Everywhere you look there are art challenges to be found, but does finding those find you work anymore?
All artists have a starting point. We have a day when we are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and think that the world is our oyster. Let me be clear: the world is always your oyster. You can always have opportunities to grow and develop your craft, even if you’re only creating in your spare minutes.
*PSA about not giving up is done. On to the rest of where my art brain is.*
So when we all start out, we want to draw or create for the pure love of creating. We are either full of ideas or maybe the inspiration is sporadical, yet either way, we want to create new things and make our mark in the world. As I finished up school and started working, I steadily realized that I wanted to do more of what made me want to be an artist in the first place. So armed with an iPad, I decided to try my hand at illustrating again.
Wow, was I out of practice back then. I can see it in some of the earlier art I would post. Yet back then, if I posted something, even if it wasn’t as refined as my style may be now. You could post, throw on a relevant hashtag, and you could trust that the algorithm would show your art to people who wanted to see it. My engagement wasn’t solely the 10 followers (who were all family or a handful of friends) but others who maybe would see and like my work.
Wow, was I out of practice back then. I can see it in some of the earlier art I would post. Yet back then, if I posted something, even if it wasn’t as refined as my style may be now. You could post, throw on a relevant hashtag, and you could trust that the algorithm would show your art to people who wanted to see it. My engagement wasn’t solely the 10 followers (who were all family or a handful of friends) but others who maybe would see and like my work.
Then I discovered Inktober. It was a huge challenge to take on for me at that point in my life. I had kids and a job, and doing a drawing a day felt daunting. However, I did it and kept doing it, and in the beginning, it meant people seeing my work that wouldn’t have seen it otherwise and some more followers or engagement. Even some eyeballs that maybe led to work down the road. Then the algorithms changed, and with it, my any engagement I got (and it was never much) disappeared with it.
Inktober has always been a fun challenge that I kept up with regardless of the diminishing returns, though because it pushed me creatively and meant a body of developing illustrations that would hopefully get me more jobs working in children’s books. However, that so far has never really happened. As the years went on and posting on social media has become more and more fruitless, the Inktober art became a thing I did for me and me alone. I can truly say that, like in my early days, I post art now, and a handful of people who I have connected with online are the only ones who see it. These are all people who inspire me and are talented in their own right, so I try to keep up with their work and pursuits as well, but the algorithm is in no one’s favor, so if you’re reading this and are one of those connections of mine, please know that I try really hard not to miss out on all your creative wonderful things.
And now it can be even worse. Everyone wants video, so artists are seen even less. No one wants to see my silly Inktober art if they can watch a 30-second rant on Labubu’s or Disney, or some other nerdy mashup of videos which even I can admit are hilarious. Even AI has twisted most viewers’ arms to the point where people don’t care that I or other artists pour our blood, sweat, and tears into original ways to express ourselves. Instant gratification will always win that argument, and I know that has always been and will always be. Social media wants us to be engaged in their app all the time and prioritizes the people who churn out content over the thoughtful creators. I choose to spend my time making art and will sacrifice the likes and follows for that any day.
What does that mean for me as we come upon another Inktober season? Well, it means that after much thought, I am choosing not to participate in Inktober this year. My and my kids’ schedules are hectic, and between activities and work, I just don’t have the energy for a daily challenge. I did still download their prompt list though and will probably still work on them at my own pace. I have always enjoyed challenging myself and my creativity, so if it is a one-word prompt or art based on a good news article I find for my blog, I will keep coming up with art that is related to random things. It helps me get out of my comfort zone and try new things. But I cannot do it daily, so they will have to come out when they come out, and I will have to be okay with my art being ready on my time and not on social media.
I want to continue to be a better and better artist and excel in my craft, and I cannot do that on AI, tech bros, or social media’s timetables. And if I am being honest, creating on their timetable is a way to guarantee the same bad art I made back when I was first starting out. It is like the old adage: you can have fast and cheap, but it won’t be good; you can have good and fast, but it won’t be cheap; and you can have cheap and good, but it won’t be fast. Social media wants fast and cheap, so don’t expect my art to be good if I am trying to achieve that. Hopefully, those who read this and look forward to seeing my work will understand and know that good work is still coming just at a more sustainable pace.
Also, since the socials don’t value most creatives, the best way to really see each other’s work is to subscribe to newsletters. Yeah, it means flooding your inbox, but you can always delete and email after skimming through it. But you can’t get back a hidden post you missed (well, you sort of can, but chances are you won’t even know to look).
Hopefully, I haven’t bored you all with my thoughts on work and art, and I would love to hear your thoughts on all this, so shoot me a message or leave a comment. How do you survive the challenges? Or what else do you try when you are looking to push yourself creatively? Let’s all be kind to each other and be the good you want to see in the world.
Old movie note: it has been a few weeks since I shared my viewing habits, so here is what I watched this week. In memory of the late Robert Redford, who died this week, I have been pulling out some of my favorite old movies of his. I showed my kids “The Sting,” which in my mind is the best Robert Redford, Paul Newman movie. If you haven’t seen it, trust me when I say you should; it is funny and has great twists. Set in 1930s Chicago, it is about two grifters who take on a larger crime boss. And it has an absolutely stacked cast of talent.
Till next time keep failing creatively, and see you soon with more art ramblings 🤪.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey.
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Carolyn Sehgal 