I understand now why our teachers would always say, “look at your own paper” and never look at your seatmate’s or anyone else’s. Basically, it’s to come up with our own answers, because chances are:
a) you’ll copy the wrong answer,
b) you’ll get the wrong belief that your answer’s correct because you have the same, or
c) you’ll have the correct answer but can’t explain or defend how you come up with one
Whilst it’s true that looking at other people’s work can give you several inspirations, pegs, idea, and other source of information, it is quite unhealthy to look and look for more.
So here are the stages of looking for inspirations as I have experienced it:
Remember the times that you’re just out there, having fun, and you’ve just spotted some stranger walking along the corridor, or where have you, and apparently that someone’s suddenly fits your taste? It’s actually like that when you’re just browsing anywhere online, books or magazines, then you’ve seen something that has struck your eyes, or taste, or whatever that has made you like it instantly.
Apparently, you’ve noticed that you’re like things of the same kind over and over again. When you’ve seen something like it, it’s always going to your Pinterest or Pocket. This is when you’ll take the next step.
So you’ve seen that almost all of Artist A’s work is your peg. Now you’ll research his or her art inspirations as well. Then, you’ll create a list of people he or she follows in different social media and portfolio platforms and then follow them as well. We’ll call this your Artist Tree.
Now you’re studying how they create things, what are those that you’ve liked about them, and then you’ll strive to create something like their output as well. But then again, as you’re not amazed by how your output is turning out. So you’ll start stalking again. You’ll look for more inspiration and map out the artist tree again. Little did you know, this Artist Tree is going haywire because of lots of people and inspiration that you want to squeeze in.
Frustrations are going to sink further, you’ll get tired and instead of being inspired, you’ll be demotivated as fuck. You begin to think that you’re not at par with their skills and their works. Overwhelming is an understatement for this phase. You’ll stop whatever you’re doing, because it will just turn out not the way you wanted it to be.
Leave your frustrating artworks behind because they are needed to be look at with fresh eyes (hello tippy!). In order to have that fresh eyes, spend your time doing not art related stuff. Just go outside, play, go out for adventure, travel, eat, watch movies, read a book. Just do whatever you want, not just art.
Now that you have been refreshed, start creating again. And remember that if you’re feeling that your outputs are not good enough, just stop and take a step back, and start again.
Also remember that looking at other people’s work from time to time will do no good. Never compare your works with others. Just focus on what you’re doing, create something from your own style and then develop it further. Have it on your own pace. Most importantly, have fun and don’t stress yourself out.
