James Gurney had a post which led to 'a
lively discussion' about drawing and painting in public.
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/07/curious-spectators-part-1-problem.htmlhttp:
and
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/07/your-experiences-with-curious-spectators.html
and
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/07/your-experiences-with-curious-spectators.html
These posts, the replies, and the ensuing
discussion (external dialogue) got me to thinking (internal
dialogue.)
I've drawn over 12,000 faces in the
fast-pace world of retail caricatures. Combine that with plen air
painting, teaching classes and workshops, sidewalk art festivals, and many different types of
public sketch groups*, and I have quite a bit of experience in this
area. I found that I have quite a bit to say on the subject, so I
decided to put it in my blog where I can share it. My post will most
likely parallel Mr. Gurney's, and the discussions that come out of
it. I apologize in advance for any
redundancies.
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| On the job with LoL Caricature Co. |
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| DIS Plen Air Club |
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| RotaryFest Sidewalk Art Festival |
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| Teaching figure drawing |
Here's the bottom line: I love
art. I love making art, I love looking at art, and I love talking
about art. That is the main driving force that leads me to overcome
my shyness and/or introversion when it comes to interacting with
people while making art in public places.
Art is, by nature, an introverted endeavor. Making art requires skill, concentration, and focus.
Art is, by nature, an introverted endeavor. Making art requires skill, concentration, and focus.
Making art in public creates an unusual
dichotomy.
It's a fact that if you're going to be
drawing/painting in public, you'll have to deal with... the
public.
It comes with the territory. And it
leads to an unusual phenomenon: interacting with people while making
art.
Some people are friendly, some people are rude. Most people are naturally curious, and it's exciting to see a painting unfold. As artists, we take art-making for granted, and more's the pity. I like the experience of feeling like I am part of a magical process, even though I know that it is only through discipline and hard work that one gets to the point where the magic happens. However, few people ever have the chance to see art being created. In addition, there is a lot of 'mystery,' misinformation, and downright superstition surrounding art and artists. This creates a natural curiosity, as well as bringing up a lot of the 'myths' that people have been fed.
(The most
common is the “you are either born with it or you aren't” myth,
which is a topic for a separate, complete discussion.)
If I had a dime for every time I heard "I can't draw a stick figure..." let's just say my trips to the art supply store would be more like unbridled shopping sprees.
BTW, my stock response it "I'll tell you a secret... my stick figures are TERRIBLE."
STEP 1: KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
If I had a dime for every time I heard "I can't draw a stick figure..." let's just say my trips to the art supply store would be more like unbridled shopping sprees.
BTW, my stock response it "I'll tell you a secret... my stick figures are TERRIBLE."
STEP 1: KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
If you don't know, start finding out!
And drawing in public is a good way to learn a lot about who you are
– and quickly, too!
Making art in public has forced me to
face some issues and do a lot of self-evaluation that many artists –
and even more non-artists – never have to deal with. It has led to
some interesting self-discovery and hopefully a more solid handle on
who I am as an artist as well as a human being.
First, a word
on introversion and extroversion.
Introverts have received a bad rap in
our modern times, labeled as 'anti-social' and many other negative
connotations. I heard an excellent description which places the
subject in a proper, healthy light.
The terms introvert and
extrovert are used to describe how a person 'recharges their
battery' when their energy is low:
An extrovert recharges
by surrounding his/her self with people. This releases their stress
and re-energizes their psyche as well as their soul.
An
introvert recharges by
spending time alone, decompressing. This releases their stress and
re-energizes their psyche as well as their soul.
Put another way, introverts do not look to others to lift them up. They look inward rather than outward for their support.
If you like metaphors: Introverts use an internal power supply to recharge; extroverts use an external power supply.
Put another way, introverts do not look to others to lift them up. They look inward rather than outward for their support.
If you like metaphors: Introverts use an internal power supply to recharge; extroverts use an external power supply.
If
either personality type tries to recharge using the opposite tactic,
the end result is that they become even more 'drained.' At some
point, their psyche, and even their body, will shut down. This is why
some people get 'sick' when they are overloaded with external stress.
Their body needs time and energy to recharge, so that they can go
back out and engage the world as their fullest self.
It is not a
bad idea to think about which personality type you are, and try to
structure the situation and environment to uplift you rather than
drag you down.
I have a strange introvert/extrovert
personality. I am an artist, which by nature is an introverted
endeavor. I am also a musician and entertainer, which by nature is an
extremely extroverted endeavor.
I am very introverted when dealing with
crowds and the general public. Once I break the ice however, I am
very social and engaging in a one-to-one situation, or with a
specific group of people. I think it's because I like people so much,
but huge crowds are just too overwhelming to deal with on the very
personal, connected level that I desire. Give me a person or small group of
people I can connect with, however, and watch me become very
social, very quickly.
I was also discussing another
interesting phenomenon with a fellow artist, as it relates to drawing
in public. I remarked that, even when I am not in a social mood,
simply acting like I am will allow me to engage people. By the end, I
am in a social mood. I guess there is some merit to the phrase 'fake
it until you make it.' Nothing is 100%, and there are still times
that I wind up in 'Mikey's quiet art time,' usually right after
lunch. But by and large, I found that just getting over the initial
ice-breaker gets the ball rolling and leads to more rewarding
interactions than being standoff-ish. Trying to be reclusive in
public can be very frustrating.
On the same subject: In his fascinating
book Emotions Revealed, author Paul Ekman's research yielded an
amazing – and unexpected – discovery. While researching facial
expressions and emotions, they discovered that simply making the
facial expression would lead to the emotion. Further research
disclosed that making the facial expression has the power to alter
the body's physiology and chemistry; the end result was the same as
having the emotion in the first place.
Think about that
next time you are feeling shy.
On the subject of concentration, I have found that most people are very understanding. A simple, courteous “Hang on a second, I need to concentrate on this part” or “This part is tricky. Give me a moment to concentrate” will be more than enough to buy some quiet time to focus.
Another tactic that works for me is to
'think out loud,' in other words to turn my internal artistic
thinking into external dialog. That takes some doing; however it is
usually interesting, or at least entertaining, for the onlookers. At
the same time it gets the dialog out of my head, where I can hear it
and evaluate it. It is a good way to maintain focus without becoming
standoff-ish, if it works for your personality type.
There's a strange dichotomy about
drawing and painting in public. It centers around keeping a balance
between the two extremes of concentration and distraction.
The one extreme is to become so focused
that every outside occurrence is seen as an interruption or an
intrusion.
The other extreme is to become so
involved with the people and the environment that you lose focus.
In either extreme case, the environment
becomes a source of distraction from the original purpose of being
there – to make art.
I am a very social person. For me,
there is a 'sweet spot' where I am engaging while I am drawing.
Right in that sweet spot, my focus is sharp, my linework is solid, my
color choices are good, and I am able to carry on light, enjoyable
conversation and engagement. Like all 'sweet spots' it takes
awareness, self-monitoring, calibration, and experience to achieve,
and it is not always successful.
When it does happen however, those
times can be some of the
best times to be an artist.
Check out my art here on my
blog/gallery site:
While you're at it, check out my
facebook page:
While you're there, 'LIKE' the page,
and give me a shout-out!!! :)
I'd love to hear your stories.
Hey, I know... I'll make a 'best pedestrian question' list!!! I'll call it
BestPedestQuest!!!
http://tinyurl.com/bestpedestquest1
