A Bite-sized Tip For Creating a Series of Art
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
— Vincent Van Gogh
The thought of doing a 365 day daily art project can seems daunting. What will I do for that long? What if I get bored or run out of things to draw? What if I quit after a week, like that diet I tried last year? I had such good intentions and high hopes, but at the end of the day, it amounted to nothing, except a reminder that either i’m a failure, a quitter, or I just seem to be missing something in my DNA to enable me to complete the task at hand.
I learned early on that I needed SMALL projects. I can’t think in 365 day chunks. But I can do 30 days. Or even 100 days. So after a little bit, I started to identify a topic that I wanted to tackle for 30 days. 30 days of self portraits, 30 days of pets, 20 days of toes, 30 days of faces... you get the idea. I started to incorporate Instagram and social media. I would sketch people’s photos who would show up in my feed. I would then tag them so they could join in the fun too. It was a great way to be held accountable because I was posting publicly, as well as meet new friends. I started to sketch celebrity photos they posted on Instagram, and tagged them too. Some of them even liked and shared (and occasionally commented to my delight as well) I mean, who wouldn’t like to be included in being sketched by an artist, right? Most people consider it an honor.
I also joined in a 100 Day Project that was being hosted by another artist I was following on Instagram, Elle Luna. She threw out the challenge to join in with creating or making anything for 100 days straight. We would all start and end together, posting and hash tagging so we could all follow along and encourage each other. I did this project twice. The first time, I sketched a black line drawing based on the photos of others, using only my iPhone and a stylus. The second time I did the same, only this time, adding in color to the background and key parts of the drawing. Every day was a new adventure. I would look for inspiration, and others would follow along wondering what I would post next. And some, hoped that they might make it into my project. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I did attempt another 100 day project recently, but I got behind and the subject matter wasn’t engaging me enough, so I only made it to day 60 or so. You've got to choose carefully, or you won't follow through when things get tough.)
It was always a thrill at the end of the 100 days, to create a photo montage of all the images. One giant image to chronicle the past 100 days.
I talk about the importance of this process and gaining momentum in an art making practice, more in depth in my video course “Your Artists’ Journey”.
Check it out if this sounds like something that would be of interest.
What bite-sized tips have you discovered along the way that helps in your art making practice?
Day 66 #the100dayproject #100daysofmikesportraits #art #charcoal #sketch #sketchbook #drawing
Day 65 #the100dayproject #100daysofmikesportraits #art #charcoal #sketch #sketchbook #drawing
Day 64 #the100dayproject #100daysofmikesportraits #art #charcoal #sketch #sketchbook #drawing
Day 63 #the100dayproject #100daysofmikesportraits #art #charcoal #sketch #sketchbook #drawing
What Do You Do When You Lack Opportunity?
What do you do when you feel like you're doing everything you possibly can to advance in your art and yet there seems to be a lack of opportunity? Typically, you have two choices...
What do you do when you feel like you're doing everything you possibly can to advance in your art and yet there seems to be a lack of opportunity? Typically, you have two choices:
1. Complain.
Complain about the lack of opportunity and become jealous of those around you who seem to be succeeding with such ease (which is a lie, of course). "What the crap?" you think. "I could so do what they're doing." But you're not. And you don't. Because complaining is easier than ACTION. And action, leads to change, which can be too scary.
2. Make Opportunities.
Yeah I know. I hear the push back. "I don't have time. I have a limited network. I don't know where to start... what's the use?..." The truth is if you are HUNGRY enough you can take advantage of opportunities all around you. They just aren't those sexy opportunities that thrust you into the public eye with accolades and acclaim. And let's be honest. If we're going to bust our butts, we want it to count for something right?
What I have found is that you might have to redefine your idea of what great opportunities look like. Are you doing work you love? (If not - then get to it.) Stop waiting for someone to ask or invite you to do it. Because that's not going to happen. Pick yourself.
“You might have to redefine your idea of what great opportunities look like.”
Would I like to have my art seen and collected by an ever expanding group of patrons and fans, and achieve all that goes with being a "successful" artist? Sure. But I'm not waiting for someone to come knocking. I keep taking the right next step. TODAY.
Practically speaking what might that look like?
Commit to a drawing or painting a day for an entire year. I have for the past 4 years and counting. I've even done more than one most days. Did I do this because some one asked me to? No. I did it to kick to the curb the lie I believed for too long that I because I couldn't draw in a photo realistic style my art was no good. I did it to keep moving forward on my artists journey. I want to keep discovering. Experimenting. Creating out of a sense of play and wonder.
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
There are opportunities all around us. We might just have to use our creativity to see them.
Visit the Sketch book project. Sign up to do a sketchbook. They send it out on a mini tour before it comes back to live in Brooklyn NY at the Sketchbook Library. You never know who might be impacted by your work.
Take part in a 100 Day Project through social media. Search for the hashtag #the100dayproject on Instagram and see all the awesome projects people are involved in. I'm currently doing 100 days of portraits, using charcoal. (Come follow me @mikebone)
Seek out a local art center for opportunities to take part in classes and exhibits.
Look for local businesses that might be willing to display your art. (Note: try to match the audience you're trying to reach though. It probably won't do you much good to have your Sci-fi Steampunk art hung at grandma's fancy tea shop in town.)
If no one is paying you to create the art you long to create, hire yourself. Then keep hiring yourself. Do the work for you. And keep looking for ways to share it. You might be amazed. When you do the work, and open yourself up, sometimes opportunities come from the strangest places. Stop talking about it and put yourself out there!
What's one next step you can do today to move forward?
Why not share it below? It just might help you commit.
My 100 Day Project Completed
This image represents the last 100 days of my life. 100 Days of sketching photos from my Instagram feed using only my iPhone and a stylus as part of the 100 Day Project with Elle Luna and The Great Discontent.
What a journey. I would choose a photo, sketch it (using an app called Sketchclub), upload and tag the original Instagram user who posted the photo.
Friends. Social Media buddies. New friends. Organizations. Other artists. And celebrities.
Fun moments happened. Like when Emily Kinney (from the Walking Dead) repost my art. Or my portrait of fellow artist Jon Burgerman shared my sketch in the official 100 Day Project email sent out to the thousands of participants. Or people I don't know expressed gratitude and said they were honored to be sketched. Or friends who I made smile because I captured them in sketch format.
I may take some of these sketches and use them for some other projects. As a matter of fact I already started to turn a few into actual physical paintings.
And perhaps I'll continue to do smaller 30 day sketch projects. What do you think? What themes should I explore? This time I reached to include surfing, yoga and some underwater sea life. Leave a comment if there's a subject matter you'd like to see me tackle.
So farewell for now. Until next time 100 Day Project!
100 Days of iPhone Sketches
This past Friday, June 13th, I completed my 100 Day Project of sketching photos from my Instagram feed on my iphone only. How'd I do it? Simple actually - I used an app called Sketchclub & a stylus to draw with.
It was a fun project that had some interesting by-products. One sketch won me a free t-shirt. I had a few (minor) celebrities respond to the sketches of their photos. But mostly, it was reactions from people I know and know only through online, that kept me coming back again and again. Most people were excited and thrilled to be chosen, so it made for a fun interactive element of harnessing the social in "social media". I ended up with a little over 100 (guess I got a little over zealous and my week out of the country made me loose track a bit). Thanks for all those who played along & encouraged me along the way!
If you'd like to see them in order check them out here!
Special thanks to Elle Luna for the prompting & invite to join her in this 100 Day Project adventure!
Kick Your Creativity in the Pants
Everyone finds themselves stuck in a rut at some point. Getting out can seem difficult if not impossible. (Where did I put that motivation?) When it comes to creativity, it's easy to fall back on the same ol', and to stop growing, pushing, reaching, risking...
So here's a suggestion. Join me on a journey over the next 100 days. March 6th through June13th.
I was looking through my Instagram feed and happened upon a post by Elle Luna (@elleluna on Instagram) where she was throwing down the challenge to do a #100dayproject. She's even set up a website for it. What is it? Simply put - One thing. Every Day. 100 times.
It could be five minutes a day. Everyone has five minutes to invest. Keep it simple. Small. Light. Portable. To be honest, I hesitated because I have already committed to doing a drawing or painting for a year (finishing up in April). Did I really want to commit to another goal? Yes. Why? To keep pushing just a little further than where I am now. But I am keeping it light. I'm doing a black continuos line drawing on my iPhone each day based on a photo that shows up in my Instagram feed each day. (So be warned that if I follow you on Instagram, you're fair game). A quick drawing. The challenge for me comes in the size.
Want more ideas? Check out this and this.
This isn't just for artists either. Do anything for 100 days. Send an encouraging email to someone different each day. Take a photo. Get creative in your thinking and approach.
The reason why you haven't moved forward is because you keep doing the same things. The same ways. You can't expect different results when everything is the same (definition of insanity I believe). A small step is better than no step. And you can join a community of others on this journey as well. So...
Who's with me?
And if you have Instagram be sure to hashtag your daily progress with #100dayproject
And spread the word.
LET'S DO THIS!