Failing Creatively: “Real” Artists
A funny thing happened on the way to this Substack…
Have you ever heard a story start out that way? A funny thing happened on the way to the theater… or the famous play from 1962, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. These are how I was feeling as I started thinking about how to discuss this post.
A few weeks ago, I had a post about getting character sheets in order and how I never seem to do that like I should. There is no less truth to it now than there was then, and I have to keep working those out, but one of my readers replied to a very specific line I had in the original article.
This sentence stood out to me:
“I can’t think of any *real artists* who don’t work out the looks of their characters at every angle.”
I think you may have addressed this topic in an another blog a long time ago maybe, but what exactly is it that makes an artist “real” to you? A comic artist in particular. It reminded me of writers who put “aspiring writer” in their bio on socials because they don’t feel (I think) enough in some way or another, maybe they haven’t published or finished writing their wip yet.
The reader added in the quotes, which I had not at the time, and made a good point. What makes one a “real” artist? It is something I never really address, mostly because the truth is I don’t feel like a real artist. I never have and probably never will.
But the question still stands: why is that? I say it in most, if not all, of my bios: I have loved drawing and art since I could pick up a pencil. Why then do I not feel like an artist? It feels fake to me when people ask what I do, and I tell them illustrator. I am mostly self-taught, which might play into why, and I definitely grew up hearing that art isn’t a career you make a living at.
Social media hasn’t helped this in my opinion. We get fed a steady diet of people who post regularly, and their work is impeccable. Then the algorithm punishes people like me who can’t or choose not to “keep up”. And let’s get real: the social media sites need people churning content more than we need them to be seen. Prior to social media, you sent your portfolio to potential clients, and people found work. There is nothing like the post with only a few likes to make you feel like your work isn’t good enough or like you aren’t a “real artist”.
I am not saying any of this for self-pity. I fail at this in a myriad of ways (part of why I named this series Failing Creatively 😉), one being that I spend so much time making things in an attempt to win at the algorithm that I forget to prepare the projects that might get me hired doing the projects I want to do. My website is full of probably great drawings, but they don’t show my eye for book layout or cover design, or the multiple podcasts I have worked on graphics and custom art for.
If people come to my website yet do not see my best examples, why hire me? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And I end up still feeling like not a real artist in the process. My reader pointed out that many writers use the term “aspiring writer” the same way I use “real artist,” which is in many ways wrong of both of us to do. While it is hard not to feel like you’re not enough as a creative because you aren’t published or your work isn’t sought after, that does not make us less real in our job titles.
I may never really see myself as a real artist no matter what I do, but we all need to remember that the desire to create is a deep part of our humanity. We need to have more faith in our abilities and trust that our art is still important to someone, even if it is only the few who open this blog/substack every week.
I hope you all consider this a call to action: get out into the world and create. We are all artists, and we all have a voice that is important to share with the world. It may only be a few who are exposed to it, but even if your audience is one, that is still important.
I made it all the way to the end of this article without bringing up the play/film I referenced at the beginning. For those who are as interested in old films as I am, check this one out. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum stars Zero Mostel (of Mel Brooks’ Producers) as a Roman slave who is trying to match up his master with a courtesan in order to win his freedom. Chaos ensues, and it is a very entertaining film in my humble opinion. The connection of this film to my article is only in the title, which actually is an old vaudeville reference. The comedians would start sets out with “A funny thing happened on the way to the theater…” Maybe I should add more old movie references to my musings. They certainly are my biggest influence in my work. What do you all think of that?
Till next time keep failing creatively, and see you next week with some good news.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey.
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I think you're an artist if you say you are. End of story. Whether or not one makes a living creating art doesn't enter into the equation in my opinion!