Art Capacity, A Strength and Weakness

A capacity in which I am strong is pursuing new possibilities. More often this happens for me within an art classroom when a teacher provides a big idea and/or guidelines for an artwork. I have explored and created a lot of pieces of art I would have never even imagined on my own through high school and college. A recent example was in the fiber studio when I was learning how to dye silk from materials found in nature that was inspiring. Winter has finally ended and now spring will provide more possibility for me to create through eco-dying! Even more recently, I began using a blending tool for my colored pencil concentrations! I am open to trying new things within the art realm.

A capacity in which I need considerable work is the ability to use an artist journal or sketchbook. I do not use an artist journal or sketch unless required to by a teacher within a class. I have the tendency to be technical, seeking perfection, so it is difficult for me to sketch ideas or thoughts because it would be time consuming. I prefer to write ideas or thoughts in words rather than visualize them through sketches. To become stronger in this area, I need to practice sketching. I need to stop worrying about how well I’m drawing or how the sketch looks because it is not the final artwork. If I stop worrying I can use sketching to generate ideas, to then communicate those ideas, and to solve problems within an artwork. I need to be able to use sketching as a visual thinking tool.