothing. It's just easier if you pick up tips on how to achieve that. Nugget of wisdom #4: Know The Way. Find your "thing" and your "calling" and get the recognition you deserve. I hope this post reaches you and enlightened you in some way or another. To see what I'm all about, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Instagram. Also, If you would like to support me and see more and better art in the future, donate to my Patreon. I'll be your best friend! -Silly Willie
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Halloween is just around the corner. Give your loved one the gift that they deserve.
Wait! That's my Christmas pitch... This art book is downloadable in both PDF and ePub format. All you gotta do is download and all your dreams will come true. Wait! That's my Valentines Day pitch... Get ready to be horrified. Just click on the image below and you will be magically transported to my Etsy page. Just $2.50! can't beat that! This video drawing was cut short. Ain't but five minutes. But you're more than welcome to check it out. Here it is in all its glory!
This week, I am recording quick drawings in a feeble attempt to get exposure.
If you like what you see, you can visit my Patreon and make a donation. You can also check out my Etsy shop where I have other stuff for sale. Yesterday, I made this YouTube video. It's my first try so it's not a brilliant masterpiece but I'll be learning as I go. Check that out here. I'll be making another one today. |
AuthorWillie Wofford: illustrator Archives
March 2019
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