Don't Be Afraid to Make Bad Art - The Artist's Way

Make art everyday.  Live your life as art.  Art imitates Life.  It all seems simple, but if you're not careful, fear can grab a hold of your muse and trap them till you've lost hope.   Making art is very personal.  Making YOUR art is very scary!

In the book The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron writes that Morning Pages get everything out of you, so that you come to [your] work as a clean slate - blank.  With all of your To-Do lists written and worries and fears and etc. written out in the Morning Pages, you can find the art.  It flows more freely from you without distraction.

I'll admit this has been hard to put into practice, but the times in which I've emptied my mind of all the junk I couldn't stop thinking about, I found myself more at ease.  Even though it's hard enough making art everyday, writing everyday is just one more thing you have to do.  It may not come naturally at first, but it's hard to deny its effectiveness.

Lets be honest,  who doesn't go through almost an entire day trying to remember some important bit of information or chore to do.  When the glass is full of such things, trying to think of ideas for your art just runs over the side.  Let the your planner, phone, or post-its do the remembering, to leave your mind free to wander more fun places!

Another trick I try, when the writing seems too daunting or dry, is the doodle.  Very simple, but I pick up a drawing utensil, and tell myself, "fill this page with nonsense".  And do just that.  Often times I find that a good idea sneaks in.  This also lines up with what Cameron writes, "don't be afraid to make bad art."  That's a hard one I know for many artists to accept.  But when fear paralyzes you and not a single mark gets made, this is like breaking the ice.  I have truly terrible drawings, horrible perspective, and doodles that resemble a child's.  But it all is in fun, and I don't think about trying to make it good.  Then I turn the page, and when my pen begins to make a mark, it is loose, warmed up, and performs much better.

My mother once told me a quote: "The pain now is part of the happiness later."  You can relate this to your personal life, romantic relationships, and you can relate this to your biggest relationship, your art.  It's as if your mind must purge sometimes before it can run smoothly.  Junk must be discarded to make room for the new.

Make art everday, and don't be afraid if sometimes its bad.

This Artist's Way

I've been inspired to write here after reading a great article about promoting your art through blogging.  It's almost funny that I thought I was doing this all the whole time!  It hasn't always worked the way I want it to but after reading this article I found perhaps the missing piece.  The person behind the art! 

Perhaps I thought of this as a simple portfolio blog where I could post all of my ramblings and progress shots of work I'm doing, but maybe it can be more. I'm not sure I can always be inspired, but collecting my thoughts and writing them here may prove useful. 

With that in mind, I've begun to revisit one of my favorite books about creativity, The Artists Way by Julia Cameron.  In it I have tapped into some confidence in my work that I've searched for every time I hit the page.  Creativity is a powerful force that is ever present and waiting on you.   I can't recommend this book enough.  

Some ideas that come to mind are the ups and downs of my relationship.  "Drama belongs on the page, not in your life" Cameron states.  There being a new beau I find myself in many conflicting states of mind, and often he sees this on my face.  I don't mean to be insecure but at moments I am weak.  I began a series not long ago about my feelings for a friend who was in love with a mutual friend, rather, my best friend.  It seemed like high school fodder the way it all played out but in the end I realized more about myself than I thought was possible.

 

While I feel I'm moved past many of those issues that were the cause of so much heartache, I am finding many of the same insecurities are still there.  This may be a good time to revisit this series I never found the heart to finish, and maybe in the process find a resting place for old thoughts and emotions.  I also believe it's important to trust one's instincts and finish what's been started.  While it might not be easy, I look forward to a sense of accomplishment with that particular body of work, and closure on these personal issues. 

Interview

I had the pleasure of being featured on the Ripple I.Y.T. Soundcloud channel run by my friend and colleague Taylor. Check it out

https://soundcloud.com/therippleinyourthalamus/003-johnny-perez 

We talk art, movies, anime, inspiration and upcoming projects. On a side note im not a big fan of my voice, but hopefully it just sounds normal to anyone else.  Anyone else think their vocabulary changes when in an "official" capacity. Yeah that. LOL, anyway it was fun to do and I try to relax and be informal.  

Sketchbook Entry

Here is a sketch l did recently of a Woman jumping through space.

Watercolor demo

http://youtu.be/Azv-SBFLl_4

Here's the latest video on Optic Opera Inc's  YouTube channel. It's a demo in my sketchbook with watercolor. 

I actually talk in this video which is weird because I don't really like my voice, but I wanted to talk about my process and tools to those that might be curious. Personally I am a fan of the "just watch me paint" type of video. Part of this may come from my innate introversion. But that's a tale for another time. 

I'm also trying to make music for my videos with garage band. It's rough stuff! So if you hear something funny or crazy that's probably why. 

Please like and share with your friends and colleagues. I'll try to post every week, and things should be getting more advanced once I get in the groove of video making. 

Thanks!!

Sketchy Eye Demo

http://youtu.be/JHTq0QVZ10E

Here's a quick tutorial on drawing eyes, with lashes for days! This is a sketchy eye done Micron pen 02. Then shaded with Faber Castell brush pen in cold grey and warm grey. 

In case you didn't know my best friend and partner in art, Andre Williams, we started an art coop type business called Optic Opera Inc.  The name is a play on a few things. Chiefly the fact that I love the color Opera Pink in my work and that our work is often inspired by music. It's also a nod to opera as an art form in that our work is beautiful music for the eyes. Optic for "Visual" as in "visual art", no-brainer there. 

We have pretty much all the social media outlets covered. But we are starting to post demo videos on our YouTube channel.  Http://www.youtube.com/opticoperainc