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Z Art Blog–The Discouraged Artist

Z Art Blog–The Discouraged Artist published on

We all become discouraged now and then. The discouragement may be due to any number of situations or events in life. For the artist the discouragement may be related to one or all of the following:

  1. a lack of artistic inspiration or creativity—“Have I lost my touch?”
  2. being overwhelmed by the process—“Where if anywhere can I find assistance?”
  3. a change in responsibilities—“What happened to my creative time?”
  4. seeing no payoff for the time and effort—“Is it time to give up?

Some of these questions or situations were addressed if only briefly in a few of the first articles in this series which were written for young people contemplating whether or not to pursue life as an artist for the long haul. Rereading those entries may help you regain your focus and help you answer the question, “Why did I start this journey in the first place?” The answer is, “Because you are an artist.” No one said you can’t take a break from the artwork and the promotion of the artwork. You will most likely have to take several breaks from the process throughout your lifetime. This does not mean you have ever given up on your talent. It just means it may be time to take another temporary breather.

Let’s look at each of these discouraging situations and consider what they may mean:

  1. a lack of artistic inspiration or creativity—“Have I lost my touch?” If you have already been creating art for several years, you likely have some measure of talent. Talent doesn’t go away. You may have developed obstacles to creating new work such as arthritis or other health issues, but the talent itself does not go away. Your lack of inspiration or even motivation is likely temporary. Remember that this is a lifelong endeavor and your subconscious (or God) may simply be telling you it is time to rest your creative mind for awhile. If you believe your recent lack of creativity to be more than a lack of inspiration (such as depression), seek the help of a doctor.
  2. being overwhelmed by the process—“Where if anywhere can I find assistance?” When you do all your own production and all your own promotion you may often feel that you are wearing too many hats. Independent art is a specialized field of work and therefore assistance may always be difficult to find. People don’t study to become “an artist’s assistant.” If you don’t yet have much of a relationship with God, this is a great time to start developing one. Spiritual help is far more effective than is human help. Humans are imperfect. You don’t necessarily need to join a church, but it wouldn’t hurt you to crack the Bible once in awhile. You will be surprised at what you discover about yourself and about God. In the words of a wise grandma, “God helps those who help themselves.”
  3. a change in responsibilities—“What happened to my creative time?” Someone came along, you are thinking about marriage, you are expecting a child, you are now caring for an elderly parent, whatever the case may be, this doesn’t necessarily mean you will never again have time for your artwork. Even events that are non-family or non-relationship related, such as a seeming creative derailment can soon manifest itself as a new creative direction or a new avenue for promotion that you would never have thought of before. Such seeming upheavals may be the catalyst for a change in outlook or perspective which may add depth to your work.
  4. seeing no payoff for the time and effort—“Is it time to give up?” No. Look at the body of work you have created. You should feel accomplished. Creating artwork has given your life meaning and purpose you may not have had without that activity. Again, it may just be time to take a little break, not give up. You knew that life as an artist holds no guarantees for outcomes. Nor does any other life choice if you are realistic. It is what you make it. That is why it is considered a journey. You choose your theme (your instrument, genre or creative mode, etc.), work at it and see where it leads you. Assuming you’ve made good decisions, being responsible in all aspects of your life, things will happen when they are supposed to. Eat nutritious foods, get a little exercise now and then, get a good night’s sleep and you will wake up convinced you are still on the right track.

There are likely many other situations that bring discouragement, especially to an artist. Remember that you are not the only artist to have been in difficult situations. Such is life. A wine connoisseur once said that the harder a wine berry must struggle to find water, the more character the wine will have. Struggles will give you strength of character. Observe your creative efforts in tangible form and you will feel accomplished for all of your time well spent. Continue adding to your body of work and you will have no regrets. You are an artist. Look for the article about healthy activities to engage in during your breaks from your artwork and promotion.

Z Art Blog–Talent With No Motivation?

Z Art Blog–Talent With No Motivation? published on

Have you ever known someone who had artistic ability but never seemed able to accomplish much of anything after high school? Maybe this person achieved As in art classes with plans to continue in art but then couldn’t come up with ideas for new work. Or maybe this person would start a painting and never finish it. Then start another painting and never finish it, etc. Art teachers give their students the direction for each piece. So, how would a fledgling artist know what to paint if no one was giving him or her the ideas for each piece?

Is this problem a lack of motivation? It may rather be a lack of direction or organization. In other words, this artist has not yet made a decision about “genre” or “theme.” Does he or she want to paint nature—farm animals, zoo animals, prairie scenes, jungle scenes, mountain scenes, or ocean scenes?  Maybe he or she prefers to paint pictures of humans—humans at play, humans at work, etc. Does this artist use oil, tempera or water color paints, pastels or chalk? The more an artist can narrow the focus or purpose of his or her work, the more likely he or she will be able to develop a unique style and perfect that given theme. This concept also applies to photography, pottery, music, and other visual art forms.

If the artist we are talking about is you, you may want to start by imagining exactly where you want to see your artwork. Then do some research on competition in that market. Yes. An artist must be aware of the competition. Who are some of the artists who are currently being hired in the area you hope to see your work? Observe the work. Ask yourself, why is this artist being hired? Of all the artistic people you know personally, how many are getting paid for their artwork? Probably none. What does this mean? Does it mean the competition is tight? Does it mean very few ever pursue professional art? Does it mean those who are being hired blow everyone else away? You may feel that your work is already as good as that of those being paid for theirs. How should you proceed? Remain humble. It is often more than just talent that causes an artist to become “chosen” or “successful.”

Many people who become successful in a specific area have family members who “preceeded them” in some way, possibly blazing the trail for them–establishing connections. So, the younger artist did not reach his/her level of success entirely on his/her own. He/she had groundwork in place. Another example of shared success might be a band of musicians who support each other. In that case, success is a group effort. You however, do not have the “connections” just described and must somehow make up for that lack of “advanced placement.” You must study harder/smarter, work harder/smarter, and seek new opportunities as often as possible, etc

Lets say you decide your theme is going to be stuffed animals and other toys from childhood and your style or brush stroke is soft and fluffy. You recall the stuffed animals from your childhood and observe some from the present. You imagine or sketch several scenes, decide upon one and begin creating your first piece. When you have completed the first piece, you decide on a second scene, begin creating your second piece, complete the second piece and so on. Hopefully, in these scenes you are also developing that style all your own.

If after completing several pieces, family members and friends recognize the uniqueness of your work, you might then begin making your work known to people who know writers of children’s books or designers of nursery décor, etc. Look online and go to the library. Find books that explain in detail exactly how to ask for permission to submit your work. You also need to know how many pieces are reviewed and in what standard form such as digital. If you studied hard in high school, it will seem a natural progression of events to begin studying the business side of art which was probably not taught in your art classes. As you study, continue to create new pieces to keep your collection fresh. It might be more difficult to submit work that was completed five years ago while you were still in high school. Employers want to know that you are an active artist–working on a new piece or project at all times as much as your life allows. See previous articles in this series.

So, is your problem a matter of talent without motivation or talent without direction and organization? You may now be answering this question a bit differently. A unique theme and style may lead to name recognition and later success. If potential employers or consumers can’t quite put a finger on what makes your artwork unique, they won’t be able to mention you to someone else, much less someone who is looking for a specific type of work for a specific project. Get the picture? Keep studying the business side and keep spending time on your artwork.

Sine of the Times–January 2014

Sine of the Times–January 2014 published on

Pam Brandis–Family Lines

Certain kinds of talent are inherited, including talent in audio and visual art. Artists are very often influenced by their parents, and many well known artists had/have parents who led the way. Some artists are raised in affluent families who can afford the very best in fine arts training, and others are raised in a more down to earth situation eventually finding or seeking their own creative way.

Pam Brandis can be classified in the middle of these categories, being raised by parents who grew up in very small Nebraska towns. Her father’s father was a farmer from a long line of farmers originating in Germany. Her mother’s father, also of German decent made brooms for a living in the hometown factory for many years before signing on with the nearby railroad. Looking at the family lines on both sides we see a few interesting patterns.

Music

Unless there is some form of archival documentation, word-of-mouth history often gets lost at the generation of the great grandparents or the great-great grandparents. That is where this story begins. In the current family oral history, the earliest known occurrences of musicianship of a performance nature have been cited at the generation of Brandis’ great grandparents. Brandis’ mother’s father’s father played the fiddle in at least one band. Her mother’s mother’s mother played the organ in the church. Brandis’ mother was a member of a high school choral group which performed songs recorded by the McGuire Sisters who were radio popular at that time. Brandis’ parents met when they became members of the same Lutheran church choir after high school. They were married within a year of dating.

Some of Brandis’ earliest memories are of her parents singing to her or singing around the house before she was in school. Her father would put Brandis and her older sister to bed each night reading them a bible story and then singing them a bedtime prayer. Brandis loved sitting near her mother in church where she could best hear her mother’s voice and be taught how to sing harmony parts to some of the hymns. Her mother sang with the church’s adult choir and also led the children’s vacation bible school singing at this time.

Brandis’ mother often tuned into radio station KFAB AM while tending to her home and garden work. Young Brandis was always within earshot of the broadcast of various pop, Broadway and movie tunes to which her mother often hummed or sang along. Brandis remembers countless conversations with family members, neighbors or friends during which someone would utter an otherwise random word or phrase, inadvertently prompting her mother to break out into song with associated lyrics.

Other early musical memories involve Brandis’ father’s cornet and his childhood collection of 45s–mostly big band music–all of which Brandis found fascinating. A few of these records featured some very early (pre-rock and roll) electric guitar. During the 1960’s, TV variety shows were common, so the family often viewed live performances and also enjoyed annual season tickets to Aksarben to see live music, comedy and acrobatics on stage at the racetrack during the summers.

Brandis was often most mesmerized by the sounds and moves of Motown but also leaned toward country for awhile in her early years. She soon began her own collection of 45s which included the family bands/groups of the early 70’s. Pop music was broadened to include folk, country, rock and soul–all of which were played on the same AM stations prior to the onset of FM radio. One of Brandis’ favorite singles was Rare Earth’s I Just Want to Celebrate. She would listen to the song and try to figure out what was going on at the drums.

As the story goes, Brandis’ mother wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so her father bought her something basic at a nearby department store. Who couldn’t leave the guitar alone but young Brandis who quickly took to learning basic chords. Nine-year-old Brandis was also writing songs (at the suggestion of a neighborhood friend) and singing them to her sisters. A few lessons here and there could not convince Brandis to practice learning how to read music when she found it much easier and more rewarding to write and sing for family and friends.

Though both of her sisters picked up woodwind instruments and quickly learned to read note for note, Brandis preferred learning by listening to successions of rhythms and chords and strumming along with the radio, her records or various lyric sheets that were readily available at that time. Brandis had also discovered the trick of using two tape recorders to record herself in two and three part harmony. However, before jumping too far ahead in the Brandis musical biography we want to keep the reading balanced and mention some areas of visual art talent in the family.

Visual Art

Including crafts in this discussion, we can again see influences on both sides of the family. Brandis’ mother’s grandmother–the same woman who played the organ was also an expert seamstress, making dresses from home for “My Lady” dress shop during the 1920’s. Brandis’ grandmother, mother and sister also proved to be excellent at sewing and other work with fabrics. Brandis’ father’s parents were both handy with craft work. Together they cut and painted a life-sized plywood trio of choir boys which for many years stood complete with a spotlight in front of their house and later Brandis’ father’s house each Christmas season. This grandmother enjoyed making seasonal decorations and creating stuffed toys for her grandchildren. This grandfather could whittle and paint lifelike human forms. Brandis’ father trained as an industrial arts teacher specializing in woodworking with a remarkable visual talent in line drawing faces–like nothing she has seen elsewhere–very accurate lines without the use of a grid or an eraser. Brandis cannot recall ever seeing her father with an eraser.

Brandis was fortunate to grow up during a time when art and music were both part of the required curriculum during elementary and junior high school. During junior high, Brandis began to ponder becoming a photographer and has always considered good black and white photography and good black and white film true art forms. She and her sisters all realized their inherited talent in visual art during high school, but Brandis was still most strongly drawn to chords and writing songs. While realizing this visual talent, she was also invited to join a working variety band. Some of the artwork she produced at that time fused her visual talent with her musical interests and activities.

Because of her lifelong fear of the stage (the topic of an upcoming Sine of the Times article), Brandis has always felt more comfortable in the home studio setting, believing herself to be an audio (recording) artist–with the lyrics, notes, chords, instrumentation and effects as the paint on the recording equipment canvas. She often considers an eventual return to practicing her visual art skills in some form or another, but this venture will likely not take place for several years. Until then, Brandis plans to continue encouraging artists of all non-performance arts right here at Z Art Tones Dot Com.

 

Z Art Blog–Am I an Artist?

Z Art Blog–Am I an Artist? published on

This article is written for an adolescent audience but may also be enjoyed by persons of other ages.

Student (and you are a lifelong student), you may be asking yourself questions such as, “Am I an artist?” “What is an artist?” and/or “What is life as an artist?”

As it is with life, one individual may have more choices than does another. These choices may or may not be related to the amount of money (or lack thereof) available to support a certain lifestyle. Depending upon your creative or artistic medium of choice, money may play a lead or lesser role.

So, money may be your first consideration or it may be lower on your list of considerations.

For example, if you draw, sketch or design graphically, you may be spending less money on supplies or equipment than would be someone who paints or someone who is working at becoming a recording musician or a recording artist. Sketch pads and pencils may be less expensive than are painting supplies or recording equipment, though in recent years the basic graphics and recording tools have been made available for free online. Either way, you may eventually need your own computer which you may not yet have.

If you are reading this article from a computer at your school or a computer at your local library, good for you! You have already discovered an economical avenue for exploring your love of art and/or music and educating yourself on how to enjoy life as an artist.

As you work at your art and therefore become more artistically experienced or advanced, money may become more of a concern. You may begin to discover that the tools available for free online are not sufficient for your more advanced knowledge and skills. You have outgrown the tools. Congratulations on your time and effort!

Hopefully, you are taking art and music classes and therefore have art and music teachers as resources—people who can provide new tools or point you to someone he or she knows who might be able to help you with your current needs for new tools. If you are already skilled at or become practiced at online and library research you will likely find your own artistic way. Finding your own way may be even more artistically gratifying than if it seems family members, teachers and friends are trying to tell you which direction to go.

Not that you should ignore the voice of experience and the voices of people who know you best. And not that you can ignore the fact that your talents came from somewhere in your family. Remain humble. Recognize your parents and your teachers as people who have lived more life than have you and therefore deserve a certain given amount of respect. That said, after you have considered what those around you are saying, only you as the artist will know what is right for you, because being an artist means discovering your own inner self.

Let’s assume you now believe that you are in fact an artist. How do you know this? You may have achieved A’s in your art or music classes. Art or music teachers may have told you that you have a special talent. Someone may have told you that you have a good eye or a good ear. Maybe no one has said anything in particular about your work. You may simply have a sense that there is something unique about the way you perceive the world or the way in which you express yourself artistically or creatively.

One of the most important realizations of an artist is that you are not the only one. Obviously, there are other students in your classes who have also achieved A’s. Will these students also choose art as a lifelong endeavor or will they choose different paths? Be conscious of them. Again, remain humble. Remember that you are not the only one and that you will always have room for improvement or new methods in your art. Keep working at your art and keep educating yourself.

Keep visiting ZArtTones.com and follow ZArtBlog. Look for the next article in this series about the choices an artist makes to keep his or her art in focus.