Happy New Year all. And with a New Year comes a time to take stock. Even though to me New Year feels like it should start in the spring time, I still feel the need to stop, reflect and assess.
And this year I've decided to finally invest in an AOI membership (the Association of Illustrators) and I've been thinking about joining them for a few years now. But why now?
My Journey So Far...
Before 2023 I was still unsure of my direction. But it all started to change in 2023 when I finally began investing in myself and giving myself the time and mental space to find out who I am and how I draw - without beating myself up about having to do it in a certain way.
I joined courses and started actually using my sketchbook for sketches. Glorious, messy sketches! I deep-dived into my memories and found a turning point in my creative journey from when I was around 7-8 years old, when a teacher told me that my drawings were too messy and I should draw more like another member of the class who was super neat and tidy.
What was an off the cuff comment for them was a turning point for me that constantly had me comparing my creations to other people, and started a sub-conscious desire to emulate others' work and hate my own. It was a comment that took me 33 years to shake, when in 2023 I finally found out how to use a sketchbook and when I once again came face-to-face with my messy, wobbly sketches, and found out - eventually - that I loved them.
At first though, I hated my new found wonky sketches - something in my gut screamed 'You're Not Good Enough'. But after persevering and sticking with the process of timing my sketches and just going for it, I finally started to love the marks on my page. They were once again becoming part of me. What I was finally seeing in these messy, wobbly lines was a handwriting-version of my drawings. In its basic sense, my style.
In 2024 I started transferring my new-found confidence in the wobbily line to my finished pieces. It took a while to get a cohesive feel for it, without forcing it. But eventually, with time and patience I ended 2024 with a confidence that helped to keep the liveliness of my wonky, wobbly sketches in my finished pieces. And I LOVE it!
Now I'm in a place where I am truely drawing like me. I don't have to think about the how, because the how is just my way. The investment of the last few years has really paid off. Now because I don't fret about the style of my drawings (because I've found my own handwriting version of my drawing) I can just focus on what I'm going to draw. And this means I'm able to create much more quickly.
Finally I feel I am confidently and unashamedly me in my art. And now I have that awesome foundation, I'm ready to take advantage of the AOI membership and all of their help with contracts, jargon, contacts which I wasn't in a place to fully take advantage of before.
Want to start your own consolidation journey?
There is no right or wrong way to create your own art. But if you - like me before 2023 - have to stop and think 'what style am I going to create this in?' when you pick up your pencil, you might need to take some time to invest in finding your own handwriting version of your drawing. AKA your style.
Hold it lightly though. Don't link the end result with your worth! It might take a while until you feel confident and happy with your end results. I mean, it took me 2 years. . .
And while there is no right or wrong way to embark on this journey of self discovery, I can tell you how I got started:
I started with an audio walk-though of how to sketch in a sketchbook from The Good Ship Illustration. I'm not sponsored! But I really found that this was a great starting place for me. It was quick, easy, and there were these 3 women working in 3 different parts of the illustration industry helpfully talking me through it.
The Sketchbooker's Friend is the name of this audio guide and it's a free resource.
And remember, I didn't like the sketches I made with this method at first. They were everything I was told was wrong since the age of 7. But I stuck with it because, honestly, nothing else was working.
I'm not saying you'll have the same journey as me, but if you need a bit of help, this is as good a place to start as any.
Good luck pals, and stick with it. You are totally worth it!