I came across this video on YouTube last night from Struthless, in which he discusses the drawing advice given to him in 2016 that changed his life.
Leaving aside how quaint the world seemed in the long ago time of January 2020, I found this advice resonant, especially when I look back at my creative shenanigans when I was younger. Here are some of the things I did:
- recorded audio plays/skits
- acted, directed and wrote skits in school; acted in school plays
- worked with clay (and plasticine)
- painted
- sketched
- wrote short stories, started several novels
- wrote and drew multiple comics
- learned to play one song on acoustic guitar
- played the recorder in music class (to be fair, I had to do this)
That’s a pretty extensive list. And for a kid, it’s actually okay to be scattered. I was trying stuff out. Looking back, I enjoyed pretty much all of it, too. I was a Renaissance Lad.
But as an adult, with much more limited time to not just do stuff, but to learn to do stuff, I need to focus. I can’t do everything.
I kind of still want to, though.
But with my fiction writing currently in a comfortable coma, blissfully unaware of the hellscape that 2020 has become, I have decided to focus on drawing and sketching, first by honing my analog (pen and paper) skills, then moving into the digital realm of pen and tablet. I’ll occasionally tell myself, “But I could learn acoustic guitar, like, actually learn it this time” and then I have to remind myself, “No, stay focused. Do one thing well, not ten things using 1/10th of your ass on each” (ass analogies have been popular ever since that one episode of The Simpsons).
This video makes that point and goes even farther, by showing how he (Struthless) initially focused on not just drawing over other creative outlets but drawing just one thing–ibises. Many, many ibises. By narrowing his focus, he was able to do this one thing really well, and used it as a means to expand beyond, creating more elaborate tableaus around ibises.
It’s a good way to approach art.
I am not going to draw ibises.
But I do have my own thing: Gum Gum People.
And now I own the domain for them. This will eventually become my home for all art, not just GGP-specific stuff.
We’ll see how it goes. For now, I am putting writing on the backburner, guilt-free. If I get drawn (ho ho) back to it, it was meant to be. If not, well…hopefully I’ll have settled onto something even more rewarding. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life watching cat videos.
(Though I probably could.)
