Artistry is a hobby, right? Yea, of course, you can’t be an artist when it isn’t a passion to start with. But if you’re in the process of making your hobby your work, there are some really important things to keep in mind. First and foremost this is taking care of yourself. In this article, I will discuss some fairly common problems artists have to deal with when their hobbies become more than just a hobby.
Starting your journey as an artist can be really frightening. There are many things you need to know, which can be really overwhelming. Where do you start? What do you need to know to get started? But also: What is irrelevant when you just get started? In many cases ‘less is more’. This counts for information too. Not saying though that you should have little knowledge, not at all. When it comes to knowledge: The more the better. But when you’re new in this field, many things will do nothing but overwhelm you and a lot of the information out there will be irrelevant up to a much later stage. So what is important when you’re new to (digital) art?
First of all: Unlike most of the other articles, this one is about my own journey. How did I get where I am, and where am I at in 2021 after 4 years of training myself and 3 years of actually working in the field. Although this article is about me: I’m just using myself as an example, what I struggled with, what really helped me out, and some other useful lessons along the way. This article is especially interesting for people who think they won’t be able to do what I do, or what other artists do because of age, skill, resources, and so on. But also for people who want to be well-prepared and know what to expect when they aim for an art career.
So let me take you on a stroll and don’t hesitate to scroll past the first chapter if my pre-art-age doesn’t interest you that much!
