Friday, November 23, 2007

Non Competitive Artists in the Competitve Field of Art

The first thing that I was told when I decided to go to school for something art related was "It's a competitive field." This was told to me time and time again and I did my best to ignore it. I love art and have always tried to let my heart push me forward rather than the thrill of competition.

I believe that everyone has a certain competitive nature. It's human. When I was young I would compete with other kids for the attention of the adults. Every time I play a video game with my friends we are being competitive. We want to win, we don't want to lose because often when losing in a public setting an issue of embarrassment surfaces. I was never good at handling embarrassment, often arguing and causing conflict. I was never good at sports or on stage talent, in turn, the thought of losing made me avoid these public competitive situations all together.

For a long time I refused to think competitively when it came to my art. I can easily look around and see so many artists who are "better". I guess it's that fear of looking at others who are better as the "winners" and feeling like a "loser" therefor being embarrassed by my current abilities. There are so many art styles out there that it makes it hard to compare your work to others. Regardless, it's easy to say "I wish I could draw(design, write, sing, etc) like so-in-so." These thoughts, fears of embarrassment or disappointment can often hold an artist back from trying to get better.

The statement "Art is a competitive field" usually relates to the job market. Of course any profession that relates to a skill is going to be competitive. Those who are better at their skill are more likely to get the job. Popular artists are popular because they're good, or enough people exist who think they're good. Is it my competitive nature that makes me strive to be one of these "good" artists or is it my passion? Could it be a little of both? Does one have to be competitive to succeed? If so how are some people naturally "good" artists? Is there a place for non competitive artists who are driven by passion alone? Is it possible to be driven by passion alone?

Sunday, November 4, 2007

The Internet Couldn't Possibly Have Changed That Much, Could It?

Wow, I am all kinds of proud of myself for linking my Deviant Art gallery up to my blog via RSS. Sure it was just a matter of copying a funky looking url into a blogger template field but it worked and I can say that I finally did something with RSS! Something is better than nothing, right?

Since I took a new job three months ago that specifically revolves around web design, I've realized that a lot has changed with the world wide web since tech school. Blogs and wigets are big, programing languages have multiplied and more and more social networking sites are springing up like weeds. True, this didn't happen overnight, but it kinda feels like it did.

Have I really been out of the loop for that long? Did things really change overnight or was I that distracted?

At the new work place I've been thrown into maintaining a primarily php website. Never used php/MySQL until I took the job and I'm suprised at my ability to adapt. I'm brushing up on my Flash action scripting and learning about SEO management, all on my own. It's suprisingly interesting to me.

I kinda feel like I've been reunited with an old friend and we have a lot of catching up to do.