#pro creativity

[quinloki]

I just want it to be something you made.

I don't care if it's 200 words and the grammar is trash, I don't care if it's 120,000 words and you paid a professional editor to help you polish it. I don't care if it's stick figures or finger paint or 500$ gold leaf or crooked stitches or perfectly aligned tiles and etching work that's so detailed you needed a magnifying glass and 60 hours.

I just want it to be something you made.

Something that came from your head or your heart or your loins or all three!

I want to drive my hands into it and feel the subtle inklings of your soul between the marks of your effort.

I want your intent to bulldoze me flat as a crepe on the sidewalk, where the concept of subtle has been crushed out of my bones.

I want to know that you were driven mad by your own need, or desperate to give shape to inspiration from some other person, place, or thing.

I want to see the coarse edges of your continuing journey toward mastery, I want to appreciate the smooth turn of thousands of hours of practice.

I want to see the soft shiver of that weakness in your fingers that reflects in your work and marks it ypurs every time, I want that intentionally etched flaw that you keep because you like how it feels.

I want to smell the blood and tears of everything that came before wasn't quite right. Wasn't quite there yet and you knew how close you were and clawed your way forward another step even when you weren't sure you wanted to, because you were certain you couldn't stop yet.

I want to know that you enjoyed it. That there was naught else to drive you but the simple pleasure of doing what you did to while away an afternoon because that was what you wanted to do.

I want to know that you stepped away, and came back, and broke it on the ground and fixed it or cried and buried it because there was nothing there you could fix.

I want to know only that you did what you wanted

How you wanted to

When you needed to

For yourself, or for someone worth the same.

That you learned something, or gained something, or realized something, or became stronger in some way.

That even if you never set out to master it, you still enjoyed it, still have at least one moment that you will carry with to a day where your fingers shake a little too much, but the young eyes next to you can feel the depth of your efforts all the same.

I just want it to come from you.

[derangedwriterwrites]

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[ofironandivory]

A little hyper specific but... To everyone else who also grew up with those types of "art commentary" channels:

Your art doesn't need to look polished and highly detailed. Silly memes, sketches and doodles, all of them are wonderful outlets for creativity and the only thing that matters is that you're enjoying the way you draw!!

You're allowed to draw in any way that feels fun to you. Realism, anime, western cartoons, stick figures, all of them have their own uniqueness and charm! Whatever works for you is just as worthy of love and joy as what works for others!

Your art doesn't need to look or be treated as something "professional". It's okay to create for fun, without any profiting in mind! And even if you do gain money from your art, people pay for it because it's yours, unique! Not because they want you to become something else that feels more serious professional!

You're allowed to draw for fun. Ships, characters you love, OCs, trying out different styles and ideas, it's all part of the fun!! Don't let yourself stress out over making everything look perfect all of the time, you're already gaining experience just by drawing to begin with!

Your art style isn't bad and there is no such thing as a bad art style. Any art that's created by a human is filled with unique love, creativity and care; and that's what makes it all so special and enjoyable!

You're allowed to express yourself through your art. There's nothing wrong with drawing any fictional scenario, you're not hurting real people by doing it. If someone really takes issue with what you draw, it's their responsibility to fix up their online spaces, not yours to tiptoe around them!

Fuck the haters and trolls. Some people have nothing better to do than to be hateful and entitled, especially on the internet where they get a sense of anonymity. You're not obligated to post or not post anything for someone else's standards and comfort. If you can take care of your spaces, so can they!

Make art for yourself! Be self indulgent! Cringe culture deserves no place in your life, so remember that no matter what you decide to create, if it makes you happy it has great value! Numbers aren't everything, just make something that makes you feel happier, or at least less upset with life!!

[rainintheevening]

This got me genuinely choked up. Thank you, Brandon.

[mrdrhenwardhykle]

Honestly we should all take this year to appreciate the creative and complex over the minimal and thoughtless. Think outside of the box. Explore creativity and humor. Share your favorite art styles and aesthetics. Credit artists and turn your tracing to light referencing!