Monday, June 18, 2012

Self-Observation

“Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one.”
-Brad Bird

For the past month, my work ethic has been paralyzed due to me searching for a productive balance while still living life for what it is.  I reflected back upon how I've been living in comparison to others my age and I can't help but feel that I've missed out on a chunk of my youth... I won't dig too much into it here, but let's just say I feel like a stick in the mud, often opting to try drawing or do something productive with myself over anything much else - friends, family, relationships...  But I need to continue letting myself being consumed by this dream and passion if it is to ever become a reality; I am not the most talented or the fastest artist, so my work ethic is all I have.  But what part of me am I willing to sacrifice to preserve that ethic?

I also noticed that in my independent studies, I'm very inattentive and easily distracted.  Not good.  Need self-discipline and focus.

I'm really hoping getting back into the classroom and drawing alongside motivated peers will be the push to help me snap me back into it, but I feel that is quite dangerous because I would be relying on the outside forces around me and not from within myself.

Venting.  Maybe I'm just hitting a limit and getting some kind of tunnel vision, maybe I'm just being a bitch.  Hopefully by pouring a little of this in writing, it gets juices flowing a bit.

5 comments:

  1. Well, you're not the only one trying to figure this out. All of us struggle with this, every day, and there's a small comfort knowing that. If you feel like you're missing out on things, go do your social things and bring your sketch book with you!

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    1. Thanks for the insight Adele. I think it's just a matter of going a little crazy because there's not much of a local community here that shares an honest passion for art and instead favors the ol 9-5-then-clock-out mindset, so it's a lot easier to feel left out and get stuck in a rut.

      But hopefully by catching up with you guys in August and being engrossed with the CA crew, that will change things up a bit :D

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  2. I would agree with Adele. Alot of young artists, myself included, feel this sense of isolation alot. Its always hard for me to bring myself to terms as to what my strengths and weaknesses are and how i should stay creative and productive. Just always push yourself to do something rewarding each day, whether it be something for yourself, for your family, or just even to look at an artists' body of work and get inspired from that. Books that had helped me recently are really books that are not art related, but rather on productivity. Two that i recommend are David Allen's Getting Things Done and Scott Belksy's Making Ideas Happen. There is so much useful insight in those reads that has helped me stay on a right track and balance of things. Its good that you are at least letting this out, but dont sweat over it too much. Just learn, grow, and do the best you can in the time and energy that you have (something I picked up from a great CA teacher i had last semester)!

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    1. Wow, thanks for reaching out Chris. I really like that - to do something rewarding each day, even if it's not art related. Checking out those books doesn't seem like a bad idea either

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  3. The best thing about this industry is that you pull your inspiration from life. It still takes hard work and practice, but as long as you can pull ideas and experiences away from whatever you do with your time, there should be no reason to be feeling unproductive and out of balance. Investing your time in "life" is just as important as investing it in practice. ...In my opinion.

    -Congrats on getting in to Ringling! See you in the Fall!

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