Dear students: Who says you need a degree to learn?

Posted on May 20, 2013 by amy / 14 comments

yvonne kroese

Dear students,

I like to challenge conventions and ideas all the time.

And one of the topics that I can quickly get hot under the collar about is the topic of education. I think it’s a field that needs to be challenged, especially in this day and age where information runs freely and so abundantly. I’m not against the idea of learning. Far from it – I’m challenging the idea that learning needs to be in a formal environment, for a minimum of 2 to 3 years, learning about things that ultimately do not help you get to where you want to be.

You see, I get a lot of questions about pursuing a Masters degree, or even a diploma in a field that they love. And if you’re a student who knows what you want, and you have the means to go to a college or university, then by all means, go for it. But only IF you want to and feel very strongly about it and know what you want to get out of it. For the rest who don’t know what you want or can’t afford to go to college or university, then this article is for you. For those of you who don’t know whether to continue your education or not, then this is for you too.

I spent 5 years in a public university and graduated as a landscape architect back in 2004. I spent my life following a very predictable arc – primary school, high school, university, and then work. Only I didn’t work in the field that I graduated from. I felt that I didn’t belong, and after 6 months of intense internship where I gave it my best shot, I’ve deduced that I’m not suited to being a landscape architect. I hated the long hours, and the red tape that governed each project. I hated dealing with contractors and having my design torn to shreds due to shrinking budgets. And I hated AutoCAD with every fibre of my being. So much that I did my technical drawings manually (i.e. completely by hand) during my final semester when everyone else was doing theirs via computer.

So when I graduated, I turned to publishing immediately. What made me go to a publisher with nary a resume and no work history to prove my worth? Instead of focusing on what I didn’t have, I demonstrated what I could do instead. I wrote up an article and laid it out in Adobe Photoshop, to give an idea of the sort of articles I think should appear on the magazine. I got a callback for an interview and was hired on the spot as an editorial assistant. You wouldn’t believe the amount of push back I got from my peers and my parents about going for a job that I didn’t learn about in university! People said it would never work, and that no one would hire me – not without a Mass Communication or a journalism degree. I challenged it and proved them wrong. Heck I even went on to start a magazine for a publisher, and worked as an editor!

Was my 5 years spent in university a complete waste of time? I’d say it’s split down to 50-50. Back then we didn’t have choices. And the internet was still in its infancy. So we followed along a very linear path – one that our peers took. And the ones that our seniors followed before that. I wish that I could cut the time I spent in uni in half, but it wasn’t something that I could control. I wished that I had travelled more and explored student exchange options overseas. But that’s basically it. The upside which I could control: I’m grateful for learning a bit more about fine arts, design and the experience of working in a studio, and for the friends I made along the way. I made sure I was in control of what I wanted to learn – I enrolled in a degree that taught me the basics of design and art, even though deep down I knew that I might not work in the field I studied in. The reasons for doing so was a little complicated – I didn’t have access to a lot of courses in public university, and I didn’t go to a private college because of financial restraints (I didn’t want to get myself or my parents in debt). I made sure that the lessons I learnt, however, can be applied to virtually anything I was interested in life.

And that’s what I want people to know.

That you’re in control of what you do. That you can choose to learn at your own pace and to create your own outcome. That you don’t need a title to define yourself – you’re better off focusing on the things you want to learn, rather than what you will be at the end of a degree. That you’re no longer following a linear path – you have a wide open field at your disposal. And yes, that may be terrifying at times, but it’s also a very exciting time.

I set up this blog in 2008 precisely because I didn’t know much about illustration. I wanted to learn more from the artists I saw online. I saw their work, and I devoured their statements and went looking for patterns in their work so that I could try to get a glimpse of why they chose to create the way they do. It was always about ideas, and never about techniques for me. And so for 5 years (it’s approaching 6 now!) I learnt on my own. I saw thousands of illustrations, read thousands of bios, artists statements and concepts; talked to hundreds of artists and learnt what I could about the business. And I want to give back to people, and show others that it can be done.

Here’s another example: 8 years ago, I learnt about HTML and CSS. And PHP. I remembered that I was so frustrated for three months because I couldn’t grasp the idea behind a content management system (CMS) – this was before the heyday of WordPress – and I wanted to have a blog designed the way I liked it but I couldn’t afford a web developer. And I couldn’t tolerate the ugly designs of shopping carts back then so I had to customize my own. I wrote to developers instead, asking about the big picture and why I can’t seem to wrap my head around the core function of a CMS. I asked people in forums newbie questions, and continued my relentless pursuit of information. And then one night in an eureka moment it all came together for me – I could piece together the information because I now understood what it all meant. I happily went to work on the website and learnt bit by bit everyday.

And it was the best feeling in the world – the thought that I could do whatever I wanted, if I put my heart into it.

And so can you.

———-

You may also find this useful: Our Good to Know series that asks artists about whether or not an art education makes a difference.
Illustration: Yvonne Kroese
Every week, I teach about the creative process of illustration at a local college. And when I come home, I realize that I’ve forgotten to point this out, or to remind them about something. Dear Students serves as my own personal compilation of thoughts, and is a series dedicated to students around the world who might find my musings useful. To read the entire series, click here. 

Artist interview: Mab Graves

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Melanie / 6 comments

Mab Graves  (Indianapolis, USA), makes some of the most wonderful paintings.

I first became aware of her work when my girlfriend bought me some of her prints and paper dolls as a birthday gift a few years ago, and I fell in love.

Mab has previously described the paintings she makes as, ‘My creations, my obsessions, my darlings. My waifs and strays. To inspire you, capture your wall, hold it hostage and not let go.’

Mab was a dream to interview; punctual, articulate, interested and interesting, and above all else, super-friendly and approachable. To get a sense of why, you need only step into her world via her artist bio: ‘Inspired deeply by fairy tales and old classic literature. She has powder pink hair and is at least 7years old. Her dream pet would be a yellow fruit bat, or a nice old hedgehog with an eye patch.’

Every time I got an email from her in my inbox, I knew it’d be friendly, unique, charming, and as if it were written in glitter before I’d even opened it; elements and traits which show up in her artwork too, such is Mab’s ability to imbue the girls she paints with character and life.

Website |  BigCartel Shop | Blog |  Etsy  |  Facebook Page |  Flickr site |  Pinterest

Mab-Graves---Little-Valentine-and-the-Crabby-Heart

Hi Mab, how are you? Are you currently working on anything you could tell Pikaland readers about? 

Hello! I am doing rather splendidly.

Yes! I just finished several really cool projects – a paper doll book with Dover publishing (due to come out later this year), character designs for an independent stop-motion film (in production!) and I’m working on 2 big shows that will be coming out in the fall – one will be debuting at Gallery Nucleus in CA, and the other will be opening in the gallery my partner and I own (Monster Gallery) here in Indianapolis!

Much has been said about your work, in descriptive terms, but how would you yourself describe your art?

I tell people I am a Dreamchild Neverist. It’s a totally made up term for my painting style though.

In reality I am a Pop Surrealist.

Where did your interest in art and creativity come from? Is it something you’ve held from an early age?

Oh I’ve always been a creative. When I was little, my mother told me I would come home from preschool and sit at our little table and draw for hours. She says she never had to worry about where I was – I’d been obsessed with drawing since I could grip a crayon. I only discovered painting 5 years ago- but we’ve been passionately in love ever since ^_^

I hear that you’re a self-taught artist. 

How easily did learning to draw and paint come to you?  Was it a case of just *start* and see where it goes, and then practice, trial and error? Or did you have a better plan than that?

Do you believe it’s something that has become easier the more you do? (And thus, important not to give up on if it wasn’t right first time)?

My first painting was 5 years ago now (I had always been shy of paints – too fluid and out of control). I was in a very dark place and I just sat down with an old canvas, some dreadful gift-set paints and a sumi brush. It took me an entire month of painting hours and hours every day to finish it. Sumi brushed are designed for Japanese ink painting. They have bamboo handles that suck up tons of water (so the ink travels). I was painting acrylics so I would be bent over working on some tiny detail when –whoosh!- a puddle of water would seep out from the brush and wash everything away. It was really frustrating. The brush also had quite a thick end, so I had to get pretty creative to achieve the kind of detail I wanted. I learned a lot about little turns of the wrists and tricks with the brush.    When I finished the piece, I went out and bought some real paint and a whole set of brushes – and it was like I had been running with a pack of rocks and had just taken them off. It was like discovering I had wings.

I learned SO much about brushwork with that first piece.

I think it’s a good idea to tie one hand behind your back so to speak, and challenge your limitations.

And yes – you get MUCH better at it over time!

Do you think that being self-taught has freed you up to try new things free from the constraints of having to do things the ‘correct’ or ‘expected’ way? 

Would you have wanted it any other way?

I would not want it any other way! It was definitely “the hard way” to learn without any help or guidance, but I can be a very proud single-mother of my little creations.

As long as the end result is what you wanted – it doesn’t matter how you got there.

Being self-taught, and initially developing your work yourself without much external ‘schooled’ validation, where did/does your motivation and confidence in your work come from?

Oh I think I must be the most selfish of painters ^_^ When I paint, I paint for me. I have never really needed external validation. As long as I purely love and am thrilled by a piece I created it never mattered to me if others liked it too.

My motivation comes from the fact that: I am an addict. I simply adore creating. I know it’s the reason I was put here on this earth and I get an exhilarating sense of peace when I paint.

I love it.

Mab-Graves--Elphaba-and-the-Flying-Moneys

I interviewed somebody recently who had been self-taught, and who was doing just fine with that. Then they discovered a different way of doing something via a friend who had been taught various techniques; she was totally bummed out because if she’d had known about that technique years ago it would have saved her so much time and labour.

Is this something that sounds familiar? 

What are your thoughts on sharing your ideas, skills, and knowledge with others? 

No, not really. I’ve never been bummed when I discover something new – I’m just thrilled!

My biggest “mind blowing” (as I call them!) discoveries have come from experimenting with new mediums.

I think that every medium has something that it is particularly good at – something that no other medium can do quite as well. For skin, I love to use oils –you just can’t get the luminescent glow with anything else. For details I use a fine Japanese gouache, I love using inks for shadows and for expansive backgrounds I like to use acrylics because they dry faster and allow me to continue working sooner! I am not a medium snob – I love them all equally.

The more opportunities I have to explore and play with new materials, the more I learn.

The one downside to never having gone to school for art is that I didn’t have the opportunity to try every medium and see what fit. It can be very expensive to go out and buy a set of a new medium just to try – without knowing you will like it!

But I love every new discovery I make and never feel ashamed that I hadn’t known it sooner. Life is all about learning.

From your own experience, what would your top-tips be for anybody wishing to teach themselves to draw/create art?

Play. Don’t attempt to do anything more than have fun. Don’t put expectations on your pieces, they are fragile and could cave under demands, crushing you both. Paint for fun and love whatever comes out of your brush. She may be a little lop-sided or have light coming in at her from two suns, but she is yours and you created her.  The less pressure you put on yourself, the more freedom you will have to experiment and learn!

Similarly, what are your top tips for others who wish to be creative but feel stuck, don’t know where to start, or feel like they aren’t ‘good enough’ to do so?

Again – just play! Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you find yourself in a block – just stop. Leave it. Don’t push it. Immerse yourself in a fabulous new book series, get out of town for a road trip, or mess around with a totally new project. The worst thing you can do is keep pushing when you are stuck. Be patient and come back to it later. It may be months – it may be years – but don’t push.  It’s like letting a wound heal and knit back together: if you pick at it – it’ll only get worse.

Mab-Graves---studio-walls

Where do you make your work? What’s your studio or making-space like?

What sort of things keep you company in your studio / place(s) of work, for inspiration?

Oh heavens I work in chaos. They call my studio “the Forest” because it is wild, untamed, and probably full of wolves. I have a beautiful collection of hundreds of picture books (predominantly fairy tales!), cute and creepy old toys, cabinets with scores and scores or drawers filled with bits and bobs, and my walls are hung ceiling to floor with art – mostly other insanely talented artists I love, but a few of my biological paintings. It’s my own little sanctorum and the absolute happiest place in the world for me. Being in my studio is like stepping into my own skin.

What stages, from start-to-finish does a typical piece of your work go through, and over what time frame?

(I ask this, from a practical point of view, to guide others who may be seeking further understandings of creative processes. But, I appreciate what you have astutely written in the past, that, ‘Every piece I create is a culmination of my whole life’s experiences and mistakes’).

Before I even begin a piece I do hours of research. I research flower symbolism so every plant and tree means something. Every colour and gesture has a purpose. Then I start to paint. I don’t sketch beforehand or really do any planning. That painting is inside me already by then and knows exactly who it wants to be. I just absorb the information then let my body do the rest.

A painting for me could take anywhere from 2 days to a week – some longer. It depends on the size and scope of the project. I do all my detail work with a brush that has only one hair so it can be very time consuming!

You seem to maintain a pretty prolific outpouring of ideas, projects and creativity. 

What puts you in the best mood for drawing? And, what keeps you motivated, makes you burst with energy, keeps you inspired enough to keep going, and makes you want to continue being an artist?

I am always in the mood. I am a paintophile.

My mind is constantly teeming with tiny keening voices waiting (usually most impatiently) to be brought to life. Painting keeps me sane and brings me a shocking amount of peace.

Being an artist is not a choice to something I decide to continue being. It is my entire being. If you took the artist out of me I would be wisp of pink hair and green tea that would surely evaporate quickly.

How do you manage your time in order to devote as much time as you’d like to your art?

I will NEVER be able to devote as much time as I would like to my art! The sad part of being able to survive as a professional artist is you are running a business – you are the business – and painting is only about 20% of what you have to do!

The best advice I ever got about how to be a successful freelancer was:

Do the things you don’t love.

I was not thrilled to receive that advice.

People always tell you “do what you love!” and I liked that much better.

But doing what you don’t love – the emails, inventory, taxes, lectures, social networking etc. – is REALLY important. It’s not nearly as much fun as shutting myself away for weeks and painting my heart out (what bliss!), but these things must be done. It’s taken me a couple years of being hideously overwhelmed to find a happy medium in my days, but I have found it.

Mab-Graves--Claudia-Cameo

I read on your blog your comments about living with arthritis, where you say:

‘I know I can’t do this forever. I know this. These poor little hands won’t hold out. I am so grateful for every minute that I have to paint. Even though every minute of my passion hurts me, I couldn’t possibly be happier when I paint. A lot of us have complications. Restrictions. People who tell us that we have unrealistic career choices. There is no dream you shouldn’t follow. Ignore the odds’

This positivity, hope, inspiration and affirmation is infectious… that idea of passing on positive messages and ideas for keeping on going, the encouragement, and sharing your belief in notions of ‘doing’ and ‘being’.

Why is it important to you to pass on these good vibes?

I know I have been given a gift. Being able to paint is not something I bought or earned – I have no laurels to rest on. It is something intensely precious that I have been given and it is extremely important to me that I give back. I have a responsibility not to squander it. Art and love are both things that need to be shared. I don’t think there is enough of either in this world – and you’re right, they are infectious. I plan on doing as much good as I can with the time that I have. Let’s start an epidemic ^_^

I’ve been reading and hearing so much recently from people whose art has been plagiarised or copied (almost without changes) by others for financial or personal gain. It seems to be a growing problem for artists.

What are your personal takes on inspiration vs imitation?

And, on the flip side, do you think it’s possible that there is no such thing as ‘original thought’ in art, that everything has been ‘done’, and that the very nature of being inspired by others’ work leads naturally into using that influence and it showing in our own creativities?

Yes, I have had people steal my images and sell prints, shirts and jewellery with my paintings on them. It is surprisingly hurtful actually. I have a very good lawyer who sets them straight pretty quickly, but it still leaves a feeling of violation.

I think that education on image rights is a big problem. With most of these people when you write them and tell them that they have illegally stolen a copyrighted image and are liable for a huge lawsuit – they are totally shocked! A lot of people actually think that if an image is online, they can have it and do what they want with it. I’m not sure what we can do about re-informing this kind of ignorance.

As far as Original Thought goes – well I suppose that depends on the style of art you are painting. As a Pop Surrealist painter, “original thought” is a bit moot because, well – it’s pop surrealism. The subject matter is inspired largely from retro 60’s and 70’s culture (big head and eye art) but also from current events, books, films and popular subjects. Someone always thought of it first. We are re-inventing it. That’s the point!

I think as long as you are true to your own style, interests and paint purely from your own inspiration then don’t worry if some other artist is inspired by the same things at the same time.

It is 2013 so creating something completely new and original would be tough, I agree. I’ve seen a lot of emerging contemporary artists scrabbling desperately trying to create a NEW art – and it mostly involves bits of string hung in places or jars of bodily fluid. I think we should be less concerned with creating completely new things and just create completely beautiful things.

Mab-Graves--Page-of-Pentacles

What fascinates you most, and fires your imagination?

What do you think the power of ‘imagination’ is? Both for artists, and everybody more generally.

I read. I love old fairy tales and folklore. My childhood was webbed with storybooks and I love falling back into the familiar comfort of unquestioning awe they inspire in me.

Imagination gives us limitless and unending possibilities. It’s the most beautiful tool you can harness yourself with.

Best advice: Never stop being six years old.

What about your work gives you the most satisfaction?

Oh that’s easy. It’s looking down into the little soul I just put on canvas – seeing her eyes look straight back into me and hearing her tiny voice inside my heart. Bliss.

—————

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melanie Maddison is a zine writer and former postgraduate Women’s Studies student from Leeds, UK. Her main zine, Colouring Outside The Lines has been going since 2004 and interviews contemporary female artists. She’s our resident chief interview lady, and you can read all the interviews she has conducted for Pikaland here!

New project: 1000 things to draw

Posted on May 8, 2013 by amy / 24 comments

1000 things to draw!

One of my resolutions this year was to come up with projects that would further help to challenge creatives out there to have fun.

You may also remember that I put up a list of 100 things to draw two years ago that serves as a “starter list” for those who are just looking to draw something. Or just anything for that matter.

I got a lot of comments on that one, and it was just something that I came up with on a whim one day. A year on, I asked myself – why should I limit this to just 100 items? How can I come up with even tougher subjects for those who are looking for more? So I challenged myself – I wrote and scribbled down about 300 more things to draw. And then I added verbs to the mix. And then I added even more stuff to the list. Then I started to think, what if I were to cross reference this big list with another? And so 1000 Things to Draw began to take shape.

When I told my technical whiz Victor about the idea, he was game to put it out there. But I questioned myself constantly – is this crazy? Is it just plain dumb? Would people even want this sort of thing? But then I decided I didn’t care a hoot what others think – I just thought it would be fun to put it out there for others to enjoy. And so I designed the website and came up with things to draw while Victor put it all together for me.

Think of 1000 Things to Draw as a game, where anything goes. I have to warn you, it’s really out there. Like crazy silly. Just hit the button again and again and you’ll find yourself guffawing and sniggering at the whole thing before you actually start to draw. It’ll tease your imagination and create the silliest scenarios that you wouldn’t have thought of. Ever. You can make it into a game with your friends by taking turns to find something to draw. Take it on the road by purchasing a PDF that you can play offline (with the PDF version you can go even crazier with even more possibilities for random fun!) The fun to be had, along with possibilities for laughter and creativity is endless!

SHOW OFF YOUR WORK AND TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

You can also share your drawings done via our Flickr group, or head on over to our Tumblr page to submit your drawings! Have a collaborative call for drawings, or just to show off your mad skills – whichever works!

I’m really pleased with the outcome, so I want to invite you over to have a go at it (click here!) and let me know what you think in the comments below! And if you know someone who will benefit from this, help us spread the word through social media – Facebook, Twitter and all!

Psst, the actual total number of things that the system comes up with is actually much more than 1000 things to draw! ;)

Dear students: what to do after school? (hint: the answer is not going back to school.)

Posted on May 6, 2013 by amy / 4 comments

Zara PickenDear students,

I need to stress this: the learning does not stop when you graduate. In fact, learning is a life-long affair – one that never really ends, especially not if you breathe in the lessons that are being taught informally everyday and learn to look out for them.

I’ve listened and read your fears on leaving the safe confines of school to the big bad world out there. You’re scared of what’s out there because you don’t quite know what to expect. Will the world eat me alive, chew me up and spit me out? Will I end up being an insurance agent because I can’t find work after a couple of months? Or will I become a shell of my former self after I dedicated a year in an agency, burnt out beyond recognition?

You might run into one of the above situations, or god forbid, all of the above at some point or another. But right now there’s an alternative (and it still stand for those who have fallen by the wayside). You can choose yourself, and put in effort to create your own rules. No one says that there are rules anyway. It’s really just a mirage to keep things in order. People never told me that I could write a blog about illustration for the past 5 years, or that I could get hired in a job that had nothing to do with my degree. I just went along with this crazy plan of mine and adjusted my course along the way. My only compass was my heart and head, and to do things that felt right.

Take it from someone who’s been out here in the real world – after being employed for a few years before I went out on my own, I can honestly say that I am humbled to be able to choose my own projects and reject the ones that I am not compelled to do. And do keep in mind, this is after 5 years of working freelance, building connections and genuinely caring about people and their projects; instead of thinking that they’re just a cash machines (oh, you’ll be surprised to know that there are people who do this). And I don’t just choose them for money either – it’s a matter of how I can steer a project to reach new heights, or create an outcome that will win people over. It’s all about serving others to the best of your ability. Once you get that you’re in the business of serving people, whether you’re illustrating, designing, etc. – you’ll find opportunities wherever you go.

Don’t let the safe confines of academia (especially when it comes to the creative industry) become your complacent zone. If you want to teach, make sure you have something to say and make sure you’re trying to genuinely help people instead of merely wanting a paycheck. And if you’re a graduate wanting to teach right away, let’s be honest, you don’t belong there. Not at least you’ve gone out and got chewed up a little bit, celebrated a few personal wins and got out alive by the end of it, because it’s hard to earn the respect of others when you have little to no scuff marks to show for what you’ve done.

It’s all about serving others to the best of your ability. Once you get that you’re in the business of serving people, whether you’re illustrating, designing, etc. – you’ll find opportunities wherever you go. 

I say this because the state of education today has disappointed me, what with its hoop-jumping nonsense and a few other shenanigans that are needlessly cruel and mean to students. What we have today are by-products of a flawed education system – students who get regurgitated back into the system as teachers to preach the same things they were taught before, without adding valuable critical thinking and experience of their own into the mix (and without knowing if they actually work). How would you know better? How would your future generation know better? How can you change something that has already been ingrained into the system? How would you begin? You can’t.

Not until you get out of school.

Because it’s high time to get a real education.

And then you can begin.

[Illustration: The Sea by Zara Picken via Flickr. Buy her prints at Society6.]
Every week, I teach about the creative process of illustration at a local college. And when I come home, I realize that I’ve forgotten to point this out, or to remind them about something. Dear Students serves as my own personal compilation of thoughts, and is a series dedicated to students around the world who might find my musings useful. To read the entire series, click here.