weaselspit

Ok, so I've only recently started to push myself again with my art work and even then I'm not happy with the quality. I can't pinpoint when I last cared about my creative skill set enough.

Anyway, so my uploads on Instagram (weaselspit) and Facebook  have been a horrible mixture of photography and scrappy looking concept doodles. I'm not getting back into the flow of using my Wacom as quickly as I'd hoped. I'm not sure why my lines are coming out so shaky, and it's getting to me. Maybe it's an overload of caffeine or the fact my office chair isn't high enough for my desk.
The point I was trying to make is that I feel like I have way more control over traditional media and a real page, which leads me to thinking that rather than pursue digital when I already feel comfortable with traditional, I should just commit to improving upon the skills I already have. It's impossible to do it all, and the added pressure is a distraction from creating work that I believe holds more worth.

I need to get hold of a scanner, but in the meantime I should be practising more with traditional drawing and inking, and really finding a genuine enjoyment in creating images again. Right now I feel underdeveloped, stale and disappointed that I even let myself get to this stage.

It's taken a noticeable amount of time to settle in to my new place. For a while it was all about getting my head in the right place after the move, and it ended up spanning about six months or so. Then it was time to work through the Holiday period in a retail job, which can be stressful as fuck, but it's also extremely satisfying. There's just something about being able to handle the volume of customers, and the polar opposites in peoples' mood that gives me a sort of high. I worked my ass off and felt good about it.
Then the January lull comes around, and people are broke and more easily agitated, I'm emotionally drained and feeling more vulnerable than usual... It all eventually culminated in two weeks of crying and not really doing much with my spare time besides sleeping and playing video games.
Then, as has happened times before, I suddenly feel a sense of renewal. Only this time I don't sweep it to one side for fear of not having the right support around me. While I initially thought I wasn't really doing much since moving house bar slacking off, I had actually been tending to friendships, building on relationships with colleagues and emotionally stabilising my life. I knew I was ready to move onward, so I've begun to push myself to draw more. I bought a new A5 sketchbook so I could carry it easily in my bag for when I'm away from home. I'm trialling it as my new coping mechanism to leave the house more often.

Now I'm working on world building for a story. This evening I managed to gather my haphazard sticky notes get a rough page typed up. Afterwards I shared it with friends for feedback, and the responses were overwhelming. People told me they were excited about the prospect of it becoming a tangible story. Some offered extremely appreciated constructive criticism and I've made some amendments to my notes, as well as noticing budding new ideas to include.

Overall I'm pleased with the swirl of productivity as of late and I'm determined to continue. Got to go work on some rough concepts for a logo design I've been commissioned to do now though, so I'm off for now.

At the moment I’m all too aware that I’m in a transitional period. It’s only natural, going from over two years of street art to getting back behind a desk. Everything from materials used to workable surfaces changes, and it’s something that I’m adjusting to, but very gradually.
Don’t get me wrong, there are elements of each school that can be used interchangeably and that’s one of my favourite parts of creativity. What I am finding at the moment however, is that people who like my work often want to see it go in an alternate direction, but the funniest thing is that each person’s response is totally different. For me it is important to take on elements of what people desire – that’s what makes art sellable – if you want to make a profit from what you do. You’d be a fool to refuse. However, it is equally important to be true to yourself and your craft, and to carve your own path.
It’s also important to be happy with what you do. For me that involves constant experimentation; the fear that I might miss out on something amazing is real, whether that be style or subject or any other variable. And sometimes the thinking behind painting gets in the way of, you know, actually painting! Just something that’s been on my mind for a little while now and I find it helpful to write about things.