365 Days Of Art Challenge + Updates
It’s been a while since I shared with you any updates of my artistic journey. So it was TIME to write a new blog post, because there is so much to talk about!
I started this year with a huge challenge, or project that would last hopefully a whole year, if not more. It’s the #365daysofartchallenge ! I have seen lot of artists doing this challenge and I was quite interested to see how much they have grown each day, week or month. I loved to see every day what do they come up with. I am always easily inspired and I always had too many ideas for illustrations that I’ve been holding back for years, that it was time to give in and jump into the unknown.
If you know me, you’ve probably heard me talking often about how I want to just create illustrations for myself, or how I love independence in art etc. I always looked at doing art for myself as something too egoistic or guilty, because some people didn’t get the motivation and passion behind my words, and I often felt discouraged. It’s nothing wrong with that, because the dreams planted in us are only for us to understand and reveal fully, because it’s our passion, it’s very personal. I’ve been doing anything but what I love for years, and I had several burnouts, and I didn’t know why. I was doing graphic design, animations, etc. I barely worked on illustrations, and sometimes became a bit scared, what if I lose this? It’s the only thing I can do and I have no backup plans. And after a couple of breakdowns my thoughts went back again to the same thing, that it occasionally did for years. I always had this idea of doing art just for the sake of art, no client based work, no limitations, not marketing anything, doing art without any purpose. It’s funny how art, which initially was intended to be a form of self expression, became a service for businesses and we automatically think it’s foolish to create art to just express ourselves, as if it doesn’t have any value anymore. Don’t get me wrong! I really believe creating art for clients is just as awesome as independently, because they challenge us and see things we don’t see and together we can create great art. I’ve worked on really amazing projects and I am very happy for the whole relationship, the process and the outcome. But, as an artist I feel that art is just another way to channel and process my thoughts, it’s another way I express myself. I am quite a rational person, with a huge dose of freedom in creativity, which is a very weird combination. And I wanted for so long to let my creativity come out and to work on something that I am very passionate about, something that is very personal.
Why am I doing this challenge?
1. When I was young I was very shy about my art, I kept drawing in my notebook and whenever someone came closer, I just closed it and didn’t ever wanted to show it to anyone. At the university this wasn’t possible, because I had to pass and there were no notebooks I could close, there were huge sheets of paper and teachers/students came behind my back talking about what they think about my art. I don’t want to create art for myself only, I want to create art and share it with people, to make my and their days more colorful.
2. I am very obsessed about getting better and better, and I think this instinct is very common at creatives. I just love to explore and learn more. So since watercolor was a new medium for me, as scared as I was, I thought I’d give it a try, in fact 365 tries.
3. It benefits even client based works, because I have more knowledge about how to approach a specific topic or project.
4. I also look at this as a journey, each day I have to come up with a new idea for a painting and I believe that this whole project it’s not pointless at all, it has the beauty of evolving and turning into something no one could see on day 1. So while I am not really sure what this will be, I also know that something great will definitely come out of it!
When am I doing this challenge?
One of the greatest advantage of such huge challenges, is that it teaches us to be disciplined and work hard. I noticed the best is if I wake up very early and even if I am very sleepy, I can create a better piece of art, than later that day. So I try to manage my day like this whenever I can. I also want to rest, so this is why I sometimes don’t work on weekends or on days when I am very busy. But at the same time I am trying my best to create at least one piece of art per day.
What tools am I using?
I invested in professional watercolor paints, I am using Schmincke Horadam watercolor tube paints. I am really in love with them and I am thinking of creating a blogpost with all the tools I use for this project! I also became a student and I am taking courses from #schoolism teachers. I’ve taken one course so far, and I feel much more confident using this medium.
These were my thoughts on this exciting new project, and I kindly welcome you to follow me on this journey. I post every piece of art on MY INSTAGRAM. If you have any questions or any piece of advice, feel free to share it with me on my Instagram or my Facebook.
I hope you like my 365 days of art project, and I wish you all the best possible.
With love, Jean.
