Happy new year, I hope you had a good holiday season.
I've not posted for a while due to the aforementioned 'holiday' where I didn't do much that can be considered post-worthy.
Plus, I was ill -
again! From Boxing Day for a week. With
flu!!
I hope this isn't a new fortnightly sickly habit I'm developing...
I have to admit, being so ill really shook my confidence. It's taken me a while to feel capable of doing anything and my work has piled up.
I've been in the all too familiar place of feeling not worthy to even consider myself amongst 'the art crowd', but it's a matter of telling myself I will continue to improve and learn for the rest of my life.
It also helps when one of your heroes gives you a few words of advice....
On the 6th of January, Iain McCaig - the genius that is - had a web chat on
his blog around 6pm Pacific time. It was midnight for me and I held on until 4am. It was totally worth it!
People that were online asked him questions which McCaig answered with the wisdom of experience and such humility I was taken by surprise and love him all the more for it.
Someone asked for his opinion on how we are able to draw exactly what we picture in our mind's eye, and why we are so UN-able to do it. This was his response:
"You're probably finding it hard because you also want it to be good"
A light bulb went off in my mind. I felt pressure lifting from my shoulders.
Stop trying so hard, Jess...
But this was by far the best thing he wrote to we budding unemployed trying to make it:
"We are the industry. The industry is formed by what we do, our visions.
It is the job of an artist to express to the world who they are and how they see and feel about things - in other words, their TRUTH. My truth is no more valid than yours. So you and I are equals.
There will never ever be a better you. So if you learn to show that to the world, your art will be every inch as good as mine, just different."
Wow. I was speechless.
Not that I was asking him anything anyway, I had only been staring at the screen in awe.
After four hours of his time, Iain signed off with:
"May the Muse be with you. Always."
So yeah, I guess I was finally inspired to get down to my work for the semester. I have a lot of it!
Currently I'm modelling a humanoid witch doctor/Zulu type character in 3Ds Max, which is fun but completely new for me. If it looks any good I'll post a couple of renders.
Outside of class I'm honoured to be illustrating a comic script written by a fellow student to be printed in 'Bagatelle', a small comic and literary anthology.
I'll tell you more about it when it's completed and on sale!
My Pied Piper project lasts until April/May, but I have to give a presentation on what my final piece will be for the end of year exhibition. Eep!
I'm very grateful that I have a lecturer who understood how much being sick took out of me, and I've been fortunately granted a couple of extensions.
Worried about being behind, I decided to forego the class trip to Paris in March.
I refused to continue feeling sorry for myself....
So, in July, I'll be going to
MOROCCO!
I couldn't be more excited! I expect to have so many photos I break my computer.
It will be my personal pay off for finishing this year, hopefully with work to be proud of.
Sorry if the length of this post put you off so you jumped straight to this last bit!
My next one will have pictures - even if they're not mine - promise.
Thanks for reading guys.
J. x
