remember your mothers advice
travel back to the early '70's - 'mum, I am going to take French as a subject - we have to choose two subjects that we want to study and I am going to choose french and home science' -says me.
silence. . . . 'what about art?' my mother asks ' you are really good at creating' . . . 'I can paint and draw enough, I don't need to learn anymore and I want to be able to speak fluent french so I can impress everyone' . . . . 'well, you mark my words' says my mother, back in the early seventies ' you will be sorry' - and with that I studied the french language and home science which is a glorified name for cooking. I did well - I got very good marks for my project on Brittany and I can cook and I can speak french (not), well yes I can say au revoir with the roll of the tongue like miss Forshaw taught me.
now I want to create and my head is spinning with ideas, but I cannot get the art from my head to the paper. I am too worried about 'doing it right' . I stress, and I rip and I draw and I rip and on it goes. Til I give up, totally dejected.
Now here I am 48 years old, nearly 49 and I want to study art - well not really - I want to be able to do mixed media & collage without stressing. I see all this fantastic art everywhere - and I want to do it - not exactly the same but my own personal twist - is it wrong to look at collages and mixed media and be inspired so much that you try to create something along the same lines? not the same but similar
I wish now I had listened to mum, she is very wise you know. I must tell her I did mark her words and they are coming back to bite me
posted by Miss Robyn | 3:54 pm
12 Comments:
It's never too late! Do a mixed media arts course online or at night school or a couple of afternoons a week at a local college. I did a 2 year 'A' level in Classical Studies two mornings a week when I was 46 and got a really good grade. I have a friend who is doing a degree in art in her 50s. There are lots of people who make the same realisations that you do and even if you are years older than the other students you'll be surprised how they accept you and include you if you make the effort too. Go for it!
art that comes from the heart and soul makes it uniquely yours. You can study and practice technique even from books - I have several I am learning from to eventually put my own spin on it. You are suffering the same thing many of us do....that nasty inner critic. I have been trying to duct tape that mouth shut or I wouldn't even attempt one creative thing. Again, you can learn techniques or even try a few of your own...but at the end of the day it's YOUR own vision that makes it YOUR art. 'Doing it right'? who's to say what that means.....doing it Robyn's way is the key!!
XOXO
Oceandreamer has just hit the nail on the head'Doing it Robyn's way' is the key. Also if you check out Tinker's site last Sunday in Sunday Scribblings - Instructions she talked about 'one word at a time' or 'one brushstroke at a time' - go read it is good for you.
{{{Robyn}}} sometimes you are so, so.....so ME. LOL
The great thing about art is that it's a unique expression from you.
There is no wrong way to do this.
On this subject, I can say I know exactly how you feel! Your words were mine, too when you said "I want to be able to do mixed media & collage without stressing. I see all this fantastic art everywhere - and I want to do it - not exactly the same but my own personal twist"
I have never taken an art class. And there are so many new products constantly coming on the market, I'm completely lost when it comes to what to choose or what I need. I get so frustrated that I just stick to drawing and then never get that "look" I'm going for.
I believe an artist is, that you cannot learn to be an artist, you can learn to create art, but an artist...is...and you are.
I'm French (that's my first language) and I was never interested in Art so I have no problem!! lol I know they say you should always listen to mama but at the time, you followed where your heart wanted. From what I've seen of your crafts, you do some beautiful work and I don't think you realize just how good you are! Like my oldest son Shawn and his art, you are your own worst critic:-) Hugs xox
All you gotta do is 'let go'! Trust me. It's a lot harder than is sounds huh? But just give it a try - what have you got to lose - a bit of paper and time? In art, you have to have failures and make mistakes to learn - it's just part of the process. :)
You are a creative, imaginative,talented and generous woman. It's like having common sense, you either have it, or not. It cannot be taught. Go to school and study art by all means, technique... whatever...but your creativity will come from where it has always been..inside you!Your imagination knows no bounds...set it free.
Luv ya..!!
Don't you just hate when mom is always right.. Just kidding but too bad we didn't listen to our moms more back then.
Dear Ms Robyn and sender of wonderful dandelion recipes...now, listen to me! For a start, there is NOTHING WRONG with being 'influenced' by other work. I do it all the time, it's the way we form ourselves as artists. That is why art students used to be made to copy line for line, the works of the great masters, in order to learn, and eventually to develop their own style when their skills were more competent. (Nowadays they don't do it so much and drawing skills are going down the pan, but that's another matter...)I have books and books of and by my favourite artists and illustrators which I constantly use for inspiration and problem solving - and so do most other illustrators. We are taught to do it at college, else how would we learn? So - you be inspired by who you like and sooner or later your voice will come through as you grow in confidence. And the other thing, about wanting to create and being frustrated in not being able to do it - work through it. It will happen. It never stops being frustrating, although it does get easier. I still have days where my drawing is so bad in my eyes that I just tear it all up and put it in the recycling bin with the other rubbish. But I don't regret it, as it is all practise and learning. And usually I'll go back and it will work - but I have been constantly working at this for 23 years now! Imagine, if you wanted to learn to play the piano, you would not sit down and expect to be able to rattle off some great concerto - you would start with scales and easy finger exercises, building up with everyday practise, until you could tackle that concerto. I only became quite competent at what I do by drawing every day, creating horrible messes, but sticking at it. And so will you. Trust me. :) And competence is nothing without that burning desire to create, which you have in spades.
Lecture over...and relax...
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