I am the artist that's approaching his mid 30's, has a low paying job, no kids, no real responsibilities, enjoys drawing weird characters and obsesses over making that a job of some sort. I feel lost a lot of the time, but I have those eureka moments enough to where it all feels worth it. I hope to whomever reads this, you have a day filled with clarity, enjoyment, and bounds of willpower (yes, you too Zack :) )
I think I say that everytime but oof! So insightful :) I definitely spent some time in the 3 categories but I think I am fundamentally more attracted by the joy side of it. Because it’s the thing that makes me not stop. When I was super young it was joy all the way until I realised that I could study animation in college. When I was there I certainly leaned towards having a career but I really was trying to push through the day to day. In this sense I was more focused on getting better and finishing the projects assigned to me. This was super hard. I never had a real buisness sense either and no idea where I wanted to work. Eventually I abandonned college and my ideas of working in art. I never stopped making it but I was stuck for years in the training rabbit hole thinking that I needed to be better before I started working on my own projects. And also I got kids lol. That changes everything. Then I got diagnosed with ADHD (33y) and started working on that. And went back way more into art and discovering that I didn’t know how to have projects for myself. I was able to some commissions but it’s very slow. Still I can finish them. But the best hours in my life are when I am into a piece fully. I am learning to do just that. I got some projects lately that helped and also the inktober o and sharing with the others on the discord :) thank you Zack for the community! So yeah joy! Even if I try to work out to get better it doesn’t last for long if it’s not about a soecific thing that I want to do.
I grew up witnessing how unhappy my oldest brother was when all he was allowed to do was sports so I never signed up for or joined any sport of any kind. Instead, I just focused on the things I wanted to fully knowing it wasn't something my dad would ever connect with. I like the comeback comment you gave us for when non artists just don't get why we artists do art. Wonderful podcast today! It is exactly the thing I needed to hear today. . Happy belated Thanksgiving!
I was feeling very bad and lost about my art journey when I started to watch this episode. Now I think that I can be less scared because I have a better understanding of the reasons I do what I do, why I do art. Thank you so much for this. It really made a huge difference in my day
thanks for this video! I definitely fall into that last category. Sometimes when the work gets difficult or tedious, I like to remind myself that it’s all for fun anyway and to not stress about it. For example, a couple months ago i had spent a whole weekend of 15 hours days doing bodywork and paint on one of my cars and i kept making myself step back and look at tIe car project as a whole to remind myself that I’m doing this for fun and im enjoying how my vision is coming together and being realized, and that the hard work is just a part of why this is a fulfilling hobby for me.
Makes sense! Body work is hard...and has to be so precise. Closest I got to seeing painting and body work up close is when a friend dismantled his toyata in our backyard and repainted the whole thing lime green!
The arts come in many shapes, be it dancing, fly fishing, playing music, acting, kite flying, all take practise and skill to hone. What standard is up to you, but once you reach your inner of joy, you keep going going because joy makes you feel good, it gives you a buzz. Happy days.
170 finished pieces this year? That's amazing!! Artists are not judged by their junk. They are judged by their masterpieces. In January, please give us a top 10 pieces from 2024. 😍
I started training myself timed gesture drawing couple months ago. Now i'm obsessed. I can do 2-3 hours session nonstop of head, figure, hands, feet, object, animals, basics shapes. It's so much fun, relaxing and kinda like a game or puzzle all at the same time.... But struggle to finish a drawing. What am i? Feels lost sometimes. Really good talk, super deep i found. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! If you really like the study sessions, there is probably something low stress there that is satisfying. It doesn't mean you need to get out of your shell and do something different, but if you want to do something more like a project, then you will have to slowly start building up your skills at that. Studying and projecting are two different skills, and don't necessarily advance in tandem. Good luck!
Very eye and insightful on why we make art. For me, it's project oriented because I do what to leave a legacy of me work and to fill up the kid in me that wants to see herself in her favorite stories and genres.
@ However, I’m still having fun along the way and even if I don’t have a large audience, the few that do see it are still very respectful and enjoy it.
A very good question.... It also applies to writing, too. This year for Nano, I really had to "force" myself to start, and to continue. Never happened to me before to have to struggle with it. My art...I'm still struggling to get back to it after moving. I did pull out my large format paper and did a quick charcoal abstract to try to get back in the groove. But, it's winter, and I write more in winter, draw more rest of year.
@@zack_feldman Great job writing! :) For me, now the hard part starts... editing and writing the bridges between the scenes. I started that last evening.
I have aphantasia and when I do art, I love the simplicity of ink pen the clearness of the line I’m drawn to experimentation and the ability it gives me to express my inner world and I adore the tactile nature. Can you please do a deep dive into your line marks I love your etching style line style and would love to know how you do it, how you decide what lines to put where, what are your levels of shading, pens when to use, when to use dots or how long or thick thin to make lines. how to start to learn / develop the style I love your work and would love to know the technique, my lines tend to end up a mess and all the background merges with the foreground so individual forms are indistinguishable ❤
Thank you! I had a good friend with aphantasia, and some of his thoughts on art were most intriguing! I have started, slowly, making a series of videos on my inking strategies. So much of it is subtle...and is thought based, so if you have not started watching the playlist "how to draw with ink" I would encourage you to look into it. In the coming weeks I'll have more content on trees, rocks and stones, and texture in general...but more than the specific topics, I will be breaking apart my thought processes when inking.
I'd love the motivation to actually make stuff every single day. I like drawing. I like creating. It just doesn't have a direct path of making money in my mind. It is far easier to work a day job for a meager check every week than it is to pursue the possibility to make money doing something I have a natural tendency for. I envy those who just go for it and give zero F's. Slowly coming up on 40 years. Story of my life.
There is something to be said for being cautious and aware of your circumstances as well. I tend to be pretty cautious, and working forward as an artist in a career sense...is a slow and long process for me. I do appreciate people who dive in recklessly, but being older, having kids or pets or spouses - makes the idea much less responsible and a little more risky. That said, making art whenever you have the time is just fine, and is a good thing!
Hi Zack! I am just starting the video now. I will probably write another comment at the end! I am so glad to see a process video of one of your inktober drawings! Or was it just before? I remember all the textures and hatching of the rocks and the top part which we don't see at the moment :D Anyway lol! I wanted to know if you record pretty much all you do. Because that must have a significant effect on the process right? I imagine that I would have done things a bit differently for inktober if I was recording it. Is that something you get used to? Anyway back to the video! I may be very sparingly active on the discord but I am always active in the arts! :D Thanks for what you do I appreciate it a lot ^^
Hi! I don't record everything I do, but for periods of time, I will record a ton of it. Maybe someday I'll figure out instagram and start putting more up there, but for now, I record it for instructional purposes and for posting here. I have at this moment, perhaps 50 hours of recorded content yet to use...and haven't recorded much since the completion of October. It gets to be a lot! I've nearly filled a 5 tb external drive with video footage.
I would never call myself an artist. I want to create art for my own satisfaction but I’m never successful. I spend all my time staring at a blank page and watching tutorials…
I think you will be happier if you limit yourself from any social media while you work. Start with any mark, maybe draw a simple prompt...but keep your expectations low, and draw. You will accomplish more, likely at this point, if you just draw bad things, rather than watch another tutorial. If the blank page troubles you, let someone else make the first mark, pour coffee on it and work with the designs once it drys, or draw funny little cartoons that look ugly but are funny. Find a way to get yourself into it if you really want to!
Imagine someone saying that Michelangelo isn't a real artist because he was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel. All of these people who want to judge what is art, what isn't art, are doing one thing for certain: they're struggling with self-acceptance.
Reminds me of something Theodore Roosevelt said (forgive the length): It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
@@davidwalker9594 It is often just called "The man in the arena speech" and I think there are transcribed versions of it. That's actually what I copy and pasted from. I wish I had it memorized, haha, but no.
I'm kind of a cynic. I think life in general is a waste of time. I've always thought that since as young as I can remember. And my faith confirms this. But nevermind that. This is just my comeback to people. And like most, I am self-conscious of being an artist, so I am very selective about who knows I'm an artist, who sees my art, & who I allow to criticize me. That being said, I fall into the third category of making art for the joy of it. I love the beauty of the natural world, & I desire to capture it by drawing & painting it. There's probably some deep, psychological condition with regard to that, but basically I see a cardinal or blue jay & appreciate their beauty for just a split second (as long as they allow me or as long as it takes to pass them by); the sunrise or sunset happens in minutes; the frost & snow melt off the trees in hours; the fall leaves & the spring flowers may last days or weeks, but they're gone inside a month, & I want to preserve their beauty so I can enjoy it for a long time. And there is a child-like wonder to this. However, I have added progress driven elements to this pursuit of mine (discipline if you will). Because of that, I can produce a 9 x 12 inch drawing in a week's time. And that is worthwhile to me. I have also completed 40 drawings in 44 weeks (soon to be 41 in 45 weeks) this year, because I want to be a prolific artist. Also worthwhile. And I've added profession driven elements to my life as well, having started my own art business a few years back. It's certainly a hobby that pays for itself, almost a part time job, side hustle. I recently did something that has changed my business, though it's too soon to know exactly how or in what ways it's going to change it. But if people stopped buying my art & never bought it again, I think it's intrinsically good (beauty is good), & I would continue making beautiful drawings, because at the heart of all of this is just me needing to create & capture something beautiful.
I am..all of them?? lf I had to pick, but I try not to put labels on myself, kind of stops me from doing new things . i have gotten to the point (age lol) i refuse to justify what i do to anyone
I am the artist that's approaching his mid 30's, has a low paying job, no kids, no real responsibilities, enjoys drawing weird characters and obsesses over making that a job of some sort. I feel lost a lot of the time, but I have those eureka moments enough to where it all feels worth it. I hope to whomever reads this, you have a day filled with clarity, enjoyment, and bounds of willpower (yes, you too Zack :) )
Thanks much, and good luck! Anywhere I can find your work? Have a youtube channel or IG?
@@zack_feldman Thanks dude! I've got some stuff on here on UA-cam, but mostly been posting over on instagram lately, in which I am also arknark :)
Thanks @arknark ! You too :)
your vernacular is astounding and a lot of fun to listen to. thanks for your analysis and advice
Well thank you! Glad it was helpful!
I think I say that everytime but oof! So insightful :)
I definitely spent some time in the 3 categories but I think I am fundamentally more attracted by the joy side of it. Because it’s the thing that makes me not stop.
When I was super young it was joy all the way until I realised that I could study animation in college. When I was there I certainly leaned towards having a career but I really was trying to push through the day to day. In this sense I was more focused on getting better and finishing the projects assigned to me. This was super hard. I never had a real buisness sense either and no idea where I wanted to work.
Eventually I abandonned college and my ideas of working in art. I never stopped making it but I was stuck for years in the training rabbit hole thinking that I needed to be better before I started working on my own projects. And also I got kids lol. That changes everything.
Then I got diagnosed with ADHD (33y) and started working on that. And went back way more into art and discovering that I didn’t know how to have projects for myself. I was able to some commissions but it’s very slow. Still I can finish them.
But the best hours in my life are when I am into a piece fully. I am learning to do just that. I got some projects lately that helped and also the inktober o and sharing with the others on the discord :) thank you Zack for the community!
So yeah joy! Even if I try to work out to get better it doesn’t last for long if it’s not about a soecific thing that I want to do.
Art has always been about escape to me. The more surreal or odd ,the better.
Makes sense! I find I go for odd styles when I need the escape.
I grew up witnessing how unhappy my oldest brother was when all he was allowed to do was sports so I never signed up for or joined any sport of any kind. Instead, I just focused on the things I wanted to fully knowing it wasn't something my dad would ever connect with.
I like the comeback comment you gave us for when non artists just don't get why we artists do art.
Wonderful podcast today! It is exactly the thing I needed to hear today.
.
Happy belated Thanksgiving!
Glad it rung true for you! We are strange creatures...and when we can't embrace that, we kind of still benefit from understanding it.
Thank you!
No problem! Glad it was of use!
What a refreshing conversation, it clears up a lot of dismal concepts about art and shows the different levels of making art. Thank you Zack Feldman.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
I was feeling very bad and lost about my art journey when I started to watch this episode. Now I think that I can be less scared because I have a better understanding of the reasons I do what I do, why I do art.
Thank you so much for this. It really made a huge difference in my day
So glad! Good luck moving forward!
thanks for this video! I definitely fall into that last category.
Sometimes when the work gets difficult or tedious, I like to remind myself that it’s all for fun anyway and to not stress about it.
For example, a couple months ago i had spent a whole weekend of 15 hours days doing bodywork and paint on one of my cars and i kept making myself step back and look at tIe car project as a whole to remind myself that I’m doing this for fun and im enjoying how my vision is coming together and being realized, and that the hard work is just a part of why this is a fulfilling hobby for me.
Makes sense! Body work is hard...and has to be so precise. Closest I got to seeing painting and body work up close is when a friend dismantled his toyata in our backyard and repainted the whole thing lime green!
The arts come in many shapes, be it dancing, fly fishing, playing music, acting, kite flying, all take practise and skill to hone. What standard is up to you, but once you reach your inner of joy, you keep going going because joy makes you feel good, it gives you a buzz. Happy days.
170 finished pieces this year? That's amazing!!
Artists are not judged by their junk. They are judged by their masterpieces.
In January, please give us a top 10 pieces from 2024. 😍
That's not a bad idea, honestly! Would be an easy way to ease into 2025.
I started training myself timed gesture drawing couple months ago. Now i'm obsessed. I can do 2-3 hours session nonstop of head, figure, hands, feet, object, animals, basics shapes. It's so much fun, relaxing and kinda like a game or puzzle all at the same time.... But struggle to finish a drawing. What am i? Feels lost sometimes. Really good talk, super deep i found. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
If you really like the study sessions, there is probably something low stress there that is satisfying. It doesn't mean you need to get out of your shell and do something different, but if you want to do something more like a project, then you will have to slowly start building up your skills at that. Studying and projecting are two different skills, and don't necessarily advance in tandem. Good luck!
Very eye and insightful on why we make art. For me, it's project oriented because I do what to leave a legacy of me work and to fill up the kid in me that wants to see herself in her favorite stories and genres.
I get that! As humans, there is always a need to leave a legacy it seems.
@ However, I’m still having fun along the way and even if I don’t have a large audience, the few that do see it are still very respectful and enjoy it.
You post at the perfect times of the day, usually waking up to some art reflections... oh yes.
Awesome! So glad!
A very good question.... It also applies to writing, too. This year for Nano, I really had to "force" myself to start, and to continue. Never happened to me before to have to struggle with it. My art...I'm still struggling to get back to it after moving. I did pull out my large format paper and did a quick charcoal abstract to try to get back in the groove. But, it's winter, and I write more in winter, draw more rest of year.
Good luck with the writing! I didn't participate this year, but I always write. I got 32k words done in November, which is decent enough for me!
@@zack_feldman Great job writing! :) For me, now the hard part starts... editing and writing the bridges between the scenes. I started that last evening.
I have aphantasia and when I do art, I love the simplicity of ink pen the clearness of the line I’m drawn to experimentation and the ability it gives me to express my inner world and I adore the tactile nature. Can you please do a deep dive into your line marks I love your etching style line style and would love to know how you do it, how you decide what lines to put where, what are your levels of shading, pens when to use, when to use dots or how long or thick thin to make lines. how to start to learn / develop the style I love your work and would love to know the technique, my lines tend to end up a mess and all the background merges with the foreground so individual forms are indistinguishable ❤
Thank you! I had a good friend with aphantasia, and some of his thoughts on art were most intriguing!
I have started, slowly, making a series of videos on my inking strategies. So much of it is subtle...and is thought based, so if you have not started watching the playlist "how to draw with ink" I would encourage you to look into it. In the coming weeks I'll have more content on trees, rocks and stones, and texture in general...but more than the specific topics, I will be breaking apart my thought processes when inking.
I'd love the motivation to actually make stuff every single day. I like drawing. I like creating. It just doesn't have a direct path of making money in my mind. It is far easier to work a day job for a meager check every week than it is to pursue the possibility to make money doing something I have a natural tendency for. I envy those who just go for it and give zero F's. Slowly coming up on 40 years. Story of my life.
There is something to be said for being cautious and aware of your circumstances as well. I tend to be pretty cautious, and working forward as an artist in a career sense...is a slow and long process for me. I do appreciate people who dive in recklessly, but being older, having kids or pets or spouses - makes the idea much less responsible and a little more risky.
That said, making art whenever you have the time is just fine, and is a good thing!
Hi Zack! I am just starting the video now. I will probably write another comment at the end! I am so glad to see a process video of one of your inktober drawings! Or was it just before? I remember all the textures and hatching of the rocks and the top part which we don't see at the moment :D Anyway lol! I wanted to know if you record pretty much all you do. Because that must have a significant effect on the process right? I imagine that I would have done things a bit differently for inktober if I was recording it. Is that something you get used to?
Anyway back to the video! I may be very sparingly active on the discord but I am always active in the arts! :D Thanks for what you do I appreciate it a lot ^^
Hi! I don't record everything I do, but for periods of time, I will record a ton of it. Maybe someday I'll figure out instagram and start putting more up there, but for now, I record it for instructional purposes and for posting here. I have at this moment, perhaps 50 hours of recorded content yet to use...and haven't recorded much since the completion of October. It gets to be a lot! I've nearly filled a 5 tb external drive with video footage.
I would never call myself an artist. I want to create art for my own satisfaction but I’m never successful. I spend all my time staring at a blank page and watching tutorials…
I think you will be happier if you limit yourself from any social media while you work. Start with any mark, maybe draw a simple prompt...but keep your expectations low, and draw. You will accomplish more, likely at this point, if you just draw bad things, rather than watch another tutorial.
If the blank page troubles you, let someone else make the first mark, pour coffee on it and work with the designs once it drys, or draw funny little cartoons that look ugly but are funny. Find a way to get yourself into it if you really want to!
Imagine someone saying that Michelangelo isn't a real artist because he was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel.
All of these people who want to judge what is art, what isn't art, are doing one thing for certain: they're struggling with self-acceptance.
Reminds me of something Theodore Roosevelt said (forgive the length):
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
@zack_feldman thank you so much for sharing. Do you remember where you read this from?
@@davidwalker9594 It is often just called "The man in the arena speech" and I think there are transcribed versions of it. That's actually what I copy and pasted from. I wish I had it memorized, haha, but no.
I'm kind of a cynic. I think life in general is a waste of time. I've always thought that since as young as I can remember. And my faith confirms this. But nevermind that. This is just my comeback to people. And like most, I am self-conscious of being an artist, so I am very selective about who knows I'm an artist, who sees my art, & who I allow to criticize me. That being said, I fall into the third category of making art for the joy of it. I love the beauty of the natural world, & I desire to capture it by drawing & painting it. There's probably some deep, psychological condition with regard to that, but basically I see a cardinal or blue jay & appreciate their beauty for just a split second (as long as they allow me or as long as it takes to pass them by); the sunrise or sunset happens in minutes; the frost & snow melt off the trees in hours; the fall leaves & the spring flowers may last days or weeks, but they're gone inside a month, & I want to preserve their beauty so I can enjoy it for a long time. And there is a child-like wonder to this. However, I have added progress driven elements to this pursuit of mine (discipline if you will). Because of that, I can produce a 9 x 12 inch drawing in a week's time. And that is worthwhile to me. I have also completed 40 drawings in 44 weeks (soon to be 41 in 45 weeks) this year, because I want to be a prolific artist. Also worthwhile. And I've added profession driven elements to my life as well, having started my own art business a few years back. It's certainly a hobby that pays for itself, almost a part time job, side hustle. I recently did something that has changed my business, though it's too soon to know exactly how or in what ways it's going to change it. But if people stopped buying my art & never bought it again, I think it's intrinsically good (beauty is good), & I would continue making beautiful drawings, because at the heart of all of this is just me needing to create & capture something beautiful.
I am..all of them?? lf I had to pick, but I try not to put labels on myself, kind of stops me from doing new things .
i have gotten to the point (age lol) i refuse to justify what i do to anyone
I want to be as good as joe bluhm at caricature.
I want to be the best caricature artist who's ever lived
Good for you! That will take a lot of work obviously, but don't let that deter you. Practice, practice, practice!