Why do you believe you are so interesting you need your own thread for people to ask questions in?

/adv/ is to ask people for advice and give them advice. Not give advice to people who haven't even asked a question...

As an artist, I do get that you might be illogical – but come on man. Even I am a self-proclaimed artist but I'm not this up in the clouds.

>>16517854
Is this really an AMA or a cry for help?

>>16517854
This isn't a thinly veiled attempt to fish for compliments about your art. Nope. Not at all.

>>16517854

To many bright focal points.

>As an artist, I do get that you might be illogical
I hate this notion. Artists aren't illogical. Only dumb artists are illogical.

Read texts by modern artists (Kandinsky, for example); the good ones can methodically explain how they think. Old masters planned composition with an absurdly high degree of rigor (logical insofar as it was built out of a logically coherent system).

I wanted to see what would happen. I picked advice because I have no advice to give, and you have done just what I thought might have happened, you have given me some kind of insight to an action. I don't believe I'm interesting, and I wanted someone to contradict me. I had a choice between pursuing a physics degree, or become an artist, I picked artist, I'm good at it for one reason or another, dedicated practice and not giving up on it, but it's something I have to keep me out of trouble, it's always been there when I'm not doing okay, it's something good for me. I understand that it's not something that you can do to support a family, I don't want a family. I honestly don't know what I want out of life, art is the only thing that I can be halfway decent at. I'm scared of the consequences, but that's something I'm just going to have to live with. I'm wondering if other people are as scared as I am, and how do you cope? I mean you can make whatever you want out of life, not every choice is ever really life or death, but in the long run, I just hope that I can still make this work out for me and still be okay. I'm scared of success, that if I pursue it, that's greater pressure of failure, and I am afraid. I could just stop being a little bitch about it.

>>16517945
> I picked artist
What does this even mean? You make art ... okay. You compete in competitions? Do you try to sell stuff?

What does it even mean to you to work on art?

I remember my figure drawing professor made us use neon pastel like that for one project. I think it was supposed to teach us...shading, or something.

Working in a smoke shop seems like you'd have a lot of free time to practice drawing. If I were you I'd be doing it out in the open with my little sketchbook, who knows some customer might take the bait if they like your art and have a job for you or something.

I didn't pursue college straight after high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and juming into debt with a poor family didn't seem like a good idea so I started working, at least if I finally decided on something I would have work experience to back me up after getting a degree, but it took a lot of searching to figure out what I wanted to do, I narrowed it down to physics, astro physics and engineering, or art, those were my greatest passions. ultimately I picked art, I decided to pursue that furthur because it would mean that I was interacting with people on some level about trying to interpret the human condition, I felt that was more direct than physics, in that I can inspire people, granted it's not a gurantee that I would become a master or be that influential to society in any regard, but it's just what I thought more pleasing to my soul. Help me sleep at night.

I've been in one competition, I am working on a collection of works to start a show locally, and done a few portraits and paintings for peple but I never accepted any money for them, wasn't 100% confident that it was worth anything.

to work on art I would be speaking to someone that my thoughts would matter to, that I would e helping someone make sense of something that they understand and value beyond watching television and the internet, maybe help someone from going over the edge, alot of my work is centered around the human condition, and how fragile existence is and how beautiful people can be, despite trauma, social standing, and financial status. I wanted to reach people deeper than just their pockets, I want to inspire people to want to live. Ultimately anyway, sometimes a portrait is just a portrait.

>>16517984
that's exactly right, I have loads of free time. I have actually in the past made some comissions that way, but again I don't usually accept money, because usually they ask me to something that was important to them. I got asked to do a portrait of this mans brother who had passed, he wanted his brother, his three daughters, and himself with his son in it. The man had been recently deceased, and to make a profit off of his memory didn't seem right to me. It made me very anxious about it.

>>16517957
I replied to you below, I just figured out how to reply to specific posts, sorry. 16518011

>>16518011
I'm more worried that I may never reach anyone with my art, misinterpretation is a given, or that I may die of some unnatural cause before I can even finish what I started, or that it does work out, I do become successful, and it would be too much pressure for me and I would choke. I would disappoint people. I would be completely sunk in this sea of something that I would be too far out to get back from. I mean, most great artists don't really gin any notoriety until long after they've died, not trying to imply that I am or could be, it is a possibility, but that should go without saying.

I want to help, this is the best way that I know how, and I'm worried that it may just be for nothing. All these stereotypes of artists are draining, i'm not hipster, I'm not trying to be pretentious, but I want my life to mean something, I hope that this might leave my mark when I die. I just want to know if I'm going to be okay, I don't need other people to tell me that, only I can really decide that and do something about it, but I want to know that I'm not the only one going through this kind of existential crisis, and it's okay to be afraid. So far, all I've read and seen, people seem to condemn artists. The world needs scientists, and engineers, art is and always has been a luxery, but I don't want to be damned for being afraid, I don't want to be damned for trying to do something that some people can't, and trying to make a life around it, after all, it is up to everyone else if I become anything or not, I can do anything I want, and I am still at the mercy of other people. Am I wrong for being afraid? Am I allowed this?

>>16518076
I mean ... you kinda picked a path that society barely respects, much less rewards (except for a tiny, tiny number of people who are sorted more based on salesmanship and connections than talent - you have a better shot of winning the lottery).

Furthermore, art isn't even that relevant to culture anymore. The aesthetic workers who really shape society most today are prolly designers and video game makers. Even film, TV, poetry, prose, etc are becoming kinda a cultural sideshow.

Images are still incredibly important (hell, most of the big draws on the internet and the user experience software generally are literally just images), but hand made images made by skilled craftsman have sorta been relegated to the "cutesy, antiquated craft" isle of the market of culture.

Not trying to be negative. I make art so I struggle with the question of the worth of my vocation. It has unquestioned personal worth for me, and I certainly get a great deal of satisfaction from sharing it with likeminded friends, seeing as art the language my soul seems to speak. But there's a tension between what I want to do and what matters in society when it comes to this, and it gives me pause.

Basically this is my way of indirectly asking how you react to the problems listed above.

>>16518106
I saw some documentary on Japan and the oner of a fully computerized hotel said that the only jobs that are solid are things that can't be computerized so creative careers are very much up there.

And reading this made me wonder why you just didn't say you are an insecure human being like the rest of us in the first place.

But here is what I've learned from going into Graphic Design; There is always going to be someone better than you but you are unique in your expression, so do not compare yourself to others because it is not fair to yourself.
Be afraid, but find solutions. I was scared shitless that I would not find a job, and during my second year I was already getting headhunted so the stress I felt was unnecessary. If you truly want it, really fucking want it, you'll find a way.
If you are happy with just painting on the side, just do that and live a normal life. But as you said, you want to leave a mark and life to be meaningful – but you will have to work your ass of for this to happen. Because there are people out there who are better, more eager and passionate than you are – so why should you be the one to succeed and not them?

You have the internet, use it. Post your work on all social media, tell them about your work process, why you are doing the portrait. Ask to interact with people, if you could make a portrait of them and hear their story if this is what you want?

>>16518156
Why'd you choose graphic design over art?

>>16518167
Because I wasn't skilled enough to do art!
And I like to manipulate people. And Graphic Design is more to convey a certain message rather than for the interpreter to interpret whatever they want or feel – your job is to make them think what you want them to think. Besides Graphic Design is so wide range and when you know the basics, you can pretty much do anything; print, web, photography, retouching, 3d, products etc. I also like the fact that I get to work with both text and pictures; I believe the written word and art is powerful tools on their own but Graphic Design can manipulate both of them for contradicting messages. It's just more exciting to me?

Worked as a retoucher for awhile and got a closet full of high end clothes and accessories because of it, also got to meet a lot of famous people during photoshoots. So it got some nice perks.

Also, while I know a lot of my work is disposable. Eventually I know that it will linger somewhere, in some book or in a company's history or even for a person that decided to collect on pretty posters. Also I actually won a design for a pattern that will go onto a monument on a mountain with 4 star Michelin view in every direction to invoke social media status. I know that that thing will sit there for a really really long time although it won't be done until summer of 2016 but it will have my design on it!. Art for me is often that artist are doing things in their own perspective; Graphic Design is to grab the attention of others – not what you think looks good, but what your targeted audience wants to see and believes looks good.

I just really love Graphic Design to be honest.. Everything is Graphic Design. Your cereal box in the morning, the computer you sit at, the icons in your Word-document. Look around in your room, how many logotypes can you spot?

>>16518234
>Look around in your room, how many logotypes can you spot?
I kinda wish it were none, 2bh.

Also (and there's a horrible irony in this also), how difficult do you think it'd be for someone with years of experience making art to get into graphic design work? I use a lot of digital media (Adobe suite - all the usual programs designers use) along with physical media. Seeing as we're post-Warhol and all that jazz, I've tried to include a lot of ideas in my work that are influenced by the interaction of art and design.

I'd imagine the work itself would be a smooth transition. Like ... no offense but design seems to use a very tiny proportion of the aesthetic language that artists use, so I imagine I could whip up a portfolio of design work if I just learned from example in the same way I learned to emulate Warhol or Goya or whatever.

But it seems like connections would matter a lot. From what I've heard, getting design work is shitty because there are sooooooooo many people who can do the job competently enough that prolly the only thing differentiating you is gonna be who you know.

>>16518156
Thank you for that perspective, I really appreciate that. I do see alot of amazing work coming out of people latey, most of them about my age but have been in art school probably since when I have graduated high school, it is astounding what these generations are capable of. But you are very right, they are much more passionate about their craft, It took me a little while to find art, I've always done it, but never took it seriously up until I started working. I know that I want it really fucking badly, and I will do what it takes to get where I want to be. It's probably best that I focus more on the work itself rather than what's going to happen if I do, I'm not making any kind of progress worrying about it. Thank you. I need to work harder.

btw, I didn't say I was insecure at first because I know the reputation of asking advice on the internet, if i made it out to be something that wasn't serious I could test the waters and see how serious people are about it, then let it snowball into what I'm actually looking for. I feel like asking advice, coming from an artist, would be taken much less seriously and brushed off. Clearly I was wrong, thanks to you folks, again, thank you.

>>16518265
>I kinda wish it were none, 2bh.
Haha, told you. Graphic Design is everywhere.

I do not think it would be hard. You just need to learn the fundamentals. Just knowing how to use a grid system and typography and you've come a long way. Also, you have a bonus since you can do real art, most graphic designers can't even paint – including myself. But my skills go beyond graphic design, my typography skills are ridiculously high, I can code, retouch, photograph, illustrate, etc. The thing with Graphic Design is that you have to be good at a little bit of everything, because they are shifting the work from having experts at their certain area (like illustrators) to people who can do a little bit of everything (it's cost-effective this way).

It's not easy, I can tell you that but people make it seem scarier. If you are good, it should not be a problem. Connections make it easier for you to get a job fast, but if you just really go to companies you want to work for instead of waiting for an opening. Miracles happen. Also, target newly started agencies or business – they are easier to get your foot in at in general because they barely know what they need or want yet.

Hi OP, I've got a question for you.

Which contemporary artists do you think relate to your own work in one way or another?

>>16518131
Lately, it has actually stopped me from making anything productive. I doodle here and there, but I've been so afraid of the future that I've completely lost sight in what it is I'm trying to say with art, why I even did it in the first place. I know how I should react however, I should just work, paint to my hearts content. work on something that is more fulfilling for myself for once.

My main focus is illustration, I love to use my imagination. I paint with oils and watercolors, draw with charcoal occasionally, mostly for portraits. My favorite subject are portraits, you can tell a lot about a persons life from looking at their face. I love color, and the moods and depth it can bring, so oil paints are my biggest focus at the moment. I suppose i'm just getting stir crazy, just creating work and not seeing it bear any fruit, I just feel like I'm never going to get anywhere with it. I will only find out if I work my ass off at it. Regardless of the notion of being a necessity of society, at least I will be doing what makes me happy, and maybe I can die happy just knowing that. Thank you for your point of view, I greatly appreciate it. Glad to see that there are people who do feel the same and that I am not alone in this respect. Thank you.

>>16518310
Thxxxxxxx <3<3

Ya I'm pretty much just getting sick of having the way I participate in society (basically just a part time job at a restaurant + leeching off family money) not even interact with the thing I actually spend most of my time caring about. Earlier in my life I was ecstatic about the bohemian life but as I'm aging desu I'm starting to just look at art as a language I can speak (artists, like you said, learn to say what they mean, but the way you do that is just by learning to speak with images in general by learning from other and then narrowing down the language to the parts you want to talk about). If I'm gonna speak that language then I'd rather be fucking paid if it's an option.

>>16518343
I would have to say Malcom Liepke, in respect of painting, he's not exactly about what I want to say, but his technique and his use of color is evocative as I would like to be. The artist maybe closest that I would like to relate my work to outside of contemporary is Goya. Not just at face value, but the life he led and how that was interpreted in his art, His very emotion grasped in every painting, the black paintings are my favorite period of his works. But, Goya does not elicit such response to want to live life as it does that he was afraid of it. But my fear of life, I want to express that visually as well as Goyas work in the black paintings, but with more respect to people seeing the beauty in being mortal. I really can relate to what he was saying in the black paintings. I really can't say too much about contemporary artists, I see alot of great contemporary work, but I try to follow the lead of old masters more than anything, which says more about me trying to make myself better at my craft than finding the expression of others. I want to be able to focus on expressing my thoughts better, rather than running it along someone else's. I do emulate peoples work in contemporary art, I can feel their expression, but I don't swim in those waters too much to know enough.. Maybe Banksy? I really enjoy his stuff. But it's not the method that I would go about it.

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>>16518407
Alright, so your knowledge of contemporary painters are skimmed, to say the least.

I would look into it. There are thousands of artists working today, that might just speak to you enough for you to remember their names. Namedropping Banksy is pretty weak in a discussion about contemporary art.

From what you're writing ITT, I take it that you're gravitating towards portraiture and more traditional painting. There's loads to discover out there. This is one of the reasons why college degrees aren't all just a waste of time, but you can with a little research and well typed out google searches (or libraries, bookshops, gallery visits) find what you would've been adviced to look at by tutors.

Look up big collectors' and gallery websites, like Saatchi. Pic related, Johannes Kahrs, German painter.

>>16518480
Oh wow, thank you! I will definitely do more research on this. It may be because I misunderstood some advice I got a long time ago, to not look towards contemporary artists for musings because they don't compare to old masters, which may have just been for honing your skill rather than subject matter. But I will definitely look more into it, thank you!

>>16518506
>to not look towards contemporary artists for musings because they don't compare to old masters
Here's two reasons that's wrongheaded.

1) Plenty of artists still use old master techniques. There's basically no innovation left to be done with classical painting (artists had like 500 years to squeeze every last drop out of representational painting using oils, so that's not surprising) but plenty of artists still churn out neat variations on the old tradition.

2) culture has changed a shit ton since representational painting caught on. The high point of technique was prolly around Velasquez or Rembrandt (you could argue that the 19th century academics were technically better, but their art is spiritually tedious and if you admire it for anything other than craft you've prolly missed the point of art altogether) - that was 400 fucking years ago. People like images that resonate with their lives in a way that says something about their experiences. That's the reason people like drawings of people in the first place, but people nowadays spend almost as much time looking at screens full of webpages and advertisements as they do looking at pretty people - that's how you get artists like Warhol. People will prolly never get tired of pictures of people, but you're really limiting the number of things you can say by limiting yourself to representational paintings of people.

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>>16518506
My old professor once told me that painters not looking at other painters, is the equivolent of dentists not learning from other dentists.

I do understand what you're saying, because young aspiring artists say the same all the time, as if them looking at art will somehow taint their work. Truth is, do your research, and it will make your work more informed.

Pic is Jonathan Wateridge, British painter

>>16517854
Your shop sell vaporizers? I've been looking to get one and need some input

>>16517854
Honestly a decent drawing must have been stiff competition.

>>16517854
Will you draw me a picture?

>>16518156
>jobs that are solid are things that can't be computerized so creative careers are very much up there.

>people literally believe this
>people literally believe a computer wont be capable of "creativity"

>>16517854
TL;DR I hate myself because I've wasted so much of my life. If I get a menial job in service somewhere, am I going to continue to hate myself to the same degree, or will it get worse?

I'm sure that you get a lot of funny looks because of the lifestyle you chose for yourself, but when you get home from work, is it enough for you?
Do you think that, as you are now, you're doing not-so-bad?

I only ask because I'm exclusively a student. Other than distracting myself with friends, family, and video games, I really don't have anything going on except for the fact that I've got good grades and a good sense of humor. That doesn't mean jack shit though, because now nearly everybody has both of those things, at least to some degree. I don't like studying biology, and I'm thinking about just finishing up without putting in the effort to earn straight A's like I have. This way, at least when I graduate, I can get some rinky dink 9-5 job that will give me some cash flow while I try to "discover myself," or whatever, while living with my parents.

Before high school, I was actually pretty good with traditional painting, but I dropped it to focus on my schoolwork and the extracurricular activities that I was told would be necessary for getting into a good university. I've tried drawing on my own to get back into it, but it's hard to focus and take it seriously while I'm in the middle of a semester. Do you think it's too late for me to pick up art again? I'm 21.

>>16518747
>>16518747
Art is full of late bloomers (it prolly goes liek dis in terms of prevalence of late starters music < dance < acting < visual art < film < literature). Kandinsky, Cezanne and Matisse didn't start until they were pushing 30. Even tho old masters usually started early (a result of the guild system), many of them - caravaggio, for instance, were barely competent until around 30.

You're still really young and you've already got some fundamentals under your belt, so no, it's not too late.

>>16518877
Do you feel like you're doing alright for yourself though?

I didn't mean to throw you off with the art stuff, but the first part was what I was really interested in knowing