Summary
Step One was the section that I resonated with the most. (Getting started, continuing to practice, and imitation.)
“Step One” was the section that resonated with me the most. I find that with many things, even outside of “art,” I hesitate a lot to start it. Before beginning anything, I’ll think about the process of starting it, usually in the middle of the night, and will even discuss these plans with friends. These plans can be simple or elaborate, but they usually fall through. Sometimes, it could be because I am too embarrassed or scared to fail, or I lose the drive I had the other night. But like how the passage says, you should not approach everything with being “good,” especially not immediately, and it is important to do. It definitely feels less pressuring to create things without having to achieve a certain quota, as I am currently experiencing. Consistency is something I want to strengthen more in my life, beyond just art, but art is a good way to keep myself in check. Stunting my growth as a person because of my aversion to taking action is something I want to attempt to amend.
Imitation is another excellent point brought up in the passage. I find myself referencing other people’s work in my own often, and it is a great learning opportunity to figure out how someone else created something by replicating it. My own flair is still obvious in my work, though, usually through color choices, font arrangement, or music. Imitation has also helped with my confidence because I see how more people will accept my creation, but that isn’t my drive to make something. Bringing it back to needing to just “do art,” I also liked how Lesson 4 says to do it and not to fixate on what will be understood. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everything is up to interpretation; there will be something that catches someone else’s eye in your work that you may not have even intended, but that’s still a good thing because you still caught their eye.