Category: art

Advice to Young Artists

It’s show season and I’ve been thinking about all that I’ve learned since I started in this artly life I’ve lived.

I’ve been an artist of some sort all my life. I’ve been sewing for about 55 years or more. I started out making clothes for my imaginary “Little Ratties” who were my friends after I saw Cinderella at the theater. This was it’s very first showing. Yeah, I’m that old.

 

 

 

I’ve made jewelry for over 20 years. I’ve been a writer for a while now–since before I started making jewelry. I wrote my first poem in second grade.  I’ve learned a lot along the way so for this post I thought I would pass along some things I’ve learned along the way. I hope they help someone.

Advice to Young Artists

  • Don’t give up. You will have many failures. We all have. No one rides a bicycle without training wheels on the first try. Michelangelo didn’t carve the David his first time sculpting. You will have bad days, weeks, months, and maybe even years. Do not give up. If you love your medium, keep at it.
  • Don’t compare your work to other people’s work. Your work is always going to be different. You may learn things faster or slower than others, but that is just what you do. Be content with it.
  • Don’t mistake your first efforts for fine art. Your first art pieces will seem either like garbage or the best thing in the world to you. Keep working for a year and you will look back on your first tries and see how far you’ve come. You may even be a little embarrassed. I’m not saying to keep them hidden. Get opinions from people you respect. Take their advice if it makes sense to you. If someone wants to buy one, sell it, then go and get more supplies.
  • Use the best supplies (not necessarily the most expensive) that you can afford.
  • You will be obsessed with your new art. Other people are not. If you find yourself talking about it and dominating the conversation, stop. Just stop. Your work should speak for itself.
  • If you take a class, don’t hog the teacher or the equipment. Other students paid to learn too. You are no more important than they are.
  • If you take a class, ask questions, learn about the equipment and get to know the other students. You can make some lasting friendships and maybe find some collaborators. Good things come from good relationships.
  • If you take a class, DO NOT copy your teacher’s (or anyone else’s) work. Copying is easy, but not creative. You are not a Xerox machine. These people have spent many hours, years–decades even–perfecting their art and techniques and have graciously offered to teach you some of what they know. Let them have their own thing. Do YOUR own thing. Use the techniques you learn in a new way and/or with other materials.
  • If you find a shop in which to sell, don’t copy the other members of that shop. MAYBE you can make similar things and sell them in another town. Maybe. Make sure that they don’t sell in the same place before you do. Artists are very possessive of their style. Don’t copy. See above.
  • As you get better at your craft, be understanding of younger artists. Try to be patient with their enthusiasm and transgressions. Remember, you were a beginner once too.

Sew much trouble I’m in with grommets and snaps.

Here are the latest fabric creations. I made these all this week. 

This purse is made from the Glenwillow Saddle Bag pattern. I like the look of the purse, but I found the instructions a bit confusing. I guess I need more pictures of the steps. Word problems in math never made much sense to me. I could usually interpret them in more than one way.  I think the same thing is going on here. It’s a nice pattern, it’s just not quite written for me.

One more Necessary Clutch Wallet. I love these. They’re like peanuts. You can’t stop at one. 

 

 

Lots of color play going on in the wallet. The pictures are a little “off” color actually. It actually goes together much better than it looks.

There were also 5 all cotton microwave hot-bowl-holders finished, but I sold 2 and left the third at Locally Grown Gallery. Do you like the purple? Purple is not my favorite color, but I do love maroon.  A lot. 

The gray thingy with the yellow and orange dots is a stretchy knit headband. It’s at Appalachian Arts Craft Center and is only $8. 

This is the inside of the Glenwillow Saddle Bag. Lots of pockets.

 

 

 

This is the back with the front flap open. One big slip pocket and one zipper pocket. 

There is the same type of slip pocket on the front, but the zipper pocket is on the inside of it and doesn’t show.  

 

The inside of the simple bi-fold wallet. There are several card slots in it, but they don’t show up very well with this fabric.

One little owl is upside down.

I’m working on new things. I almost finished a beautiful bucket bag which needs 12 fairly large grommets. I had 10. And the replacements don’t ship for a couple of weeks. Argh! I am not patient.

Love this plaid lining. The colors are great.

 

 

 

 

Repurposed belt used for strap.
See the missing grommets on the right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that reminds me. I ordered some snaps that will.  not.  work.  They have cool tools with them that work great. They really get those snaps in there where they’re supposed to be, but the snaps won’t snap together. Have you ever tried to get a well-smashed-in snap OUT of a finished object without destroying said finished object? This is when I’m really glad I have a husband who likes to cut and smash things to get them apart for me. My hands aren’t strong enough anymore. Then I get the job of somehow creatively covering up the holes. In the latest one, I used an Owl Tree label, Velcro, and a button. Sssshhhhhh…don’t tell anyone. I’m sure the buyer will be none the wiser. I can’t tell. And it’s only a $4.00 card holder.

Whew!

I worked most of the week on trying to set up an auction and a store on a website I manage. Murphy’s Law was working overtime. I’m not going to say much more about it because I don’t want to think about it right now. I have had a wonderful Friday.

I’ve spent most Fridays this school year keeping my son’s two little boys. T, the eldest, goes to speech therapy class two days a week and both grandmas take turns, me on Friday. T is almost 5 and E is about 19 months. They have really entertained me today and vice-versa. We danced and danced to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.” We watched a video of performers on stage in Manhattan Concert Productions’ Crazy for You which totally enthralled E. He studied each move from about 6″ from the screen.

Then we danced. He tried to copy all my moves and big brother’s break dancing moves all at once. He really seemed to be trying to do the coordinated moves like the professionals. This one will be our musician. He already has a great ear for tunes and good rhythm.

When we left the school after speech class I stopped by the Dollar General and, of course, as a Nana has to do, I had to get them some cheap toys. T got a dinosaur “egg.” If you don’t know what that is, it’s a T-rex that turns into an oval ball by folding it up. E kept saying, “Me” and pointing at different toys. I would hand him one, he would consider it and usually put it back. After four toys he decided, excitedly, to go with a huge (for a toddler) plastic sword with lots of scrollwork and bumpy things made into it. It’s thicker and longer than his brother’s lightsaber. I had to chuckle at the littlest one wanting the biggest weapon. He would NOT let big brother play with it either! I think T was a little intimidated.

We played “sword fight” for a while, watched some cartoons, looked up wild animal sounds on YouTube and then we DANCED some more. Then they raced. I hope they were worn out so Mom and Dad can get a good night’s sleep. T likes sleeping in the parents’ bed, but he starts out in his own bed. He just wakes up lonely I guess.

Paw, my husband, came by later and Mom, my DDIL, made a great supper when she got home.

THEN, I got a rare treat. My friend, Melanie, and I went to see Oliver! at Roane State Community College and Melanie treated. It was wonderful! I saw one actor I knew from the TN Medieval Faire. She did a fantastic job in a prominent role. The youngster playing Oliver, Joey Neiman, was phenomenal. There were so many other stellar performances that I hesitate to name them for fear of omitting some. Trust me, they were great. If you can see this, do.