New Year, New Path
This January I will not return to Ravenswood Atelier.
Are you surprised? It's a decision that shocks me as much as anyone else.
My experience at Ravenswood clarified what I want out of my art and what kind of artist I want to be.
Which is why I have to leave.
Ravenswood Atelier hit so many good points for me, but in the end, to make the art that whispers its stories to me and asks me to deliver it into the world, I need to gather a more diverse range of skills, materials, and instructors. I also need to focus on learning the comparative method of drawing.
Part of it comes from my MFA experience, which burned me out for writing — love of my life — for nearly a decade. The MFA took what came as natural to me as breathing and beat the joy out of it. Deadened me.
Since I completed my MFA, I’m more aware of what type of learning is healthy for me, encourages me to grow, and gets me where I want to be. My illness leaves me intolerant of any activity that might waste my time, energy, or money, as all are in limited supply.
Even more than this, I know when me heart sings. I’m intimate with that upwelling of joy that comes from being in the right place and the right time with the right people.
On Instagram a while ago, David Kassan said “what you gather up and fill your artistic life with...defines what your art says and its language.”
Art is a choice we make, even if it’s in response to that compulsion I think most of us have. We make art because we need to create. It’s more playfulness than duty. More heart than head. More soul than mind.
We draw in the margins, fill our sketchpads, read books, and find instructors who can help us follow our passion and discover our voice because we need to make real the stories and fancies and wonders that nestle in our minds.
That’s obvious, isn’t it? If we want to make art, the only wrong move it to create nothing at all.
Creativity doesn’t have a standard path. Art is made in as many different ways as their are individuals making it, and more besides. I know this, but I still worried over my decision to quit Ravenswood Atelier.
And I may still worry as I begin my new art program, a curriculum I cobbled together from classes available at two different schools in town.
But I will make art, and for now, that's what matters.
************************************************
Are you surprised? It's a decision that shocks me as much as anyone else.
 |
| Close up of Figure Drawing Completed at Ravenswood Atelier |
I enjoyed my time at Ravenswood and learned more than I expected in ten weeks. Under the tutelage of Magda and Matt Almy, my art improved and my understanding of drawing expanded.
My experience at Ravenswood clarified what I want out of my art and what kind of artist I want to be.
 |
| My First Barge Drawing Completed at Ravenswood Atelier |
Which is why I have to leave.
Ravenswood Atelier hit so many good points for me, but in the end, to make the art that whispers its stories to me and asks me to deliver it into the world, I need to gather a more diverse range of skills, materials, and instructors. I also need to focus on learning the comparative method of drawing.
How do I know this when I’m new to art?
Part of it comes from my MFA experience, which burned me out for writing — love of my life — for nearly a decade. The MFA took what came as natural to me as breathing and beat the joy out of it. Deadened me.
Since I completed my MFA, I’m more aware of what type of learning is healthy for me, encourages me to grow, and gets me where I want to be. My illness leaves me intolerant of any activity that might waste my time, energy, or money, as all are in limited supply.
Even more than this, I know when me heart sings. I’m intimate with that upwelling of joy that comes from being in the right place and the right time with the right people.
Art without joy is not art.
On Instagram a while ago, David Kassan said “what you gather up and fill your artistic life with...defines what your art says and its language.”
Art is a choice we make, even if it’s in response to that compulsion I think most of us have. We make art because we need to create. It’s more playfulness than duty. More heart than head. More soul than mind.
We draw in the margins, fill our sketchpads, read books, and find instructors who can help us follow our passion and discover our voice because we need to make real the stories and fancies and wonders that nestle in our minds.
The only “wrong” path to art is not doing art at all.
That’s obvious, isn’t it? If we want to make art, the only wrong move it to create nothing at all.
Creativity doesn’t have a standard path. Art is made in as many different ways as their are individuals making it, and more besides. I know this, but I still worried over my decision to quit Ravenswood Atelier.
And I may still worry as I begin my new art program, a curriculum I cobbled together from classes available at two different schools in town.
But I will make art, and for now, that's what matters.
************************************************
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If you'd like to see what I'm working on, my art Instagram is @izaoctober.
My art is also for sale on Etsy.
This is a healthy approach to your passions & shows maturity - nourishing your passions rather than stubbornly sticking to a path that isn't going the direction that's best for you. Inspiring. ❤️ Can't wait to see what comes in 2019! -Kuni
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