To the people who do not have a passion for the arts and fail to understand why we artists go through so much for our work: our love for what we do is just like how people love anything or anyone. From painters, to dancers, to singers, and many other kinds of artists, our experiences with what we do are really no different from any kind of love relationship. There will always be certain stages that we undergo:
- Falling in love. Some of us started out at a young age. I first realized my passion for drawing when I was extremely young. I first began to draw from observation outside of the required studio art classes in school when I was about eight years old. From fourth grade through my middle school years, I developed a cartoon-like style and spent every moment, whether at school or at home, creating short visual stories and comics. By the time I was in eighth grade, I could not see myself making a career of anything that did not come from my visual creations and ideas. From the moment I signed up for my first portfolio development classes that very summer, I began a serious commitment to improve my artwork.
- The blissful beginning of the relationship. At this point, after we have begun our committed relationship with our desired field of art, it seems like nothing can go wrong. We receive complements from time to time, which makes us feel even better about what we do and pushes us forward. Everything seems right, because what could be more right than working so hard at something you love to do?
- Conflicts. From time to time, we will have minor, or even huge self-conflicts. It begins with simple mistakes. Our confidence goes down. Suddenly, everything we do just seems ugly and wrong. It takes a lot of calming down to get back into the happy stage.
- The breakup. Sometimes, our frustration with what we do goes so far that we feel like we just can't do it any longer. We look into alternate careers or hobbies. Many times have my drawings or paintings been left unfinished, some of them have taken years for me to return to, or I even start something completely over. We cry. We become overly critical of ourselves. It's seemingly our fault, or maybe it seems like what we are doing just isn't really right for us. This heartbreak is experienced many, many times in our careers as artists.
- Getting back together. After a period of discouragement and anxiety, we begin to realize how much we miss it. I will open my sketchbook to a clean sheet of paper or an unused canvas and just start to sketch random things. Usually, I start out with doodles, but eventually, I begin to gain confidence and resort back to my realism as well as my silly cartoons. I feel like I can paint faces draw charcoal skulls again without wanting to take an ax to my easel. Whether from self-pride or from the complements of others, our confidence in what we do grows back, and new ideas and works come alive. At this point, the heartbreak is over, and we feel like it's time to start anew and continue pursuing our artistic ventures.
- Back to the honeymoon stage. Our skills have improved, often because our past episodes of frustration drive us to work even harder at our artwork once we have completely calmed down. We feel as though everything, once again, is right. We are doing what we love, and seemingly, nothing can go wrong. But then we go back to step 3.
So, to conclude my random insight, I feel as though the struggle of artists, particularly those who choose art as a career, in the eyes of someone who does not have much of an interest in the arts just seems like one of those relationships in which the couple keeps fighting/breaking up and getting back together. It seems like a pointless deal. We could also do something else instead of going through periods of constant heartbreak and frustration and anger. But we don't. Real love has no conditions. We appreciate people, activities, and things for their positive points. To me, no feeling is greater than what I feel when I am creating a visual piece. It is absolutely worth undergoing the bad moments because no matter what, I will always pull through and make something that I am proud of. I love drawing and painting, and I intend to dance this ridiculous tango with my artwork until the day I kick.
