The Final(s) Countdown...
These past few weeks and days have been kinda stressful !! I mean, that's almost a given with the semester slowly coming to an end, but still !! I really wish I could focus on one project or subject at a time but because all submissions are due almost back to back there's no real time inbetween any of them... Yikes !! I also wanna draw but that would eat up a lot of time, time I definitely should use for the projects I need to hand in soon... I will carry on !! The end is near, I can see it and can do it !! (hopefully)
Emoticon Nostalgia
As funny as emojis are (especially when used ironically), I genuinely do miss how widespread emoticons used to be... Seeing a XD or a :3 in the wild is a rare sight these days, but there‘s something weirdly pure and even creative about them. It takes me back to the time I saw a :) for the first time and had a friend explain to me I need to turn my head to see a smiling face. I was fascinated with how fun it is to take letters and symbols and try to „draw“ faces. How proud I was when I managed to create a string of symbols kinda sorta resembling Homer Simpson a little bit !! (_8(/) Emojis definitely do their job, you can totally express a feeling using them, but they‘re also more limiting. That‘s it !! Let‘s bring them back !! This year shall be the comeback of the emoticons !! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Going for a walk
Back when I was still just a little creature I used to go for a walk with my parents and sister a lot. Thing is, I never really liked it. I didn't understand it, really. Yeah, if you need to get somewhere walking makes sense, right? Totally, totally. But walking for the sake of.. walking? Who came up with this. We are literally walking in a big circle. What on earth why. This is definitely an old people thing, it has to be. Well, times have definitely changed. I kinda used to go for a walk back in my hometown, but I was also doing things at the same time like buying groceries and whatever. When I moved out I started taking the bus to get to stores for a few weeks, but then I started walking to them again just because. And now I am walking for the sake of walking almost daily. It's calming, relaxing. The fresh air while listening to my favorite music does wonders. How could this happen. How did I get here. What would little Me think if they saw me now. Am I an old person now? Maybe, haha.
Fanart VS Original Work
A debate as old as time.... I know, I know. Original work is definitely a better way to present your creativity and what you're capable of. I have lots of fun creating and drawing characters I myself came up with !! However... the temptation to draw a character from a piece of media you really enjoyed can be pretty big sometimes. Especially if a character really resonated with me I wanna draw them as a way to say "thank you for the great times you've given me" !! I think a healthy balance of both is optimal. That way you won't "just" be a fanartist, but you can also make art of your own stuff! Whatever is the most fun to you, that's what's important !! Fanart for yourself !!
One of those art days again
I open a new canvas. Several minutes pass. Nothing is coming out the way I want it to. Oh well... I'll try again tomorrow. The fact I wasn't able to draw anything despite me being ready and looking forward to it is not letting me go. Why is that? What happened? I start getting sad and upset. Maybe this is the point where I stop drawing altogether. Can I not get better anymore? What if my art is getting worse actually. What if that's it. Drawing used to be so much easier. I decide to look at my old art to see how much better it is than what I do now. In only roughly an hour Ive travelled through several years of my art output. Sure, there are plenty of pieces I still genuinely love, but also plenty of pieces I do not. Looking through more and more of them I see the evolution of the art and an improvement of my skill. It makes me feel warm inside. I've been overthinking things again. Deep breath. Full of newfound appreciation of my skill and motivation to create something new I get ready. I open a new canvas. Several minutes pass. Nothing is coming out the way I want it to. Oh well... I'll try again tomorrow.