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The Happy Artist Curse!
178 Plays2 months ago
In this episode, Nic Torres reacts to a YouTube video titled 'How I Solve the Happy Artist's Curse,' discussing the intricacies of the creative process in art and pottery. He emphasizes the importance of finding joy in specific aspects of the creative process, even if not every part is enjoyable. By sharing personal experiences and stories from other artists, Nic highlights the value of focusing on what brings individual fulfillment in art. He also addresses the pressures of social media and the significance of maintaining a personal connection to one's work. Finally, practical advice on how to navigate days of low motivation and the importance of continuous creation is given.
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00:00 Introduction and Video Overview 01:18 Personal Reflections on Art and Pottery 03:01 Finding Joy in the Creative Process 05:40 Dealing with Creative Frustrations 08:38 Balancing Art and Commercial Success 11:53 Final Thoughts and Advice 17:10 Conclusion and Additional Resources
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Transcript
Introduction to Artistic Paradox
00:00:00
Speaker
Paradox is and it remains that you cannot every time have all of it. What is up, shaping nation? This is Nick Torres here. And on this episode, I'm going to be reacting to this YouTube video I came across called how I solve the happy artist curse. And I've seen it and I wanted to give my reaction to it because it's a very, very good topic to talk about for any artist, for any potter out there. So I thought I would give my reaction to this video and hopefully it helps you out as well.
00:00:30
Speaker
So I just finished the first layer of my Batman painting here. And by the time you're watching this video, you will probably already know what the whole deal is with this painting. And um unlike me, you will also know what the finished painting looks like. But the past few days that I've been working on this and creating this, let's call it what it is fan art image here, I had such a good time.
00:00:52
Speaker
so much fun creating this image that it got me thinking now don't get me wrong it's a huge mess painting something like this it's total chaos if you look at my palette here but it's also a ton of fun it got me thinking you know why isn't every painting like this why isn't every day like this because believe me it's not some paintings and some days are just dreadful that is very very true so very recently i made this Deadpool and Wolverine mug. And I loved, I absolutely loved making it, kind of like how he said he was enjoying making the Batman painting that he's making. And I enjoyed making this Deadpool and Wolverine mug. But there are some parts of the aspects where I actually didn't enjoy it, like painting on this red part or painting on this yellow part. I didn't actually enjoy that part, but I love how it came out. And just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's not worth pursuing in an art and pottery.
Balancing Process and Outcome in Art
00:01:52
Speaker
I guess it comes down to the one thing, the one paradox that pretty much every artist that I know of is familiar with. For the most part, you cannot have everything. Yep, I pretty much just said that. You can enjoy yourself while you create something, you can enjoy the process, or you can enjoy the outcome. It's very rare that all of these things come together and you really do enjoy everything.
00:02:23
Speaker
every part of the creative process equally. At least in my experience. now what i definitely agree a hundred percent i interviewed somebody one time casey stelter And she doesn't like the entire process. She only likes to leave the decorating part of the process. So what she started doing is instead of focusing on all the entire process, like, you know, making the pot on the wheel or doing a bunch of different stuff, she started using slipcast stuff to make this make her work. And when she made her work like that, that's when
00:02:57
Speaker
her she was able would to focus on what she really loved and that was a decorating part of the process you don't have to like the entire process you have to find what works for you and then continue on focusing what you love to make why is that the case well i'm not 100 sure i mean there are many reasons for why you know being a creative person and being an artist is difficult to say the least i and at the same time also wanting to have
Impact of Social Media on Creativity
00:03:24
Speaker
it. You know, it's just not possible. You sit down to create something and you really enjoy the process. You do everything you can and by the time you're finished and you're looking king at your creation and the outcome of hours and hours of work, you feel sort of unsatisfied, empty. It doesn't live up to your expectation. It's not
00:03:47
Speaker
I believe the the reason why this happens is like you may enjoy the process but the reason why with the outcome when it finally comes out is that you don't like it is because you're so close to the to the work that you you are expecting a certain outcome and when that outcome doesn't come out to your expectations then that's when you aren't able to appreciate what you made because you're you've been so close to it for so long and then that one or two things that just doesn't come out how you want it and then now you're faced with now it looks like shit while other people it will look amazing but to you it doesn't look like that because you're so close to the work.
00:04:25
Speaker
Not what you wanted, it it's not what you like in some cases. And the same goes the other way around. you know Sometimes you love the outcome, but the process has been a huge pain in the ass. And if you really think about it, it also kind of makes sense. Because the parts that are really interesting and enjoyable in making a painting, for example, are those parts where you just Paint. You switch your brain off. It's almost like meditation. It's a complete flow state that you are in. And hours pass by without you realizing how fast time flies and you're just immersed in the experience and in the process of making a painting.
Overcoming Creative Blocks
00:05:11
Speaker
And if you can find ways to focus more on those the parts that you really enjoy, like I was mentioning earlier, then everything else becomes more enjoyable, right? What I like to do is I like to write out a list of things that I like to i like to do in pottery. Like, for example, I like to sculpt, I like to make mugs, and i I focus on those things so much that the rest of the process becomes a lot more enjoyable to me.
00:05:38
Speaker
That is the fun part. The hard part is oftentimes you know thinking about it, coming up with a concept, coming up with ideas, planning, organizing, etc. And the more you think, the more you have to use your brain, the more demanding and draining the whole experience can become.
00:05:58
Speaker
And especially in a time like this, you know, 21st century with social media and the fact that every artist in a way has to share and record their process and their images, etc. It is something that you constantly have in the back of your head while pretty much doing anything. You know, you're always thinking about those things.
00:06:21
Speaker
And it does take away from the whole experience in a way where the experience before you even start can be something that you basically dread, which of course should never be the case. I mean, every creative process should be something that you look forward to. But it's not like that, not even for me. you know Often I come here in the studio and I feel like I really don't wanna turn on the camera and switch the camera every 10 minutes because I need to record different things that I'm doing, take off. That is very true. We all feel this at one point. Sometimes we just don't really feel like making art or we don't feel like creating something. And that's fine, right? It's fine to have those days.
00:07:08
Speaker
But the way you get over that is simply by starting making, you just start making and you don't you just and the more you start making, the more ideas start flowing into your mind. We're gonna we're all gonna have those days, we don't feel like making art, we don't feel like making the video, we don't feel like doing all these different things.
Prioritizing Personal Joy in Art
00:07:24
Speaker
But if you just start, whatever you're doing, whatever you're trying to do, whatever you're planning, everything becomes so much easier.
00:07:31
Speaker
my glove every time basically that I do it, et cetera, et cetera. It does take me out of the whole process. It does take me out of the whole flow state, and it's not ideal. Now, getting back to my painting here, the thing that I had to make sure from the very beginning, before I even got started, was that the process itself of creating this image here, it had to be as enjoyable and free and fun as possible. Because by the time you're watching this video, you probably already know that I don't get anything for doing this. If anything, I have to put in money and I lose out on money because I can't work on anything else. So, you know, if I'm gonna do something like this, it better be something that I enjoy.
00:08:15
Speaker
And until now, it totally lived up to it, but only because I made a very deliberate and conscious decision. I decided to prioritize the process, to prioritize me and what I want and what I like, rather than thinking too much about the internet and other people and the camera, etc, etc.
00:08:38
Speaker
and I like this advice a lot. When I first started making pottery on my own, like i'm not in a classroom setting, I had one goal. I wanted to sell my pottery. But because i was I wanted to sell my pottery, I wasn't focusing on the actual art of my pottery. I wasn't actually making it trying to look good.
00:08:57
Speaker
And so I was making for other people thinking that will sell, but that didn't work at all. I was actually draining me. I didn't sell anything and it just was not a good time. And then when I switched that from focusing on what I wanted to make and focusing on the process and focusing on the things that bring me joy, that's when everything started to change a little bit better. I started becoming a little bit more mindful about my potter. I started being more intentional about the things that I make.
00:09:26
Speaker
And also the rule book when you know it comes to the creation of an image. All those quote unquote rules that you have. You know I don't care about any of those as you know. One of the big reasons why this painting is so enjoyable is because I didn't have to come up with the whole entire idea of the image. Luckily the phenomenal artist who created it And that's why it's okay to make fan art. Even if you're only doing it every once in a while, it's okay to make fan art. Because sometimes we gotta turn our mind off and just make things that we enjoy
Fan Art and Realism in Creative Enjoyment
00:10:01
Speaker
with it. With this mug right here that I made, I was originally gonna make a Scorpio mug from Mortal Kombat.
00:10:07
Speaker
And that was only just to get a video out. But after seeing the Deadpool movie, I got very inspired by it and the characters were ready made for me. And it was it became that much easier to enjoy the process and enjoy the final result because it was already a character that had already been made.
00:10:24
Speaker
it this sculpture. Actually let me look up his name so I can give credit where credit is due. Daniel Bell is the name of the sculptor who came up with this cool version of Batman, which in all honesty is also not entirely his own idea as The design of the character is inspired by Frank Miller's Dark Knight comic. If you aren't familiar with that, it's one of the coolest Batman stories ever written. The point is that I didn't have to put too much thought into that part of the creative process.
00:10:56
Speaker
I could dive right into just making an image, which is always great. you know It's one of the reasons why, let's be honest, realist painters enjoy making realistic images. You don't have to think too much while creating the image. You just copy what you see.
00:11:13
Speaker
which is very enjoyable if you do it like that. And the other thing that I did was I completely took out the final image out of the equation whether or not it's going to sell, whether or not people are going to like it on the internet, whether or not it's going to get all those clicks and likes. It's not even relevant for me because I very early on decided that this painting is not going to be for sale i am doing this just for myself because i've realized over many many years that it is incredibly important to do something just for yourself and the moment i i agree 100 percent sometimes we get so focused on what it's going to sell what is going to you know what are the people going to like that we forget to make for ourselves every once in a while and sometimes you don't need to make what sells sometimes you don't even need
00:12:03
Speaker
to make it to finish it. Sometimes you just need to get your thoughts out. Sometimes you just need to make something that you want to make to refresh yourself a little bit, to just do something different and get back into the juice of actually creating, getting that flow back again.
Accepting Rarity of Dual Satisfaction in Art
00:12:20
Speaker
I did that, you know, surprise, surprise. I suddenly create a painting, an image that looks better for whatever reason in some parts or in some ways than 90% of what I use. By the way, that's a sick-ass fucking painting. Oddly enough, I'm literally wearing a Batman shirt as he's talking about this, like not planned at all, just completely whichence usually create. And that is you know the power of being completely freed from all the pressure and expectations, et cetera, et cetera. I know it's easier said than done, but I'm at a point where I constantly remind myself that it's one of the things that contributes to my happiness as an artist in a way like nothing else, to be honest.
00:13:13
Speaker
that is one of the things that i feel like most artists over time forget about that all of this also has to be fun when that is what you want that is because the paradox is and it remains that you cannot every time have all of it sometimes it feels like a trap you know you're in this hamster wheel that is just turning and turning and turning and it's like a vicious cycle that repeats itself. You create something, you're unhappy with the result, you create another thing and you're unhappy while creating but then suddenly the finished result is what everyone on social media is crazy about and you are like, what the hell is going on? I have no idea what I'm supposed to do anymore.
00:14:05
Speaker
I guess the takeaway here is that it is incredibly important for one, to not overthink everything. you know Forget about all the rules, forget about all the things that you constantly have on your mind while creating. Whether it's the camera, whether it's the tools you're using or the process or what other people think, et cetera. But also it's equally important to realize and understand the fact that you can't have everything and that it's not a bad thing.
00:14:34
Speaker
It doesn't need to be a bad thing. You can enjoy the process. You can enjoy the end result. Sometimes you can do both. Most of the time you can't, but that's fine. It's okay. It's part of being a creative person. And once you realize this, you also understand that when you have fun creating something, you can focus on that, enjoy it 100%. And it doesn't matter what comes after that. The only thing that matters is that you understand that you have done something for yourself and you feel good about it.
Resources and Themes to Prevent Burnout
00:15:06
Speaker
And with that said, I'm gonna wrap up my painting day, come back tomorrow, and hopefully, hopefully this painting will be one of those rare occasions where I enjoyed the process, but I also enjoyed the final result. I still can't believe that I'm giving this painting away, honestly.
00:15:27
Speaker
Definitely agree a hundred percent with what he's saying especially towards the end there where he was saying that you're not always gonna have Everything you want when you're making or when you're making pottery, especially I bet you right now There are things in pottery that you just don't like doing like me for example I hate recycling clay But I gotta do it anyways because otherwise I'm gonna be have to be spending fifty dollars for more bags of clay every single time and something that I can't really afford right now and I so I have to recycle my clit and And there are other things like trimming. I don't necessarily like trimming all that much because I'm always afraid it's gonna fall off the wheel. and But I do it anyways because I think it makes my pottery look that much better. There are parts of the process where you're not gonna like and that's fine. But sometimes you have to do those anyways in order to make the pottery that you wanna make and then have it be that much better. And there's gonna be times when you're gonna love the entire process but the result isn't gonna become
00:16:25
Speaker
but you want and that's simply because you're too close to the work sometimes you have to take a step back take a little breather and then figure out what you did wrong and figure out what went right and sometimes you just need to just take a break and make what you want to make don't focus on something else don't focus on the video don't focus on anything else but making what you want to make there's gonna be there's there's stages of your art sometimes you got to work for your art sometimes you got to make what you want to make and sometimes There are going to be times where you don't like what you're making, but the result is going to come out that much better. So this has been an excellent video. I'm glad I gave a reaction to it. I hope it helps you as well. Hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I'll see you guys in the next one. Thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery. If you are struggling with finding your own theme for your pottery so that you know you are known for something,
00:17:24
Speaker
I put together 53 themes that you can use and you can take. All you have to do is go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash 53 themes. That's five three themes to get these 53 themes. It's really important for you to find a theme for your pottery so that you're not going to get burnt out. you You can have multiple styles with your pottery and you can be known for something. So again, go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash 53 themes, that's five, three themes to get these 53 themes. Thanks guys, I'll see you guys next time.