10-11-2015, 11:57 PM
If you feel as if you are making excuses, you probably are and only you can address them.
I sort of disagree with Dennis about hating drawing if you work too hard. If you’re lucky enough to be at an atelier you tend to learn fairly quickly that you can manage to stay focused and work hard for long periods of time and not burn out. It requires a willingness to get used to the initial fatigue you feel and structured way of working. When you are put through hardship, you develop a tolerance for it.
I’m at the atelier 12 hours on weekdays and collectively 6 hours over the weekend. On weekends I do all my laundry, cook all my food for the week, workout, read books and even though I’m exhausted from the week’s hard work, I go to the atelier for evening life drawing and anatomy studies. I even manage to find time to work digitally. At first it feels hard but you adapt over time.
You need to find out what your limits are and you will never find out if you don’t push yourself to the edge. Now some people will not be able to deal with 12 hours every day but to say that long hours will definitely lead to burning out is just flat out wrong. You need to figure these things out for yourself. Maybe you can handle it, maybe you can’t. But don’t automatically assume you can’t if you haven’t given it a shot (or two).
If you are noticing that you aren’t learning or retaining knowledge when studying, figure out the best way to fix that. The solution isn’t always to just study less. Sometimes you just need to switch subjects and your brain feels refreshed. At the atelier we take 5 minute breaks every 25 minutes during our long pose figure drawings. This is both so that the model doesn’t tire out but also so we can spend time cleaning up our drawings, walk around, see what other people are doing and to sit down and relax for a short time. This keeps you going for much longer and makes you more efficient when you’re on the clock.
Also, don't listen too much to people on the internet. Think for yourself because my and other people's experiences are only our own and won't always translate universally.
I sort of disagree with Dennis about hating drawing if you work too hard. If you’re lucky enough to be at an atelier you tend to learn fairly quickly that you can manage to stay focused and work hard for long periods of time and not burn out. It requires a willingness to get used to the initial fatigue you feel and structured way of working. When you are put through hardship, you develop a tolerance for it.
I’m at the atelier 12 hours on weekdays and collectively 6 hours over the weekend. On weekends I do all my laundry, cook all my food for the week, workout, read books and even though I’m exhausted from the week’s hard work, I go to the atelier for evening life drawing and anatomy studies. I even manage to find time to work digitally. At first it feels hard but you adapt over time.
You need to find out what your limits are and you will never find out if you don’t push yourself to the edge. Now some people will not be able to deal with 12 hours every day but to say that long hours will definitely lead to burning out is just flat out wrong. You need to figure these things out for yourself. Maybe you can handle it, maybe you can’t. But don’t automatically assume you can’t if you haven’t given it a shot (or two).
If you are noticing that you aren’t learning or retaining knowledge when studying, figure out the best way to fix that. The solution isn’t always to just study less. Sometimes you just need to switch subjects and your brain feels refreshed. At the atelier we take 5 minute breaks every 25 minutes during our long pose figure drawings. This is both so that the model doesn’t tire out but also so we can spend time cleaning up our drawings, walk around, see what other people are doing and to sit down and relax for a short time. This keeps you going for much longer and makes you more efficient when you’re on the clock.
Also, don't listen too much to people on the internet. Think for yourself because my and other people's experiences are only our own and won't always translate universally.
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