Something I've struggled with for so long is balancing all of the creative outlets I enjoy in my life.
If you're like me, I imagine you've tried a few different creative hobbies once or twice before. Things like drawing, painting, playing guitar or piano, doing puzzles, learning magic tricks, doing origami, photography, learning languages, graphic design - the list could go on and on.
That's a list of some I've done (and some I still do).
In the past, I used to follow my feelings and do whichever one I felt like doing at the time. This was fun and it somewhat worked for me, but as time went on - I realized it wasn't the most efficient for my goals (of pursuing an art-based business).
The problem was that there were sometimes when I'd spend the whole week in my free time working on music. And while I ended up making some decent music that week, my art, YouTube channel, and everything else would fall behind.
I was constantly struggling and juggling these hobbies but couldn't be consistent, which made me mediocre at all of them. I was a mediocre music producer, mediocre painter, and mediocre video creator.
I knew that I wanted to paint and draw a lot. And document my art journey through my videos. And this is what I finally figured out:
I realized, I simply needed to prioritize these hobbies.
Which ones do I truly want to master?
For me it was painting and drawing - creating my art. That's where I needed the majority of my focus to be.
And in the past couple of years, that's what I've done. Painting and drawing are my focus and the rest are all now secondary.
It's not an easy thing to do, even if it sounds like it is.
I've had an idea for an instrumental album for a few years now. I mean, each song named, the concept nailed down and everything. But unfortunately, I just don't feel I have the time I need to execute it the way I would want to right now. I have so many other things which are more important and need my focus.
It is what it is. But I'm happy and I do enjoy what I'm doing now.
Sometimes, it's just a struggle being a creative person and dealing with all these ideas floating around.
Can you relate?
I realized those artists are only known because their art looks like someone else's. You can probably think of artist's right now that you currently follow who have a style that mimics other famous artists.
This made me question the work I was creating and all the studying I was doing.
Think back to a time when you were disappointed with your work. What kind of thoughts and emotions did you experience?
If you're like me, you probably felt that you weren't good enough. You put yourself down. You tied your self-worth to the thing you created.
We learn from a young age to look for stability in just about everything we do. After a while, stability becomes something we try to manufacture.
The problem with this is that is just doesn't line up with reality.
Transitions have a way of teaching lessons you don’t sign up for.
At first, they can feel disruptive or even painful. Like something's been taken from you. But if you stay with them long enough, you realize they’re shaping you in ways you couldn’t have planned yourself.
Out of all the sketchbooks I’ve filled over the years, one stands out more than the rest. This particular one, I started back in 2018 which I dedicated to drawing only my cat, Kitty, from life.
Working long hours, putting pressure on yourself to create more each day is a recipe for burnout. This kind of lifestyle lacks balance and harmony. We weren’t meant to live like this.
The problem is: this goes against nature.
Nature is patient and takes her time.
The point behind all of these paintings I made was that during this time I was taking an inspiration fast. This helped me to create more freely and to create more often too.
This month was a month full of focus and painting for me. I somehow created 58 paintings - almost 2 per day, while still working a day job. I’ll share what I learned, my process, experiments, and results for this month of focused painting.
Nothing adds more contrast to your sketches than pen & ink.
But the problem is when you’re too afraid to try it because it’s permanent. And when you do try it, you’re so concerned with making mistakes that your linework turns out too stiff. There’s no life in your lines or your sketch.
We left early in the morning from Islamabad and started driving towards the north with Batakundi as the destination for the day - about 7-8 hours away. The sunrise was amazing on this day.
Something I've struggled with for so long is balancing all of the creative outlets I enjoy in my life.
If you're like me, I imagine you've tried a few different creative hobbies once or twice before. Things like drawing, painting, playing guitar or piano, doing puzzles, learning magic tricks, doing origami, photography, learning languages, graphic design - the list could go on and on.
Hey there, how's it going?
Finally a new year, so I wanted to catch up with you again.
I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned from last year - and also share a short list of some of the most valuable content I created last year.
What do you see when you look at a blank piece of paper? If you're anything like me, you see the most scary and intimidating, valuable canvas, which will easily be wasted as soon as I start to draw anything on it.
In the past, it's always been important to look at other art and learn from other artists to create great work. This is how it's been for the last couple hundreds of years.
But things are a bit different today.