01-22-2015, 07:03 AM
Hey man, just read through this whole page, really sorry to hear you've been down about things. I think I experienced some similar feelings a while back, I'll offer some of my thoughts to see if it helps at all. Mainly I guess like others have said, is not to concern yourself with online opinions - that's easier said than done but I feel some steps towards this is to really, concretely and firmly define in your mind why you are doing this, what do you want to achieve this year? next year? in 10 years time? - when you have those goals and dreams deep in your life you can see the online world as a means to an end rather than as a goal in itself. You do your art for yourself and to fulfill your dreams, you make progress on your own - the online world is there to assist your own discovery, not to provide the discoveries for you. It's an important distinction to make, else you're putting hope outside of yourself in something intangible and changeable which can only lead to suffering.
On a more practical note; something I've given a lot of thought to is what do you get from art school that you don't get doing self study? I mean there are loads of differences but I think a lot of it comes down to a rigid timetable, assignments and deadlines. Timetables tell you want to study and when, assignments give you a chance to put it all together and deadlines tell you when it's time to move on to the next thing. You can make these for yourself! It takes willpower and discipline to follow them but you aren't in school, so you can't fail and be kicked out. A structure to follow that's broken down into specific 'goals' is really helpful.
For me, I thought first what the big dream is - comic books
What fundamentals do I need to do that? perspective, figure drawing, composition, gesture
Then I made a daily / weekly and monthly programme to learn and practice those things, with kind of bi-monthly courses of study (work through Hampton, work through Scott Robertson etc.) I give myself 'extensions' if I don't finish in time but at a certain point I hit my 'deadline' and decide that's enough for now and move on. Doing it this way I've been able to look back even just a few weeks or a month and have seen progress 'cause I can do stuff now I couldn't do then. I can expand, edit, redefine this programme as much and as often as I want, since it's my 'school', together with the best teachers in the world (books / video lectures / tutorials / etc.). It's not a big document, it's one side of landscape A4 blue tacced above my desk with big writing on it but it gives me the focus I need. So when I'm down, I don't need to think my way out of a slump, I just do what's written on the paper in front of me. Usually just starting, and drawing, and realising I don't suck as much as I think - or that today I'm sucking but that doesn't matter cause I'm still moving forward - keeps me going really well.
I floated around for ages doing a bit of this and a bit of that but until I sat down and wrote out this programme and got really serious about following it, I just couldn't see my progress cause I was doing too many things at once, and not spending enough time on any of them.
Anyway man, I hope you figure it out! Didn't mean to put too much of my stuff in there but it has really helped. Best of luck!
On a more practical note; something I've given a lot of thought to is what do you get from art school that you don't get doing self study? I mean there are loads of differences but I think a lot of it comes down to a rigid timetable, assignments and deadlines. Timetables tell you want to study and when, assignments give you a chance to put it all together and deadlines tell you when it's time to move on to the next thing. You can make these for yourself! It takes willpower and discipline to follow them but you aren't in school, so you can't fail and be kicked out. A structure to follow that's broken down into specific 'goals' is really helpful.
For me, I thought first what the big dream is - comic books
What fundamentals do I need to do that? perspective, figure drawing, composition, gesture
Then I made a daily / weekly and monthly programme to learn and practice those things, with kind of bi-monthly courses of study (work through Hampton, work through Scott Robertson etc.) I give myself 'extensions' if I don't finish in time but at a certain point I hit my 'deadline' and decide that's enough for now and move on. Doing it this way I've been able to look back even just a few weeks or a month and have seen progress 'cause I can do stuff now I couldn't do then. I can expand, edit, redefine this programme as much and as often as I want, since it's my 'school', together with the best teachers in the world (books / video lectures / tutorials / etc.). It's not a big document, it's one side of landscape A4 blue tacced above my desk with big writing on it but it gives me the focus I need. So when I'm down, I don't need to think my way out of a slump, I just do what's written on the paper in front of me. Usually just starting, and drawing, and realising I don't suck as much as I think - or that today I'm sucking but that doesn't matter cause I'm still moving forward - keeps me going really well.
I floated around for ages doing a bit of this and a bit of that but until I sat down and wrote out this programme and got really serious about following it, I just couldn't see my progress cause I was doing too many things at once, and not spending enough time on any of them.
Anyway man, I hope you figure it out! Didn't mean to put too much of my stuff in there but it has really helped. Best of luck!