The Purist's Artform

So I discovered that I was included in a second treasury (thanks StratusSilver!). The curator's initial comment was that pencil sketch is a purist's artform. I found that to be oddly flattering. I think that pencil artists, particularly those working in graphite, sometimes get overlooked in favor of other more vibrant and colorful mediums. The truth is that I find working with pencil fascinating. It's amazing to me that graphite alone can create such wonderful works of art. Some of the best graphic artists can draw water, or the surface of the eye, or variations of a cat's fur, in such clarity and fine detail that it seems impossible that it was done with simple graphite.

I'm playing around with colored pencils but I'm not drawn to them the way I am with graphite. They're good as a supplement, and I'm happy to use them as such. I've also started playing with water soluble graphite pencils - I officially ruined my first piece over the past week! - but I'm reading up on technique with these unique pencils and I'm excited to give it another go. Hopefully some time this week I'll be able to get some practice in with those.

The Pursuit of Excellence

I was reading something this morning about the difference between the pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of power, or recognition, or control - basically fill in whatever word here that might make sense in your own life that implies something personally gained. The pursuit of excellence is a God-given desire. It's a need to learn, to grow and improve. There's a satisfaction in knowing that you are strectching your gifts or talents, and an enjoyment in seeing the efforts of your work produce results. It's a contentment at the end of a hard day's work.

The pursuit of power (or recognition, or control), on the other hand, is a desire that others recognize or acknowledge your gifts. It's a self-centered desire, based on the approval of others, and really has nothing to do with improving your work or who you are or what you know. It's a need to be admired, or at least appreciated.

I'm tagging this post with my Left Brain, Right Brain tag because I think for me it has a lot to do with this difference. My left brain is always trying to figure out how to profit from what I do, how to make sales, how to spread the word about my work. My left brain wants to be recognized, admired. My right brain, meanwhile, isn't at all sure it even wants to make a sale - there's a nervousness about expectations once someone actually pays money for something created. My right brain just wants to create, to learn, to improve, and then to create some more. My right brain is satisfied with the process, while my left brain will only be satisfied with a measurable, profitable result.

Needless to say I feel far more satisfied with my art when I'm immersed in the process. On days like today I question the wisdom of even having an online shop - except that I believe hoarding one's talent is also the quickest way to lose it. I release it to the world because creative energy must always be on the move, must be free to ebb and flow, regardless of whether or not I make any sales. I tried the hoarding bit, and I ended up not creating anything. So it's off and away, out into the universe, and I release my expectations of what happens to it after that.

So there, left brain.

More Fun with Treasuries

So I managed to grab a spot to post my own Treasury over at Etsy! Since treasuries only last a few days I took a screenshot of it so I could remember and be proud :

And, happy coincidence, at the same time that I managed to get a spot in the treasury lists, someone else posted a treasury featuring one of my prints! Bad Day Ben has a proud spot in a treasury featuring faces, thanks to a seller named MyLadies.

The only thing about treasuries that bothers me is that four of my entries (the four on the right) are alternates, so they don't get seen by anyone but the Etsy admins. I understand this is so they can fill in if/when something on the list gets sold, but it was really hard to make the decision as to who got "real" spots and who had to stand on the sidelines. All of these Etsy artists are very talented!

I just love this treasury, created by netamir:

Weird and wonderful!

Left Brain, Right Brain

Some days I actually miss my job. And it surprises me, but it really shouldn't. Because I'm both-brained, the left and the right sides of my brain demand regular attention. Over the years I've discovered that in order for me to find fulfillment in my life, I need to embrace both the logic and the creative, on a daily or at least almost-daily basis. Ideally, I need to find a life's work that is a blend of both. Failing that, I need a career in one and a passion in the other. Or something close to that.

This isn't easy to find, faithful readers.

Left-brained jobs very rarely have room for creativity. My career included fixing computers, building networks, and even programming for an HR shop for a time. One could argue that there's a kind of creativity in solving problems, and there certainly is... but simply not the kind my right brain was craving. During the days and weeks (ok, months) that I didn't have time for much else besides work, my brain would make up for it at night in the form of dreams - crazy, wild dreams. Argmageddon stuff, or superhero stuff, or men with no faces handing me notes (this one turned into a story that I ended up selling to a small press).

Now that the tides have turned, and I spend my time creating, I find that I'm craving the other side. Last night I rebuilt my laptop, because I felt compelled to do so. I fix other peoples' computers, I window shop for the latest tech toys (irony: lots of time, but now no money), I learn new programming languages (.NET for dummies).

In the Spring, I will officially start working towards my Master's degree in Instructional Technology, a moderately left-brained field that allows for a little more creativity than my previous work. But I think this time I won't abandon my art, no matter how busy I get.

Still learning. Always learning!

The Prints are here!

And they look GREAT. I'll be posting them in the next few days, but I couldn't wait so one of them is now up at my Etsy store! Her name is Mistletoe, arriving just in time for the holidays! Find her here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17323634

It's Etsy-Love!

One of the things I really enjoy about Etsy is when I start digging around and discover a real gem, one that hasn't been on the front page (at least not that I'm aware of). Maybe it's a new shop, maybe it's a smaller shop or just one that isn't widely publicized. Yesterday I went to Etsy's voter page to vote on the best Christmas greeting card (what a hard decision that was!), and stumbled upon a seller called SmallPaintings. This seller is from Romania and they have a small and recently-opened shop, but oh-what-wonderful pieces are found there.



So for this week's Etsy-love post, let me say this little sailor has captured my heart:







I think he would be perfect for my as-yet-unadorned bedroom wall (five years and counting, I just haven't found the right pictures yet... until now, that is!). If SmallPaintings were to produce a few more nautical-themed prints in this same color scheme (hint, hint, wink, wink), I'd probably have to pick up the whole series.

Oh, and to answer the question I'm sure everyone's asking, I also voted for this seller's Christmas card. Find these and more of SmallPaintings' stuff here: http://smallpaintings.etsy.com/ .