Don't look back in anger.
Or, a year in review
Most people find themselves reflecting on the year just past around this time. Every year seems to hold failed resolutions that we can give ourselves a hard time over. But how about we focus on the positives.
Just over a year ago we moved to Devon with some dear friends and bought a farmhouse and a small holding together. We have plans for that and they are recorded elsewhere.
Part of my personal plan was to throw myself wholeheartedly into my art. With that in mind I started to put real effort into my watercolour work and rediscovered the value of practice.
One of the biggest problems with being a creative person is finding people who will give you an honest critique of whatever you make. Practice will make you better than most people and for that very reason most people will overstate the quality of your work. And their critique will be limited to superlatives. There will generally be nothing constructive said
When I look back over the year I have a lot to be grateful for. On a personal front, I now live in the beautiful countryside with my family. I have been able to see massive improvements in my painting and, after making a pact with a fellow creative, sold my first handful of painting including two commissions. As silly as it sounds, 2023 was the year of taking myself seriously as an artist. I've made a proper start on a children's picture book that no one is going to want to publish but I have to make anyway. I've also started to write my next big comic, a folk tale inspired live story and figured the way out of corners I wrote myself into with two other stories early in the year. Creatively and personally it has been a very positive year.
A big help along the way have been two books by Austin Klein, Steal like An Artist and Show Your Work.
Both books are worth reading if you make art in any form and both talk about sharing your process in order to encourage others, which is what I really aim for with.this newsletter. I really hope you folks reading this get encouragement from it. The world needs more artists.
A small glimpse of a commission that really pushed me.
If you're looking to move forward as an artist the best advice I can give is to tell you the end aim is to create representations of your authentic voice and that the journey to that point involves making “bad” art, making art that is bad copies of the work of people who inspire you, making good copies of those people's work, making “bad” art that is your beginning voice and eventually making good art in your own style. And you will probably never be satisfied because what you make will always look better in your head. But. You'll have to keep trying because if you don't you'll feel like part of you is missing. The joy in creating, for me at least, is in that momentary appreciation that you've done the best you were capable of, before moving on the the next creation, and more particularly, how your work touches others. Those two points are where the joy of creativity lies and this year I have been reminded of that over and over.
This year I am looking to achieving more, finishing the work I have on the go and making more art.
Now go enjoy Christmas and make more art.
Pete