Where are You in Your Artist Journey?

By Tracey Maras
www.traceymaras.com

We all have to begin somewhere. With art, as with many things in life, we may journey along a somewhat predictable path as we develop our skills. However, we may not think about the journey along the way. More often, we feel the pressure to become exceptional in an extraordinarily short period of time.

When mentoring artists who are just beginning their journey, I often hear questions about why they haven’t sold a painting yet, or been accepted by a gallery, or received an award. Often this is within just a few months of beginning a new medium.

It is only after my own self-reflection and joining in the journeys of others that I’ve begun to recognize the many steps of the process of developing the skills of an artist. Recognizing these steps gives us permission to treat ourselves more kindly. To be more patient with ourselves. To give ourselves time to grow into the artist we will become.

This journey is only somewhat linear. We can shift back and forth between the stages. We can choose to stop at any stage. And we can choose to start the process again.

Where are you in your journey?
• Learning a new medium.
• Copying the reference photo as it is.
• Making sure it looks like what you are drawing or painting.
• Recognizing the colors that are in front of you (i.e. Local Color).

• Learning the “Rules” (i.e. composition, value relationships, rule of thirds, color mixing, archival qualities of materials, copyright issues, framing, etc.)

Weaving Tapestry, by Tracey Maras.

• Stepping away from the reference photo to make the scene your own.

• Practice, practice, practice.

• Learning to break the “Rules.”

• Learning new techniques.

• Discovering your style….or it discovers you.

• Getting creative with color.

• Pushing into new directions.

• Being able to visualize the finished artwork and knowing how to get there.

• Being able to communicate a message through your artwork.

• Recognizing why you need to create.

In the end, you create the journey. You choose your path. But it is important to remember that it is a journey. Remember to give yourself permission to enjoy the journey along the way.